**LOOKING FOR ELECTION RESULTS? GO HERE. **
Talk to any candidate about their confidence in any given race, and chances are—even in the races that seem the surest wins—they’ll tell you they’re not holding their breath about winning.
Party-line politics might play big in other parts of the state, but here in Central Oregon, a simple look at the voter rolls gives you a strong indication of how diverse our region can be.
According to District Voter Counts from the Oregon Centralized Voter Registration, published Oct. 1, the 134,835 Deschutes County voters fall into three main categories:
Non-affiliated voters: 41,786 registered voters
Republicans: 41,744 registered voters
Democrats: 40,383 registered voters
Talk about a very close split between a red, blue… and white (aka, neutral) wave of voters. As you contemplate that split between voter affiliations, and as you begin to fill out your ballot this week, remember that nothing is taken for granted, and no race is ever “guaranteed.” Case in point: the primary race between the two Republican candidates in the House 53 race this May was decided by TWO votes. Your vote matters immensely.
See below for our endorsements for the five measures on the ballot statewide, as well as recaps of endorsements we’ve rolled out in previous weeks, and our endorsements for two hotly contested races: Bend’s new, directly elected mayor position and the race for governor of Oregon.
Our editorial board has spent countless hours interviewing candidates and debating on the merits of each one. The candidates who emerged with our endorsement did so not because of party affiliation, but because in them we saw a reflection of the values of inclusion, equity, cohesiveness, economic and social justice, and a deep care for being a community where all of its members have a place.
In addition to the endorsement videos with the candidates, found at BendSource.com, we hope you use this guide as one of many resources helping you make your decision in this coming mid-term election—because nothing is guaranteed, and nothing is ever a sure win.
—The Source Weekly Editorial Board
Drop Sites in Deschutes County
Local Candidates:
Bend Mayor: Vote Sally Russell
Bend City Council Position 5: Vote Gena Goodman-Campbell
Bend City Council Position 6: Vote Barb Campbell
Deschutes County Commission Position 1: Vote Amy Lowes
Deschutes County Commission Position 3: Vote James Cook
State Candidates:
Oregon House District 53: Vote Eileen Kiely
Oregon House District 54: Vote Cheri Helt
Oregon State Governor: Vote Kate Brown
Measures
Measure 102: Vote Yes
Measure 103: Vote No
Measure 104: Vote No
Measure 105: Vote No
Measure 106: Vote No
This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 7, 2018.
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You might add:
– District 2 US Congressional Representative:
Jamie McLeod-Skinner
– State Representative, 59th District (includes Sisters area):
Darcy Long-Curtiss
Clearly not looking beyond party lines here – with the exception of Cheri Helt, who is an amazing choice. Knute is a far superior choice than Kate Brown. Even the Oregonian agrees with this fact!
Not exactly sure why not a word (aside from Letters to the Editor) about McLeod-Skinner or Walden in this election issue. But if I recall, The Source endorsed Mcleod-Skinner back in May. So just as a reminder to my fellow citizens, Walden is the guy who tried to take healthcare away from 20 million Americans (which would’ve also taken away Medicaid from 20% of adults in his own district), He recently lobbied successfully for the pardon of two anti-govt extremists (the Hammonds) who repeatedly threatened law enforcement repeatedly and were once the the cause celebre for the Malheur seizure by out of state, anti-govt whackjobs armed for WWIII, who vowed to go down guns blazing (as in another threat to our law enforcement). Walden has spent most of the past year and a half AVOIDING his constituents, particularly in the most populated county in his district–Deschutes County. And oh yeah, when Walden held his biggest, private, campaign fundraiser this summer…he did it in Wilsonville!. Clackamas County? really? Walden is such a disgrace he can’t even put money into his own district by holding his swanky event here. That’s right…special interests come before his actual constituents. That’s why he supported the GOP tax “reform” that gave big business permanent tax cuts in the billions, while only giving middle-class and other working Americans, meager, token, temporary cuts.
Hi working-classjoe and tiffysquid: We announced on the cover page of the print edition of the Election Issue that we’re rolling out our endorsement in the Congressional District 2 race this week. Stay tuned!
>>We announced on the cover page of the print edition of the Election Issue that we’re rolling out our endorsement in the Congressional District 2 race this week.<< uhh..thanks for the heads up but that little tidbit was near impossible to find even after reading your reply. Reminds me of one of those Where’s Waldo? books… I’m old fashioned–once upon a time in news page design, important info (if you want people to find it) belongs at the top of the page, above the fold…
Dear Charles Baer. Double posting is disqualifying for any public office. And it’s annoying.
Are you kidding me! Your endorsements and recommendations are so one-sided it’s not even funny! Only a fool would buy your recommendations! Also, stop with your BS on Healthcare! your end goal is that the government controls the Healthcare system it’s called single payer!