The Oregon Primary Election is May 21, with several races in Central Oregon triggering the need for a primary election. Now that the deadline for filing for candidacy passed on March 12, here’s a look at who’s running for seats in May and November.
Oregon’s 5th Congressional District
Oregon 5th Congressional District includes Deschutes County, Clackamas County, Linn County and parts of Multnomah and Marion counties. Current Republican House rep, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is running unopposed in the primary. Democrat Janelle Bynum, an Oregon state legislator and small business owner, will run against Jamie McLeod-Skinner, an engineer, a public servant and a small business owner during the May primary.
State Senate – 27th District
Oregon’s 27th District Senate seat is currently held by Republican Sen. Tim Knopp. Bend City Councilor Anthony Broadman announced his candidacy on Sept. 5. Broadman, running as a Democrat, has served on the Bend City Council since 2020 and served as mayor pro tem in 2022. He’s also the Chief Judge of the Warm Springs Court of Appeals and an attorney for tribal governments and small business.
Running unopposed as a Republican is Redmond School Board Chair Michael Summers. Summers is a third-generation owner of Summers Flooring and Design and a local musician. Summers filed for candidacy on March 5. Shannon Monihan, the former executive director of the Downtown Bend Business Association, was previously the Republican candidate but was disqualified due to residency concerns, according to an article from Oregon Capital Chronicle.
House – 53rd District
Emerson Levy, current representative, is running for re-election as a Democrat. Keri Lopez, running as a Republican, is a member of the Redmond School District Board of Directors since 2021 and helps operate her husband’s small business building homes in Central Oregon.
House – 54th District
Current State Representative of House District 54, Jason Kopf, D-Bend, is up for reelection, running unopposed.
Deschutes County Commissioner
Current County Commissioner Phil Chang is running for reelection for the Deschutes County Commissioner Position #2, a nonpartisan race. Others running include Brian Huntamer, a veteran who has a background in real estate, construction and drug and alcohol counseling, Rob Imhoff, a business owner, and Judy Trego, the current executive director of a nonprofit. With four people in the race, the candidates will appear on the May primary ballot to determine the two who will move forward to the general election. (Clarification: If one of the candidates gets more than 50% of the vote in the primary, that individual will win the seat.)
Deschutes County Sheriff
As current Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson announced that he wouldn’t seek re-election in July 2023, those running include current DSCO Captain, William Bailey , and Kent Vander Kamp, who currently leads the field operations of Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team. Since fewer than three candidates filed for this race, it will move to the November General Election.
This article appears in Source Weekly March 21, 2024.
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Re: County Commission race. If one of the candidates gets more than 50% of the vote, they will win the seat and there will be no election in November for that race. Might want to include that detail! This is new this year after the ballot measure passed to make the race nonpartisan.
See Clerk’s website language https://www.deschutes.org/clerk/page/may-2…
County Commissioner Position #2, 4 year term (If no candidate receives a majority of the votes (50% + 1 vote) for this office, the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes in the Primary are nominated and move to the General Election.)
Leave in the old or bring in the new……..nothing will change. Never does. Blue and red will fight and point the finger and stick to party lines. Rinse/repeat.
Why did you list the candidates for Deschutes County Commissioner from the last election?