Oregon voters had their say in the 2024 election, and from top to bottom, change is on the way.
At the presidential level, Oregon voters were in the minority, granting eight electoral votes to Kamala Harris, who ceded the election to former President Donald Trump, who saw the race called for him by the Associated Press early Wednesday morning.
Here are the highlights of Tuesday night’s election.
Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District
One contested seat had a clear winner, and two uncontested races saw victories.
Steve M Vangrunsven will win the at-large Position 1 seat with 98.6% of the vote, as will Gales Creek resident Eldon Jossi in Zone 2 (Gales Creek, Cherry Grove, Gaston, Watts) with 98.31%. That’s right, a Gales Creek resident saw 126,060 votes.
The only contested race in the district, Zone 1, between Jerry Ward and Elaine M Stewart, shows Stewart winning with 64.82% to Ward’s 34.35%.
The Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District is divided into five zones, each of which is represented by a distinct elected board member, and two additional members are elected to serve as at-large directors for the entire county. All positions are four-year terms.
What is the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District?
“We work with Washington County residents on a cooperative, voluntary basis to conserve our shared resources for current and future generations. We do not create or enforce natural resource regulations or land-use rules,” the agency’s website reads.
House District 31
The race for House District 31 will yield a western Washington County resident representing Gales Creek and Banks constituents in Oregon’s House of Representatives for the first time in years.
Buxton-area resident Darcey Edwards will head to Salem, with 59.22% of the vote for the Republican candidate to Democrat Jordan Gutierrez’ 37.26%. In a distant third, Libertarian Robert Miller drew 3.3% in results.
“I am incredibly proud of the campaign we ran—one focused on real issues and grounded in the values of accountability, community, and commitment,” Edwards said in a statement. “As your representative, I promise to work tirelessly for a safer, stronger, and more prosperous Oregon,” the representative-elect added.
House District 31 represents much of the far northwest corner of Oregon, including Banks, Gales Creek, and Vernonia.
Suzanne Bonamici heading to another term in U.S. House of Representatives
Representing Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici is headed to another two year’s representing Oregon’s northwest corner in Washington D.C.
With 67.22% in current results, Bonamici, a Democrat, holds a commanding lead over Republican challenger Bob Todd’s 29.86%.
“Thank you to the voters of NW Oregon for their confidence in me. I am grateful to be able to serve another term in Congress. Together we can create a better, brighter future,” Bonamici said in a statement.
Libertarian Joe Christman held a distant third place at 2.7%.
Bonamici has served in her role since 2012 after winning a special election to replace former Congressman David Wu, who resigned amid a sexual assault allegation.
State jobs
Three of Oregon’s top positions were up for grabs this cycle. In fact, none of the three races had an incumbent, a rarity in any election cycle.
All three positions will go to the Democratic candidate, dashing the hopes of Republicans, who saw an opportunity to grab the statewide Attorney General position for their party.
Former Secretary of State’s Shemia Fagan’s resignation amid a scandal over her decision to accept a lucrative side gig as a cannabis consultant, despite being in charge of auditing Oregon’s Cannabis industry left the race wide open. Her appointed replacement, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, did not run for election to the office.
Instead, Tobias Read, the state’s current State Treasurer, will take the spot in January with 53.8% of the vote to Republican opponent Dennis Linthicum, who received 43.19% of the vote in current results.
Nathalie Paravicini, nominated by the Pacific Green and Progressive parties, received 2.91% of the vote.
For State Treasurer, Elizabeth Steiner will take the job in January with 49.17% to Republican challenger Brian J Boquist, who received 44.47% of the vote.
Mary King, representing the Working Families and Pacific Green parties, received the widest support of any third party candidate for a state level position with 6.26% of the current vote.
For Attorney General, Dan Rayfield will take the state’s top legal job with 53.35% of the vote to Republican Will Lathrop’s 46.53%.
State Measures
Five measures were on the ballot; two passed and three failed. We’ll list the ballot tiles and their results here.
Measure 115 (Amends Constitution: Authorizes impeachment of statewide elected officials by Oregon Legislature with two-thirds vote by each House; establishes process) passed with 62.84% of the yes vote to 37.16% no.
Measure 116 (Amends Constitution: Establishes ‘Independent Public Service Compensation Commission’ to determine salaries for specified officials; eliminates legislative authority to set such salaries) failed, with 53.29% of the vote saying no to the 46.71% yes vote.
Measure 117 (Gives voters option to rank candidates in order of preference; candidate receiving majority of votes in final round wins) failed, with
59.56% of voters saying no and 40.44% saying yes.
Measure 118 (Increases highest corporate minimum taxes; distributes revenue to eligible individuals; state replaces reduced federal benefits) was the biggest loser of the night: Almost four out of five voting Oregonians said no, at 78.80% to the 21.2% saying yes.
Measure 119 (Cannabis retailers/processors must remain neutral regarding communications to their employees from labor organizations; penalties) passed with 55.23% saying yes to 44.77 saying no.
President
Former President Donald Trump won a second term to the nation’s highest office, four years after he failed to win a second term, making him just the second U.S. president to serve two nonconsecutive terms.
In the waning hours of Election night, Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of winning the Oval Office narrowed, and then vanished altogether as swing state after swing state was called for Trump.
As Tuesday drew to a close in Oregon, Trump declared victory, though no major news publication had yet called the race.
“I wanna thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president, and your 45th president,” he said at a rally Tuesday night.
Shortly after Wednesday began in Oregon, the Associated Press had called enough Electoral Votes for Trump, more than needed to win the election.
As Trump’s victory became evident, Harris was nowhere to be found.
Harris’ Campaign co-chair, Cedric Richmond, addressed a crowd of supporters at Howard University Tuesday night.
“We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken,” he said.
“So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow,” he promised.
Harris finally conceded the race Wednesday afternoon.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” Harris said. “But hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright, as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
When Trump is sworn back into the office, he will follow in the footsteps of President Grover Cleveland, who was first elected to the office in 1885, lost to Benjamin Harrison in 1888, and then reclaimed the presidency again, serving his second and final term from 1893 to 1897.
While his split terms have one precedent in history, Trump will make his own mark in the history books as the first convicted felon to win a presidential election. Should he finish his term, he will also be the oldest serving president.
Oregon joined most of the West Coast in voting for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Federal, statewide, and local election results can be found online at results.oregonvotes.gov. Information on county elections, including turnout and a schedule of when additional votes will be released, can be found on the Washington County Elections Division website.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
