Elections are ahead again: first the May primary that allows people registered with a particular party to vote for their favorite candidates, followed by the general election in November. The filing deadline to run in the May primary was March 8. Here are the candidates local voters may find on their ballots this May (depending on your geographical location), along with the top donors for each campaign from 2021 to 2022, according to the most recent data available from the Oregon Secretary of State.
Deschutes County Commissioner, Position 1
With three Republicans and just one Democrat in this primary race, Democrat Oliver Tatom is all but guaranteed to progress to the general election, while incumbent Tony DeBone will battle it out with two other Republican challengers.
Oliver Tatom, Democrat
Top donors: Rebecca B Boyd - $1,250; John Ertle - $1,000; Philip Chang - $500, Tom H Johnston - $251; Dianna Hansen - $250; Jody Saffert - $250
Tony DeBone, Republican
Top donors: Dan McLean - $1,500, Committee to Elect Mike McLane - $1,000, R-4 Equipment LLC - $1,000, Sandy Schumacher - $500, Rachael Freed - $500, Jake Russel Excavation LLC - $500
Thomas McManus, Republican
Top donors: None listed with the Oregon Secretary of State as of March 8
Scott Stuart, Republican
Top donors: None listed with the Oregon Secretary of State as of March 8
Deschutes County Commission Position 3
Local pastor and creator of the Pandemic Partners mutual aid group, Democrat Morgan Schmidt is running for the Democratic ticket in the county commissioner race that will eventually pit her against incumbent Republican Patti Adair. But with only one person running in each primary, both are all but sure to make the ballot in November.
Morgan Schmidt, Democrat
Top donors: Charles L Thiel - $6,000; Peggy Owens - $2,000 +$500 +$1,000; Nancy McElvenny - $1,000 x3 + $2,000; Ashley Testerman, Brian Trottier, David Osgood, Cynthia Serra - $1,000 (each)
Patti Adair, Republican
Top donors: Lauren Babior - $10,000; D.P. Walker Ranch - $1,000; Dahli Brandt - $500 x2, Mike K for Redmond (aka Michael Kusinska) - $341.62, Kathryn DeBone- $150x2
Oregon House District 53
With Redmond Republican Jack Zika opting not to run again, and with Democrat Janet Llerandi Gonzalez announcing last week that she'd withdrawn from the race, the race for House 53 will see two untested candidates running unopposed in their respective primaries. Of her decision in the race, Llerandi Gonzelez cited concerns around "challenges within the local Democratic party."
"Privilege has caused well-connected politicians to stand in the way of people of color that want to engage civically as a means of survival, rather than mere party identity," said Llerandi Gonzalez, who identifies as queer and indigenous Mexican. "I can no longer sustain the financial, mental and emotional strain of navigating an institution that was intentionally designed to exclude people with my identities."
Emerson Levy, Democrat
Top donors: Louis Capozzi - $1,000; Broadman for Bend (aka Anthony Broadman) - $1,000; Susan Ackerman - $500; Elect Ellen Rosenblum for Attorney General - $500; Sean Levy - $500; Amber Keyser, Philip Chang, Stephanie Newton, Emma Hoilman, Erick Peterson, Megan Perkins, Nancy Levy, Roger Sabbadini - $250 (each)
Michael Sipe, Republican
Top donors: Stephen Berhar - $3,000; Robert Bennington - $2,500; Mark Worthington - $1,000; Jean Sipe - $1,000; Brianna Cadwell, Lydia B Dudley, Jim Kirwan - $500 (each)
Oregon House District 54
Incumbent Jason Kropf saw a Republican challenger enter the race close to the filing deadline—but in the primary, each will run unopposed.Jason Kropf, Democrat
Top donors: Oregon Hospital Political Action Committee - $3,000; Foresight Ophthalmology Political Committee - $1,000 x2; Broadman for Bend, AT&T, AGC Committee for Action, Pfizer Inc., Dentists of Oregon PAC, Anheuser-Busch, Cable Operators Political Action Committee, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Comcast Corporation, Oregon Seafood PAC, Oregon Beverage PAC, Orloggers PAC, Oregon Health Care Association PAC - $1,000 (each)
Judy Trego, Republican
Top donors: None listed with the Oregon Secretary of State as of March 8
Oregon House District 55
Newly drawn legislative boundaries following the 2020 U.S. Census meant that all of Central Oregon's House districts are different than they were in past elections. This election, Oregon House 55 folds in more of Central Oregon.
E. Werner Reschke, Republican
Top donors: Reynolds - $2,500; PhRMA- $1,500; Alaska Airlines - $1,000; AT&T- $1,000; Weyerhaeuser - $1,000; Rayonier Operating Co. - $1,000
Brian Lepore, Democrat
Top donors: Not yet listed on the Oregon Secretary of State website; his filing paperwork has not yet appeared on the Oregon SOS site.
Deschutes County District Attorney (non partisan)
With current District Attorney John Hummel not running again, the race is open for a new DA. The race is non partisan, but in the primary, just one brave soul has stepped up. This means local voters will cast their ballots for this guy or no one at all in May.
Steve Gunnels
Top donors: Jamie Sawyer - $1,000; Ros Dargahi - $1,000; Mike Sundberg - $500; Angela Lee-Mandlin - $500; Pattie Apregan - $400; Thomas Spear - $250
...And there's much more to come for the May primary.
Next week, we'll list the candidates for governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate—and attempt to sort through all their cash.