Democrats lead both Marion County commission races in early count, a possible first since 1976 (Nov. 4)
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Democrat Sara Duncan leads Republican Commissioner Kevin Cameron by 542 votes, and Democrat Maria Hinojos Pressey leads Republican Commissioner Colm Willis by 765 votes, in Marion County's unofficial count as of 1:16 a.m. Wednesday.
If either lead holds, it would be the first time a Democrat has won a Marion County commission seat since 1976, according to the Statesman Journal and Salem Reporter.
Marion County had counted 74,905 ballots, while the county clerk said at least 121,123 had been returned as of Tuesday evening, so the results will change.
In the Legislature, Democrat Michael Welsh leads Rep. Kevin Mannix in House District 21 and Democrat Virginia Stapleton leads Tracy Cramer in Senate District 11; Keizer Mayor Cathy Clark is cruising to reelection.
SALEM, Ore. - Democrats are within reach of something that hasn't happened in Marion County in half a century: winning a seat on the Board of Commissioners.
Democratic challengers lead both Republican incumbents on the three-member board in early returns, though by margins of less than one percentage point. Sara Duncan had 36,811 votes, or 50.34%, to Commissioner Kevin Cameron's 36,269, or 49.60%, for Position 1, according to Marion County's unofficial cumulative results posted at 1:16 a.m. Wednesday. For Position 2, Maria Hinojos Pressey had 36,798 votes, or 50.48%, to Commissioner Colm Willis' 36,033, or 49.43%.
A Democrat has not won an election for Marion County commissioner since 1976, the Statesman Journal reported. Salem Reporter reported that either challenger would be the first Democrat elected to the board since then if her lead holds. The board's third seat was not on this year's ballot.
Plenty of ballots left to count
The county's 1:16 a.m. report counted 74,905 ballots, about 32% of Marion County's 230,941 registered voters. County Clerk Bill Burgess said at least 121,123 ballots had been returned as of Tuesday evening, Salem Reporter reported. That leaves at least 46,000 ballots still to be counted, plus mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive by Nov. 10.
Salem Reporter reported that both Marion and Polk counties were expected to release more results Wednesday. Voters whose signatures are challenged have until Nov. 24 to fix them, and counties must certify results by Nov. 30, according to the Marion County elections page.
Who is running
Cameron has been a county commissioner since 2014 and does independent restaurant consulting, according to the Statesman Journal. Duncan, a first-time candidate, is development manager for Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), which advocates for Oregon farmworkers and working Latino families, and serves on the Salem Area Mass Transit District board, which runs Cherriots.
Willis has held Position 2 since winning election in 2018, the Statesman Journal reported. Hinojos Pressey is PCUN's deputy director and president of the Cherriots board, on which she has served since 2020. Commissioners serve four-year terms and earn $145,000 a year, according to the newspaper.
Willamette News found no public statement from Cameron or Willis about the early results as of Wednesday morning.
The commission results stand out against the top of the ticket. Marion County voters favored Republican Christine Drazan over Gov. Tina Kotek, 49.55% to 47.89%, in the same 1:16 a.m. count, even as Kotek won a second term statewide.
Legislature: Mannix trails, Stapleton leads
Democrats were leading in six of the seven House and Senate races representing Salem and Keizer late Tuesday, Salem Reporter reported. Marion County's 1:16 a.m. count showed:
House District 21 (north Salem, Keizer): Democrat Michael Welsh 7,450 (54.21%), Republican Rep. Kevin Mannix 6,275 (45.66%).
Senate District 11 (north Salem, Keizer, Woodburn): Democrat Virginia Stapleton 12,815 (54.81%), Republican Tracy Cramer 10,517 (44.98%).
Senate District 10: Democratic Sen. Deb Patterson 13,343 (62.65%), Republican Angela Plowhead 7,926 (37.22%), in Marion County's share of the district.
House District 19 (south Salem): Democratic Rep. Tom Andersen 9,543 (62.25%), Republican Anna Munson 5,769 (37.63%).
House District 22 (northeast Salem, Gervais, Woodburn): Democratic Rep. Lesly Muñoz 5,549 (58.21%), Republican Noemi Legaspi 3,964 (41.59%).
House District 17 (east Salem, Santiam Canyon): Republican Dan Farrington 9,708 (60.97%), Democrat David Nelson 6,197 (38.92%).
House District 20 (West Salem, Monmouth, Independence): Democratic Rep. Paul Evans led Republican Andrew Fudge in both counties' first reports, 3,539 to 2,151 in Marion and 8,749 to 7,175 in Polk.
Statewide, Democrats led in 39 of 60 House races, which would top their record of 38 seats set in 1974, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported. The Capital Chronicle also reported that a Stapleton win would give Democrats 19 of the Senate's 30 seats. Willamette News found no public statement from Mannix or Cramer about the results as of Wednesday morning.
Salem and Keizer
In West Salem's Ward 8 runoff, Salem City Councilor Micki Varney had 3,945 votes to challenger Chris Cummings' 3,504, a 441-vote lead, according to Polk County's 8 p.m. election night report. Salem Reporter reported that Varney and Ward 6 candidate Betsy Vega were ahead Tuesday night. In Ward 6, Vega, the only candidate listed on the ballot, had 1,438 votes, or 64.63%, with write-ins at 787, or 35.37%, in Marion County's count. Salem Mayor Vanessa Nordyke ran unopposed.
Keizer Mayor Cathy Clark had 5,648 votes, or 67.91%, to Amy Ryan Courser's 2,608, or 31.36%, in Marion County's 1:16 a.m. count. Salem Reporter reported on Clark's early lead Tuesday night. Two Keizer City Council races were close: for Position 4, Chelsea Alionar led Maralee Fletchall by 11 votes, 2,717 to 2,706, with Tammy Kunz at 2,063. For Position 6, Colleen Busch led Daniel Kohler 3,790 to 3,658.
Local measures
Early returns from Marion County and Polk County showed:
Silver Falls School District bond (24-528): passing, 3,167 yes (58.09%) to 2,285 no.
Stayton Fire District levy (24-531): passing, 1,421 yes (58.89%) to 992 no.
Mt. Angel-Monitor fire district formation (24-529): passing, 891 yes (75.44%) to 290 no.
Silverton charter measure (24-527): passing, 1,644 yes (58.59%) to 1,162 no.
Polk County fairgrounds and event center tax (27-149): passing, 16,497 yes (53.7%) to 14,220 no, as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Monmouth urban growth boundary measure (27-150): failing, 1,033 yes to 1,592 no (60.6%).
Independence community services and parks fee (27-151): passing, 1,358 yes (53.1%) to 1,198 no.
In Polk County's commission race for Position 3, Jeremy Gordon had 16,549 votes to Steve Milligan's 9,457 in the 8 p.m. report. Statewide results are at results.oregonvotes.gov, and our Salem-area voter guide explains each race and measure.
Sources
Marion County Clerk: Cumulative Results Report, Gubernatorial General Election, unofficial (run 1:16 a.m. Nov. 4, 2026)
Marion County Clerk: November 3, 2026 Gubernatorial General Election (dates and results)
Polk County: 8 PM Election Night Results, Summary Report (not final)
Polk County: November 3, 2026 General Election
Salem Reporter: Democrats lead in both Marion County Commissioner races, margins remain narrow (Nov. 4, 2026)
Salem Reporter: Keizer Mayor Cathy Clark leads early election results (Nov. 4, 2026)
Salem Reporter: Early election results show Varney, Vega ahead in Salem City Council races (Nov. 4, 2026)
Salem Reporter: Democrats leading in six of the seven local House, Senate races Tuesday night (Nov. 3, 2026)
Statesman Journal: Kevin Cameron, Sara Duncan vie for Marion County Commissioner (Nov. 3, 2026)
Statesman Journal: Maria Hinojos Pressey, Colm Willis run for Marion County Commissioner (Nov. 3, 2026)
Oregon Capital Chronicle: Oregon Democrats on track to take historic number of state House seats (Nov. 3, 2026)
Oregon Capital Chronicle: Democrats on track to grow Oregon Senate majority (Nov. 3, 2026)
Cover photo: Marion County Courthouse, Salem, by Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
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