Piercy, Handy, Merkley Win Election

Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, Lane County Commission candidate Rob Handy and U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Merkley have all won their tough and pivotal election fights. In unofficial final results, Piercy beat Jim Torrey by 2 percentage points. Handy beat Bobby Green by just one percentage point. Merkley leads by three percent with 79 percent of the statewide vote counted. Smith reportedly plans to concede shortly. Continue reading 

Merkley likely to Defeat Smith

Jeff Merkley appears likely to defeat Gordon Smith in Oregon’s tight U.S. Senate race. With an estimated three quarters of the vote counted at 8:18 pm, Merkley had come from behind for a 0.5 percentage point lead of 8,270 votes. With late counted returns in Lane and Multnomah counties heavily favoring Merkley, it appears mathematically unlikely that Smith could make up the deficit. At 7:33 pm, the Oregonian projected a Merkley victory. Smith has not conceded. State law triggers an automatic recount if the margin is less that 0.2 percent. Continue reading 

Handy v. Green narrows, too Close to Call

The pivotal Rob Handy v. Bobby Green race for Lane County Commissioner has tightened and remains too close to call. At 7 pm with about three-fourths of the vote counted, Handy holds on to a lead of just 113 votes, 0.44 percent. Earlier returns had showed Handy with a lead of up to 2 percent. State law triggers an automatic recount if the margin is less that 0.2 percent. Lane County Elections will release it’s next results, what appears likely to be a near complete vote count, at 10 am Thursday. Continue reading 

Piercy Likely to Win Mayor Race

Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy appears likely to win a narrow re-election victory. With about three-fourths of the vote counted at 7 pm, Piercy’s lead over Jim Torrey had widened from less than one percent to two percent, a few hundred votes to 1,363. With the dwindling number of late counted ballots apparently favoring Piercy, it appears mathematically unlikely that Torrey will be able to make up the deficit. Lane County Elections will release it’s next results, what appears likely to be a near complete vote count, by 10 am Thursday. Continue reading