Piercy, Handy hold slim lead, but too close to call

With about a third of the vote still out at 10 am, Kitty Piercy and Rob Handy held on to 1 percent leads in the pivotal Eugene mayor and county commissioner races.

With 23,769 votes Mayor Piercy held a 528 vote lead over Torrey. Looking at turnout in the 2004 election and inflating for an increase in registrations this year, Piercy may need at least about 35,000 votes to win.

Handy won 9,523 votes, 204 more than County Commissioner Bobby Green. Looking at turnout in the 2004 election and inflating for an increase in registrations this year, Handy may need at least about 16,000 votes to win.

Judging from the May primary, late-counted votes may favor progressives Piercy and Handy. In the last 40 percent of votes counted in May, both Piercy and Handy gained about 2 percentage points.

A Note From the Publisher

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