The Eugene mayor’s race and north county commissioner race appear headed for runoffs in November.

Candidates in the races failed to cross the 50 percent threshold required to win outright in the primary.

With apparently most votes counted by midnight, county elections reported that Jim Torrey had about 49 percent of the vote compared to Piercy’s 48 percent. Candidates Nick Urhausen and Jim Ray split the remaining 3 percent.

In the race for North Eugene county commissioner, Rob Handy had 48 percent compared to incumbent Bobby Green’s 46 percent. Steve Sherbina had 2 percent of the vote while Nadia Sindi had 4 percent.

A November runoff could favor conservatives Torrey and Green. Without a contested Presidential primary, Republican turnout was comparatively lower in May but could be higher in November. Torrey and Green also may be able to tap deeper developer pockets for an extended campaign. On the other hand, Democrats may also turn out in great numbers in November with the hot Presidential race.

The tight local races for the pivotal mayor and county commission swing vote could serve to galvanize supporters on both sides to fight harder for their candidates.

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