By Emily Rogers, Bailey Meyers and Bentley Freeman
This story was corrected and updated on December 12, 2024.
While election results will continue to be posted well into November, the Lane County Elections office and Oregon Secretary of State released statewide and local results for the Nov. 5 general election. Eugene Weekly spoke to voters and candidates on election night.
Standing in line at the Lane County Elections Office the afternoon of Nov. 5, Gary — who declined to give his last name due to what he said were concerns for his privacy and safety — said he is excited to get Trump back in office. Gary, who is homeless, said he’s just trying to do his part.
“I just don’t think we’re going the right way at the moment,” he says. “Biden’s a warmonger.”
Gary said he believes that Trump would only go to war if he had to, and that Trump is “anti-war and wants to bring all the soldiers home.”
This excitement for another Trump administration was loud at the Lane County Republicans Election Night watch party in an office building at 2645 Suzanne Way.
Darin Harbick, the presumptive representative for Oregon House District 12 with 57.55 percent of the vote as of 11 pm Nov. 5, was in attendance. Harbick — whose son, Tyler Harbick, acknowledged being present at the rally and then marching to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 — declined to answer Eugene Weekly’s questions, saying he had issues with stories misrepresenting the facts.
Tyler Harbick was also at the party.
Michelle Emmons, Harbick’s opponent and the Democratic nominee, received 42.31 percent of the vote. “The biggest disappointment with losing my race was that only a fraction of the Democrats in my district actually voted,” Emmons told EW over the phone. “No matter what the platform in a person’s life is, complacency kills, so for those who are complaining about the results and didn’t show up, showing up is 99 percent of success.”
Attendees at the election night watch party received a raffle ticket for Trump merch and two free drink tickets, Lane County Republican Chair John Large says. Kicking off the party, attendees joined hands in prayer.
Over at Democratic incumbent Rep. Val Hoyle’s election watch party, Hoyle, with 57.41 percent of the vote, said she handily won the election for Oregon House District 4.
“When you stand up for working people, you win elections,” Hoyle says.
As of press time, Monique DeSpain — the Republican nominee — has yet to concede. “As of now, significant numbers of votes have yet to be reported. I have a deep respect for the voters and believe that every legal vote should be received and counted,” DeSpain said at the Republican watch party. She received 39.07 percent of the vote as of press time.
Hoyle said it’s important to focus on what’s been accomplished in this election.
“Our statewides look good, our incumbents look good, and this race is great, so we focus on the win, and I’m gonna keep fighting for working people,” she said.
Statewide, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, Dan Rayfield, won 53.35 percent of the vote. “It is a tremendous honor to have the trust of Oregonians to serve as their next attorney general,” Rayfield said in a statement. “Thank you to all those who dedicated their time, energy and resources to our campaign.”
Rayfield’s opponent, Republican nominee Will Lathrop, received 46.53 percent of the vote as of press time.
The Democratic nominee for state treasurer, Elizabeth Steiner, won 49.17 percent of the vote while her Republican opponent, Brian J. Boquist had 44.47 percent.
Tobias Read, the Democratic nominee for Oregon secretary of state, won with 53.80 percent of the vote, while his opponent Dennis Linthicum, the Republican nominee, received 43.19 percent.
Locally, incumbent Democratic State Rep. John Lively kept his seat with 55.69 percent of the vote. “I want to thank my fellow community members for placing their faith in me,” Lively said in an election night statement. “Having the opportunity to continue to serve my community in the Oregon House of Representatives is one of the greatest honors of my life.”
EW talked to Kaarin Knudson, Eugene’s mayor-elect, at the Democratic Election Night watch party at Whirled Pies on West 8th Avenue.
She remained optimistic: “There are a lot of really strong leaders that we are now going to have as part of our legislative service, and people who have been connected with this community for a long time,” Knudson said.
Knudson says she is eager to get the focus back on local politics. The Democrats are “really proud of some of our local results, and it’s an honor and a great privilege to be elected to be the next mayor,” she says.
At the local level, Lane County Measure 20-362 — a measure critics say would have gerrymandered the county district voting maps — received little support from local voters, with 74.58 percent voting “no.” That measure, had it passed, would have amended the county charter and required the countywide district maps be redrawn in 2025.
Statewide, Measure 115, which added an amendment to the state Constitution for impeachment proceedings of elected officials, passed with 62.84 percent of the vote. In a similar vein, Measure 119, which requires cannabis dispensaries to sign a labor peace agreement with a union — otherwise they’d lose their license — passed with 55.23 percent of the vote.
However, Oregonians overwhelmingly rejected every other statewide measure.
Measure 118, which would have raised taxes on corporate profits over $25 million by three points to give every Oregonian an estimated $1,600 rebate, received less than 21.20 percent of the vote — the widest margin of every statewide ballot measure.
Another constitutional amendment, Measure 116, would have established an independent committee to determine salaries for elected officials. It failed, receiving only 46.71 percent of votes saying “yes.”
Ranked Choice Voting, Measure 117, failed to pass as well, only receiving 40.44 percent of the vote in support.