Eugene Weekly

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 →

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 →

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 →

At 11:39 am, Gordon Smith lead Democrat Jeff Merkley 47.5 percent to 46.7 percent in the squeaker U.S. Senate race. But late voting in Lane and Multnomah counties could mathematically push Merkley to a narrow victory, assuming current voting trends in the two counties and the rest of the state continue. An EW analysis calculates that Merkley could end up with an estimated 48.4 percent of the total vote when all ballots are counted. Assuming percentages for a third party candidate and write-ins remain the same, that could mean a narrow Merkley victory over Smith. Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

The Lane County fairgrounds pavilion was packed with more than a 1,000 whooping, clapping people during Barack Obama’s victory speech. Continue reading →

The Eugene police auditor and pothole measures and the 4J schools and LCC money measures appear likely to pass. All held substantial leads by 10 pm with about a quarter of the votes counted. Here’s the yes vote on the measures: Police Auditor- 65% Potholes- 58% 4J Levy- 65% LCC- 56% Continue reading →

Also: That concession speech? Well played, Sen. McCain. Well played. Continue reading →

At 10 pm with about a quarter of the votes counted, Kitty Piercy’s lead had widened slightly to 52 percent in the Eugene mayor’s race. Rob Handy’s lead in the county commissioner race held at about 52 percent. Both races remained too early and close to call. Continue reading →

With about 20 percent of the ballots counted at 9 pm, the pivotal Eugene mayor and north Eugene county commissioner races were too close to call. Mayor Kitty Piercy lead Jim Torrey 51 to 48 percent. Rob Handy lead Commissioner Bobby Green 52 to 48 percent. “It’s too early to count any chickens,” Piercy said. Piercy figures she may need about 38,000 votes to be assured of victory. At 9 pm she had just 8,752. The Handy campaign said they might need about 17,776 votes to be assured of victory. At 9 pm Handy had just 3,503 votes. Continue reading →