Morgan Schmidt Leads Deschutes County Commissioner Race

Morgan Schmidt holds a lead over Rob Imhoff in the race for Deschutes County Commissioner Position 5, according to preliminary election results released Tuesday evening. As of 8:20 p.m., Schmidt received 58.1% of the vote compared to 41.7% for Imhoff.

Schmidt, the executive director of the American Red Cross's Central and Eastern Oregon chapter and an endorsed Democrat, stated her priorities include housing affordability, mental health resource access, and balancing growth with the protection of agricultural and natural resources. Imhoff, a small-business owner backed by Republicans, did not provide comment on the results.

Position 5 is a nonpartisan two-year term created by the expansion of the board from three to five seats. The expanded board, which manages the county budget and public services, is scheduled to take office in January.