Spenger wins, Cate leads election

Sean C. Morgan

Current State House District 17 Rep. Sherrie Sprenger won the Republican primary for Linn County Commissioner Position 3 with 65.79 percent of the vote during the May 19 primary election.

With 10,947 votes, Sprenger, a rural Lebanon resident, defeated Kerry Johnson of Scio, 4,497 votes, 27.03 percent; Bill Schrader of Lebanon, 703 votes, 4.23 percent; and Jack W. Tacy of Albany, 438 votes, 2.63 percent.

The winner of the Linn County Commissioner Position 3 Republican primary will face Democrat Scott Bruslind, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the November general election.

“Thank you to everyone who supported me and helped make this campaign work,” Johnson said in a statement. “While I am disappointed in the outcome, I am proud of the campaign we ran and our message of a safer, more compassionate, and forward-looking Linn County. I want to congratulate Rep. Sprenger on her successful campaign. I trust she will serve Linn County well.”

Sprenger expressed gratitude to “the many, many people that have supported me in the past, throughout the campaign and the last few years.”

“I am excited to come home and serve my friends and neighbors right here in Linn County. It sure felt like the extremely long-term relationships that I have in this community just came and blessed me that night. I’m just really grateful for the strong support from people on Tuesday night.

“I think Linn County residents sent a message to the opponent that they don’t like dirty campaigns (referencing a mailer sent by Johnson during the last week of the campaign).”

As she prepares for a fall campaign, Sprenger said, her message remains the same: “I just want to bring my experience and my relationships for these last 12½ years back to this county.”

If she wins, she said, “the first thing right after I’m sworn in, I’ll start having those 100 meetings within 100 days.”

As of Monday, May 25, Jami Cate of Lebanon was winning the Republican race to succeed Sprenger in House District 17 with 2,802 votes. Scott Sword of Sublimity is in second place with 2,766 votes, followed by Timothy L. Kirsch of Mill City, 1,643; Bruce Cuff of Mehama/Lyons, 1,354; Susan Coleman of Sweet Home, 978; and Dylan Richards of Sweet Home, 909.

Marion County counts were last updated at 5:16 p.m. on May 21. Linn County was last updated at 11:08 p.m. on May 19.

The winner of the House District 17 Republican primary will face Democrat Paige Hook, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the November general election.

“I am just overwhelmed by the support I’ve received,” Cate said. She remains hopeful and optimistic she will retain her lead and win it.

“I’m not calling victory. I think it’s still too close to call, responsibly, (but) I very much hope to have the chance to fight for our state. I want to focus on preparing for the general as a whole team of house Republicans and positioning ourselves the best we can going into the long session.”

A lot of what will happen in the legislature next year depends on what happens in the general election in November, Cate said, especially with the issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m happy Jami won,” Richards said. “I really like Jami. I’m happy for Jami. I think she’s going to do good.”

For his part, “it was many lessons learned,” said Richards, who is 22. “I really enjoyed it. I loved meeting the people.”

The hardest part of this campaign was dealing with restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, he said. Candidates were unable to attend events and meet as many people.

“I enjoyed it,” said Cuff last week, as he was drove around Linn County, collecting signs. He recounted how an experienced Republican winner told him he’ll never win an election because every time he tells people his positions, he loses people.

But, Cuff said, he’s honest and likes to put his positions out there, noting that the education system is broken and needs to be fixed, which is perhaps one of those areas his Republican friend was telling him about.

A lot of people agree the system is broken, but it’s difficult for them to accept change when it impacts the teachers they personally know and like, he said.

With the election over, Cuff plans to remain involved in politics.

“I’m constantly involved with the Marion and Linn County Republicans,” he said. “I make the meetings and take the pulse of what’s going on.”

That’s something else he thinks needs to change going forward, Cuff said. He would like to see the parties reorganize along district lines. In Marion County, the Republican Party is primarily concerned with Salem and not with the Santiam River canyons, where Cuff lives.

“We need to reorganize the way we do party politics,” he said. Rather than 36 county organizations, it ought to be 60, one in each district, allowing people to focus on their own districts and winning more seats in the legislature.

“With such a crowded field, we knew this campaign would be difficult,” said Kirsch, also a Santiam Canyon resident, in a statement. “Congratulations to Jami Cate on her victory. I know she will represent our communities well. Thank you to my supporters, those who donated, put up lawn signs and talked to their friends and neighbors. We have a long road to recovery ahead of us to come back from the COVID-19 shutdowns, standing up our rural economy and way of life, and protecting constitutional rights. While I won’t be representing those interests in the legislature, I will continue to do that right where I am.”

For Linn County Commissioner Position 2, incumbent Roger Nyquist was unopposed in the Republican primary. The Democrats had no candidate, but the county received 1,355 write-in votes in the Democrat primary.

In House District 11, which includes part of Eugene and rural areas south of Lebanon and southwest of Sweet Home, incumbent Marty Wilde was unopposed in the Democrat primary.

In the Republican primary for District 11, Katie Boshart Glaser, with 3,715 votes, defeated Nicole De Graff, 2,519 votes. The winner will face Wilde in the November general election.

In the Ninth Senate District, incumbent Fred Girod ran unopposed in the primary and Democrat Jim Hinsvark ran unopposed in the Democrat primary.

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