Jefferson County’s two incumbent county commissioners held strong leads in the May 19 primary, setting up a fall campaign season where both will carry momentum but face continued pressure from challengers who made their presence felt at the ballot box.
Position 1: Wunsch vs. Curtiss
Commission Chair Mark Wunsch led challenger George Curtiss by a wide margin in the Position 1 race, with Wunsch pulling approximately 59% of the vote to Curtiss’s roughly 40% in unofficial primary results.
Curtiss, who grew up in Crooked River Ranch, ran on a platform calling for fresh perspectives and greater representation for communities outside of Madras. Despite the double-digit deficit, his showing demonstrated a meaningful base of support, particularly in western areas of the county.
Wunsch has served as a Jefferson County Commissioner for several terms and currently chairs the board. He has been a central figure in county land use, budgeting, and infrastructure decisions in recent years.
Position 2: Simmelink vs. the Field
Incumbent Kelly Simmelink, who has held her seat since 2017, faced a crowded three-challenger field and still cleared 55% of the vote against opponents Ara Erdekian, Greg Mead, and Bill Atherton.
Simmelink’s ability to hold a majority against three opponents is a sign of her durability as an incumbent, though the combined challenger vote of roughly 45% suggests some appetite for change in that seat. Of the three challengers, none emerged as a dominant second-place finisher, meaning no single opposition candidate consolidated the anti-incumbent vote.
Because Oregon county commissioner races are nonpartisan, results from the May primary are not technically “primary results” in the party sense — if any candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, they win outright. In Jefferson County’s case, both incumbents held strong but the November general election remains on the calendar for confirmation.
Looking Ahead
Both races will appear on the November 2026 general election ballot. Jefferson County’s commissioners oversee land use, county roads, the fairgrounds, health services, and much of the administrative apparatus of rural government. With the county facing ongoing questions about growth, fire preparedness, water infrastructure, and tribal coordination, the stakes of these two seats are significant.
The Madras Bulletin will continue following both races and will publish candidate profiles and voter guides ahead of the November election.