Jefferson County’s two incumbent county commissioners appear headed toward victories in the May 19 primary election, according to unofficial results reported the following morning.
In Position 1, incumbent Mark Wunsch led challenger George Curtiss by a wide margin, earning approximately 58.57% of votes to Curtiss’s 40.54%. With two candidates in the race, the primary winner advances directly to the November general election.
The Position 2 race featured a more crowded four-way field, with incumbent Kelly Simmelink leading with 53.88% of the vote. Challenger Ara Erdekian finished second with 23.54%, followed by Greg Mead at 15.27% and Bill Atherton at 6.86%. Simmelink has held the seat since 2017.
What the Candidates Said
Wunsch, during the campaign season, repeatedly emphasized public safety and transportation as his top priorities for Jefferson County.
“We’ve been able to add five officers to [the sheriff’s] team in the last 3½ years and I want that to improve. We have a lot of nasty crime going on across the county when it comes to domestic violence, child sex crimes — some of the most horrific crimes. We need to be able to be proactive and have a team that can address those in a timely manner regardless of where they’re at.” — Mark Wunsch
Simmelink focused her campaign on building on economic development momentum in the county.
“Things are really steaming along on the economic side of things and I want to continue that momentum.” — Kelly Simmelink
Other Races Move to November
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s race between incumbent Jason Pollock and former deputy Tyler Anderson will be decided in the November 3 general election. No primary was held for the sheriff’s position since both are running in the general.
The only candidate for county clerk is Lyndsay Hessel, who currently serves as the county’s executive administrative assistant.
Oregon’s primary election results will be certified on June 25, 2026. All results remain unofficial until that date.