Both Jefferson County incumbent commissioners held strong leads after unofficial primary results were tallied in the May 19, 2026 nonpartisan election, according to figures posted by the Oregon Secretary of State. Final results will not be certified until June 25.
Position 1: Wunsch vs. Curtiss
In the race for Commissioner Position 1, incumbent Mark Wunsch received 3,600 votes — approximately 58.6 percent of ballots cast — compared to 2,493 votes for challenger George Curtiss, with 54 write-in ballots. Total ballots counted in the race: 6,147.
Wunsch ran on a platform of fiscal stability and county infrastructure. Curtiss focused his campaign on expanding services to rural communities, but could not overcome the incumbent's advantage.
Position 2: Simmelink Tops Four-Way Field
The race for Commissioner Position 2 was the more competitive contest with four candidates. Incumbent Kelly Simmelink — serving since 2017 — received 3,357 votes, or roughly 53.7 percent of the 6,256 ballots cast in that race.
Challenger Ara Erdekian finished second with 1,477 votes (23.6%), followed by Greg Mead with 962 (15.4%) and Bill Atherton with 432 (6.9%). Twenty-eight write-in votes were also recorded.
Because Simmelink exceeded 50 percent, Oregon election law makes her the winner pending certification — no November runoff needed for Position 2.
What Comes Next
Oregon law sets June 25 as the statewide deadline for certifying primary results. Statewide voter turnout in the May 19 primary was approximately 40.7 percent. With both commissioner races effectively settled, attention turns to the November general election, which will still feature the contested Jefferson County Sheriff race between incumbent Jason Pollock and challenger Tyler Anderson.