David Nelson made a sudden return to local politics on March 8.

On the last day candidates could file for local office ahead of the May 17 election, Nelson, a former state senator, joined a packed race to replace Position 1 Commissioner George Murdock.

The Pendleton resident represented District 29 as a Republican in the Oregon Senate from 1997-2013, including a stint as the majority leader. After retiring from the Legislature, Nelson served on the Eastern Oregon University Board of Trustees before stepping off in 2020.

Then-Commissioner Bill Hansell won election to succeed Nelson in the senate. A decade later, Nelson now is seeking the county board seat Hansell once held.

It’s not unprecedented in Oregon for legislators to seek county office after serving in Salem. Former Republican Minority Leader Herman Baertschiger left the senate in 2020 after he was elected to a seat on the Josephine County Board of Commissioners. And in 2016, former state Rep. Jessica Vega Pederson successfully ran for a county commissioner seat in Multnomah County, although unlike Nelson, both legislators immediately transitioned from state to county office.

While Nelson brings plenty of name recognition to the race, he won’t have a glide path to a seat on the board. Before Nelson entered his name, five other candidates already filed.

Two business owners — Susan Bower of Pendleton and Cindy Timmons of Milton-Freewater — were the first to join the race. Bower has spent more than $18,000 on her campaign while Timmons has reported more than $3,000 in expenditures. The rest of the field is composed of Bob Barton, a Hermiston construction business owner; Jesse Bonifer, an Athena city councilor and Second Amendment activist; and Alvin Young, a Hermiston store manager.

A late entry means voters also will weigh in on Position 2 in the May primary.

Rick Pullen, a former Umatilla County employee, filed a last-minute challenge to incumbent Commissioner John Shafer. In 2018, Pullen ran against Murdock for Position 1. He came in second during the primary and narrowly lost in the runoff 50-48.

Shafer’s other challenger is conservative activist HollyJo Beers, who also is making her second attempt at county office. Beers came in second during the 2020 primary for an open Position 3 seat, but she ended up losing the runoff to Dan Dorran.

Regardless of the results during the primary, the two candidates who get the most votes in each commission race will advance to a Nov. 8 runoff.

Hermiston City Council

Hermiston voters will have a choice in all but one race in May, but as of 5 p.m. on March 8, the one exception is set to be decided by write-in votes.

The race for Ward 1 will feature a rematch between incumbent Lori Davis and retiree Jackie Linton. Linton also was a candidate for Ward 1 in 2018, but she narrowly missed the runoff and Davis would go on to prevail in the general election.

Ward 2 Councilor Roy Barron is facing a challenge from Stan Stradley, the executive director of the Umatilla County Housing Authority. Barron first won office in 2018.

In Ward 4, former Councilor David McCarthy is challenging incumbent Phillip Spicerkuhn to rejoin the council. Spickerkuhn won a special election unopposed in March 2021 to represent Ward 4 on the council.

Ward 3 has been represented by Councilor Jackie Myers for nearly 30 years. At the deadline, Myers submitted her application and will be on the ballot to resume her position on the council. City officials confirmed that she does intend to run again for her office.

Rounding out the slate of Hermiston elections is the race for municipal court judge, where incumbent Thomas Creasing will face a challenge from Municipal Judge Pro Tem Cameron Bendixsen.

Levy draws challengerMost races for state offices that represent Umatilla and Morrow counties will not be competitive, but state Rep. Bobby Levy of Echo is facing a challenge in the Republican primary.

Skye Farnam, a Summerville business owner, is seeking to oust Levy. Farnam ran for the District 58 seat in 2018 as an independent but lost to then-incumbent Greg Barreto.

State Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, the incumbent in District 57, is all but assured another term in Salem after drawing no Republican or Democratic opponents.

In Umatilla County Circuit, Position 2 Judge Jon Lieuallen and Position 3 Judge Daniel Hill are running unopposed. And in Morrow County, District Attorney Justin Nelson also is running unopposed.