Smith

UMATILLA COUNTY — Despite attracting Democratic opponents this cycle, neither state Sen. Bill Hansell nor state Rep. Greg Smith had trouble winning reelection.

Hansell easily won a third term in Senate District 29, leading Democrat Mildred O’Callaghan 76%-24% with more than 58,000 votes tallied as of Nov. 4.

Hansell said he was honored that Northeast Oregon voters entrusted him with serving another term in the Legislature, but he also had his eyes on legislative races in other parts of the state.

He said it was his hope that Republicans would be able to expand their caucus so that it could bring a little more balance to state governance.

Hansell said even if the dynamics didn’t change in Salem, he would continue to try to work with his Democratic colleagues to find points where they could agree but also defend his district if necessary.

O’Callaghan did not return a message requesting comment on the evening of Nov. 3.

Smith, the dean of the Oregon House, is returning to Salem for an 11th term as the representative of House District 57.

Facing a challenge from Democrat Roland Ruhe, an Irrigon contractor, Smith was leading with 77% of the vote with nearly 21,000 votes on the books on Nov. 4.

During his last term, Smith faced scrutiny from media across the state for potential conflicts of interest between his personal consulting business and his work in the Legislature.

But the investigative reporting didn’t seem to affect Smith politically. He faced no opposition in the Republican primary on his way easily winning the general election.

Smith did not return a message requesting comment, while Ruhe had a voicemail box that was full and could not accept messages.