Bethany-area Commissioner Pam Treece held an early lead over fellow Commissioner Nafisa Fai in the race for Washington County chair on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Unofficial results as of 8 p.m. showed Treece with 51.8% of the vote to Fai's 47.3%, a margin of 4,870 votes, OPB reported.

These are unofficial results. Washington County will continue updating vote totals through Nov. 27, with certified final results scheduled for Nov. 30. Track results at results.oregonvotes.gov.

Your commissioner's race

Treece has served as the District 2 commissioner since January 2019, representing Bethany, Cedar Mill, Cedar Hills, Helvetia, Rock Creek and parts of Beaverton and Hillsboro, according to News in the Grove. She was the first person in over 30 years to oust an incumbent Washington County commissioner when she won in 2018, according to OPB's pre-election coverage.

Treece said she has lived in Washington County for 30 years and worked as an executive at Pacific Power and the Westside Economic Alliance, OPB reported.

Fai has served as the District 1 commissioner since 2020, covering parts of Beaverton, Aloha, Cooper Mountain, Garden Home and Raleigh Hills. She became the first person of color elected to the commission in Oregon's most racially diverse county, OPB reported. A refugee from Somalia who came to the U.S. as a child, Fai has a background in public health.

What's at stake

The winner replaces former Chair Kathryn Harrington, who resigned earlier this fall after making an offensive gesture at Fai during a public meeting, according to OPB. The chair leads the five-member Washington County Board of Commissioners. Vice Chair Jerry Willey is presiding over board meetings until the new chair is sworn in, according to News in the Grove.

OPB reported the race served as a broader test of a growing progressive movement in Washington County. Fai and a coalition of left-leaning candidates challenged more moderate, business-friendly candidates like Treece across the ballot.

Affordability and data centers

Both candidates listed affordability as a top voter concern. Treece said the commission can focus on developing a skilled workforce and creating jobs, OPB reported. Fai said she would prioritize everyday residents over large corporations, some of which have received tax breaks for data center development, according to OPB.

Fai positioned herself as the strongest opponent of data center expansion and proposed the county declare a moratorium, OPB reported. Treece told OPB she believes the county does not need to continue building data centers.

Endorsements and fundraising

Treece earned endorsements from the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, local firefighter and police unions, several county mayors and the county's other two commissioners, OPB reported. As of Oct. 27, her campaign had raised more than $275,000 since the May primary.

Fai earned the backing of the county Democratic Party, public employee unions, the Jane Fonda Climate PAC and former Gov. John Kitzhaber. As of Oct. 27, her campaign had raised just over $182,000 since the May primary, according to OPB.

Turnout and what's next

Of the county's more than 410,000 registered voters, 188,102 ballots had been received as of Nov. 3, a 45.84% turnout, according to the Washington County Elections Office. Mailed ballots postmarked on or before Nov. 3 will still be accepted and counted. Election officials have until Dec. 10 to certify the results with the Oregon Secretary of State.

Ballot drop sites at the Bethany and Cedar Mill Community Libraries were open through 8 p.m. on election night, according to Cedar Mill News.