Bylenga

UMATILLA COUNTY — Oregon House District 58 voters chose Republican Bobby Levy to replace outgoing state Rep. Greg Barreto, fulfilling the strong conservative lean of the district.

Bobby Levy, a farmer and the president of the Eastern Oregon Women’s Coalition, led Democratic candidate Nolan Bylenga of Pendleton 72% to 28% with more than 26,000 votes counted Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Levy said she was humbled by the experience of running for office and was looking forward to getting to work for District 58 constituents.

While the state’s Republican minority in the Legislature could grow or shrink depending on the final results of a few close races, it looks unlikely that either house will flip.

Set to work as a freshman representative within the minority party, Levy said she would use the skills she honed with the women’s coalition to try to find common ground with Democrats to deliver for her district.

“The best thing I can do is start a conversation,” she said.

Bylenga admitted the nature of the district always was going to make it difficult for him to win while adding his campaign helped energize local Democrats, who hadn’t fielded a candidate in the district since 2014.

“All you can do is shift the needle as much as you can,” he said.

Bylenga, 23, was finishing up classes at Portland State University when he entered the Democratic primary and ended up getting involved with the local Black Lives Matter movement throughout the spring and summer.

Bylenga said he didn’t know how the movement affected his race, but he said he would continue to stay involved in the community.

This story will be updated throughout the night as results become available.