Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang  has won the race to retain his seat, according to early returns in Tuesday’s primary election.

Chang had received 61% of the votes in the race for Position 2 on the County Commission, according to unofficial results updated Wednesday, enough to avoid a runoff if the results stand. Opponents Rob Imhoff, Judy Trego and Brian Huntamer were trailing Tuesday night.

Chang declared victory in the race late on Tuesday, calling the vote “a significant victory for non-partisan elections and problem solving.”

“I am honored by the trust the people of Deschutes County have placed in me,” said Chang in a release. “Together, we will continue to build a healthy, resilient community where everyone can thrive.”

Chang, previously elected as a Democrat, ran in this race as a nonpartisan candidate. In November 2022 Deschutes County voters approved a ballot measure that ended political affiliations in County Commission races. He was unavailable for comment Tuesday night.

Read more: See complete local election results at bendbulletin.com/elections

Chang, 54, previously worked as a natural resource and renewable energy specialist and has used his past four years in office to highlight challenges in Deschutes County related to water, wildlife and other environmental issues.

As the only Democrat on the three-person commission, Chang frequently tangles with the commission’s two conservative members, Tony DeBone and Patti Adair.

Chang said a priority is addressing the increasing incidents of mental illness in Deschutes County. The other two high-profile pieces of his campaign platform were drought and wildfire resiliency.

Imhoff had 26% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary, according to early returns. Imhoff, 50, has owned and operated a subcontracting business for the past 22 years. He has also been a youth pastor and youth sports coach.

Imhoff said he expects 35,000 more votes to be counted by the tally deadlines in June and will wait for more results before conceding.

“We are hopeful that an overwhelming number of those yet to be counted will be votes cast for me,” said Imhoff late Tuesday.

“Although we are disappointed by the current results, our team will continue to wait patiently and optimistically, monitoring the numbers as they continue to be tabulated and reported,” he said.

Imhoff blamed preliminary results on low Republican turnout, saying that Democrats had more reasons to vote in the primary.

“Turnout from all voters is an issue we should all be concerned about, as this is our chance to have our voices heard.”

Trego, 61, was in third with 10% of the vote. She works for the Sisters Chamber of Commerce and has run for public office several times, most recently for state House District 54 in 2022. Trego also sits on the county’s budget committee.

Huntamer had garnered 2.8% of the vote, according to early returns.