Vanessa Nordyke Leads Salem Mayor Race With 56% of 24,200 Early Ballots

4 articles · Updated · Oregon Public Broadcasting · May 19

Vanessa Nordyke held 56% of 24,200 ballots counted in Salem’s mayoral race, leading incumbent Julie Hoy by about 12 points in early returns Wednesday morning.
County-level results showed Nordyke ahead by roughly 14 percentage points in Marion County and 7 points in Polk County, though the tally remains preliminary until certification in June.
Nordyke, a city councilor, cast the result as a grassroots challenge to big money after the 10 p.m. update, while Hoy’s campaign said election night was not over.
The race will decide leadership of Oregon’s capital and second-largest city, where Hoy campaigned on public safety and no new taxes without voter approval and Nordyke emphasized mental health, housing and library funding.

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