Republican incumbents Kevin Cameron and Colm Willis retook narrow leads in both Marion County commissioner races after new results were released Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The leads have already flipped multiple times. Cameron led Democrat Sara Duncan in the Position 1 race in initial returns on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Duncan rallied to take the lead later that night, according to the Statesman Journal. Cameron then pulled back ahead in the Nov. 4 batch.

Position 2 followed the same pattern. Willis led Democrat Maria Hinojos Pressey in early returns, Hinojos Pressey took the lead late on election night, and Willis regained it after the Nov. 4 update, the Statesman Journal reported.

Both races are separated by fewer than 1,000 votes, according to the Statesman Journal. Roughly half the ballots remain uncounted. Marion County's most recent results, released at 1 a.m. Nov. 4, tallied 74,905 of the 142,002 ballots cast.

A Democrat has not won a Marion County commissioner seat since 1976.

"It's close and it's early, so long ways to go," Cameron said, according to the Statesman Journal.

Duncan said in a statement that the race proved the seat is competitive. "We were told this race was unwinnable, we have proved that to be wrong," she said, according to the Statesman Journal.

Hinojos Pressey called it "a historical race" in a statement, noting she raised the most money for a Democratic candidate in the contest and was cross-nominated by three minor parties, the Statesman Journal reported.

Cameron has served as a county commissioner since 2014. Duncan works as development manager for Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, an Oregon farmworker advocacy organization. She serves on the Salem Area Mass Transit District board and has not previously run for public office, according to the Statesman Journal.

Willis has held the Position 2 seat since winning election in 2018. Hinojos Pressey is president of the Cherriots board and deputy director of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste.

As we reported Nov. 4, Democrats held leads in both races after the second round of election-night ballots. Those leads shifted after the county released additional results.

Marion County's unofficial results page was updated as of 5:32 p.m. Nov. 4. The county's next scheduled release of results is by 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, with additional updates planned for Wednesday, Nov. 11, Nov. 18 and Nov. 25. Final results must be certified by Nov. 30.