Hood River County voters approve $40M pool bond, reject state gas tax in May primary
Hood River, Ore., May 20, 2026 — Hood River County voters approved two major Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District funding measures Tuesday while also helping shape statewide races for governor, Congress and the Oregon Legislature ahead of the November general election.
According to unofficial election results posted Wednesday afternoon, Hood River County voters approved Measure 14-83, a bond measure to construct a rebuilt aquatic center, by a margin of 4,229 votes to 3,511 votes.
The bond measure authorizes approximately $40.36 million in borrowing to replace the aging Hood River Aquatic Center. The proposal is expected to cost property owners about 64 cents per $1,000 of assessed value annually, or roughly $160 per year for a home assessed at $250,000.
Ed Weathers
The aquatic center bond measure is expected to fund replacement of the aging Hood River Aquatic Center, including updated pools, modern mechanical systems, accessibility improvements and other facility upgrades. The operating levy was proposed to help maintain current recreation programming, parks maintenance and pool operations as district costs continue to rise.
Voters also approved Measure 14-84, a five-year levy supporting park maintenance, operations and recreation services. The measure passed with 4,466 votes in favor and 3,290 opposed.
The levy authorizes a tax rate of up to 33 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for five years beginning July 1, 2026. The measure is projected to raise approximately $5.65 million over five years, including about $1.06 million during the first year alone. For the median Hood River County home, the levy is estimated to cost about $82 annually.
In county commission races, all three uncontested Hood River County commissioner candidates secured reelection or advanced easily.
Jennifer Euwer
Commission Chair Jennifer Euwer received 5,138 votes, while Leti Valle Moretti received 1,605 votes for Commissioner District 1 and Ed Weathers received 922 votes for Commissioner District 3.
Meanwhile, Hood River County voters joined much of Oregon in rejecting statewide Measure 120, which would have increased Oregon fuel taxes and vehicle registration and title fees for transportation projects. Local voters rejected the measure 6,543 votes to 1,795 votes, with nearly 79% voting “no.”
Statewide, Measure 120 also failed decisively, with 780,591 no votes compared with 155,927 yes votes.
In Oregon’s governor race, Hood River County Democrats overwhelmingly backed incumbent Gov. Tina Kotek, while Republican voters favored Christine Drazan in the GOP primary.
Leticia Moretti
Statewide, Kotek led the Democratic field with 293,863 votes out of 349,293 total votes cast in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
On the Republican side, Drazan led the statewide GOP field with 142,769 votes, followed by Ed Diehl with 111,641 and former NBA player Chris Dudley with 55,355.
Drazan’s victory sets up a rematch against Kotek in the November general election.
In Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District races, Hood River County voters favored incumbent Republican Cliff Bentz in the GOP primary while Democratic voters split among a crowded field of challengers.
Districtwide, Bentz secured the Republican nomination with 75,726 votes. Peter Larson finished second with 13,742 votes, followed by Andrea Carr with 5,007.
On the Democratic side, Chris Beck led districtwide with 15,269 votes, followed by Mary Doyle with 8,607, Rebecca Mueller with 7,994 and Dawn Rasmussen with 6,597.
In Oregon House District 52, which includes Hood River County and portions of Wasco, Clackamas and Multnomah counties, Republican Scott Hege and Democrat Hank Sanders emerged from their respective primaries and are expected to face off in November.
In House District 57, eastern Oregon Republicans narrowly chose Jim Doherty over longtime incumbent Greg Smith in one of the region’s most closely watched legislative primaries.
Unofficial results remain subject to certification as counties continue processing late-arriving ballots.
