ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County Commissioner Todd Nash won election to the Oregon State Senate on Nov. 5, brushing off a challenge from a nonaffiliated candidate.

In unofficial returns updated Friday, Nov. 8, for Senate District 29, which covers a good chunk of Northeastern Oregon, Nash had 43,877 votes (82%) and his opponent, Tania Wildbill, had 9,619 votes (17.9%).

Nash, a Republican, will succeed retiring GOP Sen. Bill Hansell when the Legislature convenes in Salem in January. Nash has said he believes he may be the first Wallowa County resident to win election to the state Senate.

Nash, who won a four-way primary race in May to earn the GOP nomination, also is a cattle rancher and a former president of the Oregon Cattleman’s Association.

Wildbill ran in the Senate race as a candidate not affiliated with any political party and said she would not accept campaign contributions.

She dropped out of the Democratic primary for the Senate seat in order to run as a nonaffiliated candidate and earned a spot on the ballot in August by collecting the required number of signatures on a petition.

Senate District 29 comprises all of Gilliam, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler counties, as well as parts of Clackamas, Jefferson, Marion and Wasco counties.

House District 58

In House District 58, which includes Wallowa and Union counties and a portion of Umatilla County, incumbent Rep. Bobby Levy of Echo was reelected. Levy was unopposed and collected 25,325 votes in unofficial returns updated Friday, Nov. 8.

Todd Nash: (R, D) 43,877 (82%)

Tania Wildbill: (non) 9,619 (18%

Morrow County

Wildbill: 686 (16%)

Nash: 3,476 (83%)

Sherman County

Wildbill: 97 (10%)

Nash: 872 (89%)

Umatilla County

Wildbill: 5,069 (19%)

Nash: 21,535 (81%)

Union County

Wildbill: 1,937 (16%)

Nash: 9,963 (83%)

Wallowa County

Wildbill: 752 (16%)

Nash: 3,908 (83%)

Wasco County

Wildbill: 521 (20%)

Nash: 2,033 (79%)

Wheeler County

Wildbill: 89 (12%)

Nash: 648 (88%)