The 2026 primary election is taking shape in Eugene and Springfield. 

Here’s the rundown: The deadline for city council incumbents to file for reelection passed in Springfield on Tuesday, Feb. 24, and in Eugene on Wednesday. 

Almost all the eligible incumbents are running for reelection. Two of three Springfield City Council incumbents and three of four Eugene City Council members up for reelection have filed to appear on the ballot.

If you want to run against an incumbent, you have some time to size them up and make a decision. Candidates for both councils who are not incumbents have until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, to enter races. The primary election is May 19.

That May election may not be the last stop for council candidates. If a candidate wins more than half the total vote, they will be the only name appearing for that race on November’s general election ballot. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two candidates with the most primary votes will appear on the November ballot.

Candidates for Lane County, state and federal offices have more time. Incumbents must file by March 3 and nonincumbents by March 10. Here’s what we know about our local races so far. This list will be updated as filing deadlines pass.

Legislators press PeaceHealth on management decision; Oregon attorney general visits Eugene

Judge finds fault with federal agency: The federal Bonneville Power Administration “willfully spoiled evidence” at an ignition site of the Holiday Farm Fire, a judge found.

Lawmakers press PeaceHealth: Oregon lawmakers urged PeaceHealth to reconsider the decision to have ApolloMD take over hospital emergency department operations in Lane County. PeaceHealth is banking on the Atlanta company to turn things around. Here’s a timeline of events that have led up to this.

Attorney general in Eugene: Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield made an appearance in Eugene, where he talked about the U.S. Supreme Court decision that blocked President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Public records clerk: Trump lost the tariffs case, but everyone is a winner when public records requests work. Here’s a profile of the clerk who handles requests at the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.

— Ben Botkin

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Inside Eugene City hall with Grace chinowsky

Primary election: Four of eight Eugene City Council seats are up for grabs in the May election. Three of those sitting councilors are running for reelection: Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark and Greg Evans.

Ward 3’s Alan Zelenka announced at a council meeting last week that he won’t seek a sixth term, setting up an open field for restaurateur John Barofsky’s currently uncontested run. “I fear for the future of our great country and community,” Zelenka said as part of the announcement. “We have become an incredibly divisive society, pitting neighbor against neighbor.”

Each of the other three councilors faces at least one challenger. For context, Yeh faced an opponent in her last election, in 2022. Clark last endured a contested council race in 2018. Evans, who is running for his fourth term, has never faced a challenger.

Watershed Bill of Rights: The Eugene Water & Electric Board on Tuesday will vote on a resolution opposing a county ballot measure in the primary dubbed the Lane County Watersheds Bill of Rights. The resolution in opposition says the measure “poses unwarranted risks to the efficient management of water resources, could hinder existing conservation efforts, and ultimately detracts from the public’s trust in water service providers.”

Checking in on Springfield With lillian Schrock-Clevenger

Primary election: Three of the six Springfield City Council seats are up for election: Wards 1, 2 and 5. In Springfield, councilors represent specific areas of town but they are elected by citywide vote. The deadline for incumbents to file was Feb. 24, and Ward 1 councilor Michelle Webber and Ward 2 councilor Steve Moe have filed. They are currently unopposed. Interim Ward 5 Councilor Andrew Buck told Lookout Eugene-Springfield he plans to file for election. Buck is considered a non-incumbent because the council appointed him to the position after Victoria Doyle resigned.

Vacant Ward 4 seat: At a work session tonight, councilors will review applications for the Ward 4 interim councilor position. The seat became vacant at the end of December when Beth Blackwell submitted her resignation. The council is expected to appoint someone to the role in April, and that person will serve the remainder of Blackwell’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2028.

SEDA selling downtown property: The Springfield Economic Development Agency is planning to sell a Main Street property to a private company for use as an “architecture studio.” SEDA purchased the property between Jean Marie’s Fabrics and Liberty Tax in 2013 when the city was exploring plans to build a public plaza on the site. 

beyond lane county

Conspiracy theories abound: Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is concerned about election conspiracy theories and lies after a call with the Trump administration, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported.

Oregon tax code decoupled: Democratic Oregon lawmakers have passed a bill that “decouples” parts of the state’s tax code from the federal code, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported. The move keeps state revenues — and the state’s tax base — intact and free from some federal tax reductions that would have trickled down to the state level.

Immigrants in hospitals: The state Senate passed a bill that would protect the privacy of immigrants while they are in hospitals and federal immigration authorities want information, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported. 

Gun control bill: The state House passed a gun control bill that builds on the 2022 law that faced a lawsuit, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported.

Public Meetings this week

Monday

  • The Springfield City Council meets for a work session at 5:30 p.m. to evaluate applications for Ward 4 interim councilor. 
  • The Springfield City Council holds a regular meeting at 7 p.m. to vote on a resolution accepting public improvements on 42nd Street. 

Tuesday

  • Lane County commissioners meets at 9 a.m. They’ll find out if Commissioner David Loveall intends to apologize, as they have requested.
  • The Springfield Library Advisory Board will have a regular meeting at 5:30 p.m.
  • The Eugene Water & Electric Board meets at 5:30 p.m. for a regular meeting.
  • The Springfield Planning Commission meets for a regular meeting at 7 p.m. to hold a public hearing on a discretionary use permit.

Do you have story ideas or tips? Send them our way: ben@lookoutlocal.com | grace@lookoutlocal.com | lilliansc@lookoutlocal.com

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Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.

Grace Chinowsky graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in journalism. She served as metro editor, senior news editor and editor in chief of the university’s independent student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, and interned at CNN and MSNBC. Grace covers Eugene’s city government and the University of Oregon.