Tuesday was the last day for voters to cure ballot discrepancies, and it still appears Sarah Finger McDonald has won the Democratic primary for Oregon House Representative District 16, which represents Corvallis.
The margin was 163 votes. McDonald tallied 5,095 votes to opponent Sami Al-Abdrabbuh’s 4,932.
No Republican filed for the seat. Countywide, 54.07% of registered Democrats cast a ballot in the May primary. Republican turnout was 44.60%.
What McDonald is saying
“I am incredibly grateful to the voters of House District 16 for their trust and support,” said Sarah Finger McDonald. “This victory is a testament to our shared vision for addressing critical issues such as housing, healthcare, education, and climate change. I look forward to being a champion for these issues in Salem,” said McDonald
She also extended her gratitude to her opponent, Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, saying. “Thank you to Sami Al-Abdrabbuh for his dedication and hard work throughout this primary race. His commitment to our community and the important issues we face is commendable. I look forward to collaborating with him and others to make meaningful progress for our district.”
“Our work doesn’t stop here. As I look toward the general election in November and beyond, I will spend the coming months engaging with our community and building strong relationships with my future colleagues in the legislature. We have a lot of issues facing our community, but I’m determined to address them in Salem,” McDonald said.
What Al-Abdrabbuh is saying
“I contacted Sarah Finger McDonald, Ph.D., my school board colleague of seven years and our nominee for state representative, to congratulate her,” said Al-Abdrabbuh.
He added, “While we may appear to have contrasted our approaches to uplifting each community member’s voice in our public service, we share many of the same values and goals. I know she will make a good representative for House District 16. I will be committed to passing on what I have learned from my conversations with voters throughout the 222 days of this campaign and nearly a decade of public service should she reach out for such support.”
Al-Abdrabbuh also said he will reflect on how he can best serve the community going forward – and that he will also focus on advocating for education funding, both as the President of the Oregon School Boards Association, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the National School Boards Association.
“I want to thank all the volunteers, organizations, and community leaders who have done tremendous work this election. I also want to thank Dan Rayfield for his years of service to our district. I want to thank Sarah Finger McDonald, Ph.D., for running and congratulate her on the win. She will make a great Democratic nominee and has my vote in the general election. This close race makes it abundantly clear that building bridges and embracing all people’s diverse expertise, experiences, backgrounds, and walks of life is more important for this district than ever,” said Al-Abdrabbuh.
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com