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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 19, 2004 Sue Densmore, right, is congratulated by her daughter, Brooke, after results in the Democratic primary Tuesday night showed she was beating incumbent Jackson County Commissioner Sue Kupillas by a wide margin. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Densmore wins big She soundly beats Democrat incumbent Sue Kupillas in primary race for county commissioner By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Jackson County voters rejected Sue Kupillas’ try for a fifth term as county commissioner, instead giving the Democratic nomination by an overwhelming margin to challenger Sue Densmore Tuesday night. Densmore received 9,763 votes to Kupillas’ 5,583 in the Democratic primary. In the November election, she will face Republican C.W. Smith, who was unopposed in the primary. Densmore received 63.3 percent of the Democrats’ vote. "I was surprised by the margin," said Jackson County Commissioner Dave Gilmour. "I think that Sue Densmore was probably a bit more adept at nailing down the Democratic base." Densmore, who watched the results at the Democratic headquarters in downtown Medford said, "People kept saying they want a change. That’s why I got in the race." Advertisement Kupillas declined to comment at her east Medford home. When pressed about her reaction to the election, Kupillas said, "I’m not talking to you." She said she would give a more detailed account at today’s Board of Commissioners meeting. Densmore, who owns Sue Densmore Communications Strategies, said she will bring her message of change in her November race against Smith. Although Smith has name recognition as a former sheriff, Densmore said her business background has also made her as well known in the valley. She said her business background will help win over votes from conservatives. "People know my background as a business person in the valley for years." Although the primary campaign turned negative toward the end, Densmore said it wasn’t something she was looking for nor wanted in the race with Smith. Kupillas complained in the final days of the campaign that her positions had been distorted by Densmore’s campaign. Much of the debate centered around Kupillas’ support for relaxing some air quality standards for industry. Densmore insisted she stuck to the facts in raising issues. "Things just started to come out," she said. Gilmour, a Democrat, said commissioner candidates from his party need not only crossover votes and votes from independents, but also need to have a strong base of support from Democrats. Kupillas, who was considered conservative on natural resource issues, clearly no longer held that base. "The best of politicians will eventually lose an election," Gilmour said. "A lot of people probably thought it was time for a change." Bill Layton, chairman of the county’s Democratic Central Committee, said while many Democrats thought Kupillas might stand a better chance against Smith, many more were unhappy with her. "Part of what happened is that the clean air group and other environmentalists were very highly motivated to get her out of office," he said. "I suppose the Kupillas backers were not as highly motivated." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities