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Deschutes County voters are sending a Democratic lawmaker to the Oregon Senate for the first time in 17 years.

Unofficial results for Senate District 27 showed Anthony Broadman claiming the open seat, decisively leading Republican candidate Michael Summers.

Broadman, 46, is an attorney for tribal governments who was elected to the Bend City Council in 2020. He also serves as chief judge of the Warm Springs Court of Appeals on the Warm Springs Reservation in central Oregon.

He touted himself to voters as a pragmatist “who solves problems and looks across partisan divides,” according to his campaign website.

On election night, Broadman said he was “thrilled” with the early results while at a party with other Democratic-endorsed candidates.

“I think people want a good, practical government. They want us to show up and do our job, not focus on the culture wars and politics,” he said.

Broadman added that his focus is “making sure that housing is affordable in this community, that we’re resilient to climate and wildlife, that our kids are safe at school, that our schools are well-funded, and that the people who work in Central Oregon can live in the communities they work in.”

Senate District 27 has largely been a GOP stronghold for decades, but the district, including Bend, has become more politically mixed in recent years due to changing voter demographics and the impact of legislative redistricting in 2021.

Sen. Tim Knopp, a former Senate GOP leader, has held the seat since 2012 and is known for opposing abortion rights, slamming climate change legislation and allying with social conservatives.

Knopp was among the Republicans barred from seeking re-election this year because of his participation in the 2023 Capitol retreat.

The race to replace Knopp has largely taken on a moderate tone, with both Broadman and Summers focusing on similar issues such as housing, public safety and education.

Summers, 42, a former Redmond school district board president, described himself in campaign materials as “a trusted partner in troubled times.”

The contest was swayed by a flurry of campaign spending as the Democratic Party sought to flip the seat in its bid to secure supermajority control of the state Legislature.

State campaign finance reports show Broadman outspent Summers nearly 2-1, with $983,000 in contributions compared to $573,000 given to Summers.

This story is brought to you by the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.