For all the claims Ammon Bundy and the rest of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupiers made about liberating land from the clutches of government tyranny and for the people, it appears Harney County voters didn't quite agree.

During Tuesday's primary elections, none of the occupation's local supporters managed to make it into office or even into November's general contest.

Tom Schaefer, who ran to take over for retiring judge Steve Grasty, placed in third behind Forrest Keady and Pete Runnels. The latter took nearly 53 percent of the vote and is a current Harney county commissioner who decried the occupation, OPB reported.

In the race for Position 1 on the county's board of commissioners, Mark Owens and Dan Nichols will face off in a runoff this November. Nichols, an incumbent, told OPB that he made a last-minute decision to run because of the occupation.

Some of the other six candidates in that race had echoed Ammon Bundy's rhetoric in their bid for the nomination, OPB's Amanda Peacher reported.

Vanessa Leathers-King, in one of her campaign posts on Facebook, said the election was "one of, if not the most important election year in our history."

"This election has the potential to change the face of our county forever," she wrote.

It seems much of Harney County agreed on that, at least. At 72 percent, it had the highest voter turnout of any county in Oregon.

--Eder Campuzano

503.221.4344

@edercampuzano

ecampuzano@oregonian.com