Not a Joke: Trump Wins Election for Seat on a Local Fire District Board
Former President Donald John Trump just won the election — it’s just not the one he is currently pining for.
But now, should Trump lose in the 2024 primary or general election, he could choose to take his duly elected place … on the Hubbard Rural Fire Protection District board.
Yes, there’s probably a greater chance of being struck by lightning than Trump accepting the seat on the board of a sleepy, west Oregon city’s fire department.
But the fact that Trump “won” this election at all is a profound testament to the influence the man still wields — a not-so-insignificant fact as America barrels towards what will be a highly contentious 2024 election.
The entire ordeal is also a stark reminder that local-level politics can feature some truly random tiebreakers.
The bizarre story, as reported on by the Statesman Journal, began on May 16, when local Hubbard residents cast their votes for the small board.
Two of the three seats were filled easily, as the seats on the Hubbard Rural Fire Protection District board are not exactly in hot demand.
That third seat, then, came down to a number of write-in candidates, including the former president.
A grand total of 20 write-in candidates received votes, but only five — including Trump — received two votes apiece.
Due to the “close nature” of this race, it triggered a recount that confirmed Trump was in a five-way tie for that third board seat.
It’s at this point where something akin to divine intervention played a role, as the Hubbard board ties are broken via a literal dice roll.
“We ran this [dice roll] by both our Secretary of State’s Office and our in-house attorney,” Marion County Clerk Bill Burgess said. “It’s been a while since we had to do this.”
Of note, Hubbard is in Marion County.
When the 12-sided dice was cast on June 23, three of the candidates each rolled a 10 somehow. (Proxies rolled the dice on behalf of the candidates; Trump was not in attendance for this dice roll, and neither were the other write-in candidates.)
On the second go-around, Trump’s proxy rolled a 12, thus securing the former president the win.
Again, nobody is expecting Trump to actually take up this seat. Of note, Hubbard protocol dictates that the council reach out to the next highest dice roll should Trump officially decline the seat.
As much fun and games as this whole story is, the former president does have very real, very big fish to fry, election-wise at least.
While Trump is widely viewed as the heavy favorite to emerge from a crowded GOP primary field, he still has to emerge from that field.
After that, Trump will have the unenviable task of trying to topple an incumbent president.
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