Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Oregon Legislature's gamble to outwit an expensive initiative appears to have paid off.

Republican activist Kevin Mannix's Measure 61, creates mandatory minimums for drug and property crimes.

State leaders said if 61 passed, they expected prison budgets to go through the roof. So they drew up a similar ballot referral, Measure 57. 

It includes drug treatment, and its prison terms are not mandatory minimums.

They also created a safety catch:  if both measures passed, the higher vote-getter would win.

John Foote: "It looks like both measures are going to get over fifty percent. And that 57 will get over sixty percent, and therefore will become law."

That's John Foote, District Attorney for Clackamas County, and part of the Yes on 57 campaign.

Unofficial results show the state's less expensive option edging Mannix's measure, with a margin of 96,000 votes.  Mannix says he's not entirely dissatisfied with the results.

Kevin Mannix: "I think we're guaranteed one thing. My friends kid me about this-- 'We'll at least have Mannix Lite.' And if I can't have a regular brewski, I'll certainly settle for a light."

Mannix suggests he may challenge the legislature's safety catch in court.