Oregon down ballot state executive elections, 2012

Two down ballot state executive positions were up for election in the state of Oregon in 2012. The primary took place on May 15, 2012 followed by the general election on November 6, 2012.

• Oregon Treasurer- Ted Wheeler
  
• Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries- Brad Avakian

• Treasurer
• Commissioner of Labor and Industries
• Key deadlines

The Oregon Treasurer election was held on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Ted Wheeler won re-election. He was first appointed to the position in March 2010 and elected in November 2010.

General

November 6 General election candidates:

Ted Wheeler incumbent (Democratic, Working Families)

Tom Cox (Republican)

Cameron Whitten (Progressive Party)

John Mahler (Libertarian)

Michael Paul Marsh (Constitution Party)

Oregon Treasurer General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Ted Wheeler Incumbent	57.9%	955,213
	Republican	Tom Cox	37%	609,989
	Progressive	Cameron Whitten	2.4%	38,762
	Libertarian	John Mahler	1.8%	30,002
	Constitution	Michael Paul Marsh	0.9%	15,415
Total Votes				1,649,381
Election Results via Oregon Secretary of State.

Primary

Oregon Treasurer Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ted Wheeler	99.5%	265,213
Write-ins	0.5%	1,269
Total Votes		266,482

Oregon Treasurer Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Thomas Cox	55.1%	12,982
Ted Wheeler	11.8%	2,787
Misc. Write-Ins	33.1%	7,787
Total Votes		23,556

May 15 Democratic primary candidates:

• Ted Wheeler Incumbent

May 15 GOP primary candidates:

• No candidates filed.

Note: The state Republican Party supported a write-in campaign to nominate management consultant Tom Cox and were successful.

Polls

Ted Wheeler vs. Tom Cox
Response	Public Policy Polling (June 21-24, 2012)	Average
Ted Wheeler (D)	46%	46%
Tom Cox (R)	34%	34%
Number polled	686	686
Margin of error	+/-3.7	3.7%
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

The Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries election was held on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Brad Avakian defeated challenger Bruce Starr to win re-election. Avakian was first appointed to the position in April 2008 and elected in November 2008. The election was for a two year term, but only for the 2012 election. Andrea Cantu-Schomus, spokeswoman for the secretary of state's office, explained this move was intended to set up a standard where each election includes some statewide offices.

Election moved to November

At the beginning of the campaign season the candidates for Commissioner of Labor and Industries assumed the election would take place on May 15, 2012 during the state's primary election. Election officials, however, said a 2009 law passed by the legislature required the election to take place in November. Commissioner Avakian stated, "We thought the election was in May. My opponent thought the election was in May. Everybody thought the election was in May. It seems clear now that's not the case."

In March, Sen. Starr sought a temporary restraining order that would have forced the Secretary of State to put the labor commissioner race on the May 15 ballot. Circuit Court Judge Steven Price rejected the move, saying Starr couldn't show he would be likely to win on the legal merits of the case.

November 6 general election candidates:

• Brad Avakian (D) Incumbent
  
• Bruce Starr (R) Current state Senator

Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Non-partisan	Brad Avakian* (D) Incumbent	52.5%	681,987
	Non-partisan	Bruce Starr* (R)	46.7%	606,735
	Non-partisan	Write-in	0.7%	9,616
Total Votes				1,298,338
Election Results via Oregon Secretary of State.

Polls

2012 race for Oregon Labor Commissioner
Response	Public Policy Polling (June 21-24, 2012)	Average
Bruce Starr	23%	23%
Brad Avakian	21%	21%
Undecided	56%	56%
Number polled	686	686
Margin of error	+/-3.7	3.7%
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Brad Avakian vs. Bruce Starr
Response	Oregon Public Broadcasting/Fox-12 Poll (October 26-28, 2012)	Oregonian Poll (October 25-28, 2012)	Average
Brad Avakian	22%	26%	24%
Bruce Starr	19%	20%	19.5%
Number polled	500	405	452.5
Margin of error	+/-4.4	+/-5.0%	4.7%
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Deadline	Event
Sept 8, 2011	First day for candidates to file
March 6	Candidate filing deadline
March 31	Ballots mailed to overseas and military absent voters
April 16	Ballots mailed to out-of-state voters
April 24	Voter registration deadline
April 27 – May 1	Ballots mailed to voters other than long-term absent and out-of-state
May 15	Election day
June 14	Certification of election results
Nov 6	General election

Additional reading

• The Daily News Online, "Ore. labor commissioner candidates promise jobs," October 26, 2012

See also

• Statewide elections, 2012
• State executive official elections, 2012
• Oregon state executive official elections, 2012

External links

Suggest a link

• Oregon Elections