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Oregon Secretary of State election, 2012
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| Oregon Secretary of State |
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May 15, 2012 |
November 6, 2012 |
| State executive official elections in 2012 |
The Oregon secretary of state election took place on November 6, 2012, with incumbent Kate Brown winning re-election over four challengers.[1]
Kate Brown incumbent (Democratic, Working Families)
Knute Buehler (Republican, Independent)
Seth Woolley (Pacific Green Party)
Bruce Alexander Knight (Libertarian)
Robert Wolfe (Progressive Party)
In the primary on May 15, 2012, incumbent Kate Brown (D) defeated Paul Damian Wells for the Democratic nomination. Brown advanced to the general election, where she defeated, Knute Buehler (R, Ind), Seth Woolley (Pacific Green Party), Bruce Alexander Knight (Libertarian), and Robert Wolfe (Progressive).[2][3]
Buehler (R) is an orthopedic surgeon and Rhodes scholar from Bend. He was the only candidate to file from his party in the primary. According to race ratings published in Governing in September, Buehler's candidacy threatened the Democratic Party's almost 20-year run in the office. The secretary of state race was rated a toss-up, attributed to Buehler's strong fundraising—he raised and spent twice as much as Brown—and his cross-nomination by the Independent Party, which had the largest third-party registration in Oregon.[4]
Election Results
General Election
| Oregon Secretary of State General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kate Brown Incumbent |
51.4% | 863,656 | |
| Republican | Knute Buehler | 43.3% | 727,607 | |
| Green | Seth Woolley | 2.6% | 44,235 | |
| Libertarian | Bruce Alexander Knight | 1.4% | 24,273 | |
| Progressive | Robert Wolfe | 1.3% | 21,783 | |
| Total Votes | 1,681,554 | |||
| Election results via Oregon Secretary of State | ||||
Primary Results
| Oregon Secretary of State Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Kate Brown |
91.1% | 277,052 | ||
| Paul Damian Wells | 8.4% | 25,568 | ||
| Write-ins | 0.5% | 1,400 | ||
| Total Votes | 304,020 | |||
| Election results via OregonLive 2012 Primary Results. | ||||
| Oregon Secretary of State Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Knute Buehler |
98.5% | 193,043 |
| Write-ins | 1.5% | 2,973 |
| Total Votes | 196,016 | |
Key dates
- Administrative deadlines are at close of business (5 pm) unless otherwise noted.
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| Mar. 6 | Last day to file candidacy |
| Apr. 24 | Voter registration for primary election |
| May 15 | Primary election |
| June 14 | Certification of election results |
| Nov. 6 | General election |
Candidates
General
- Kate Brown incumbent (Democratic, Working Families)
- Knute Buehler (Republican, Independent)
- Seth Woolley (Pacific Green Party)
- Bruce Alexander Knight (Libertarian)
- Robert Wolfe (Progressive Party)
Primaries
Democratic candidates
- Kate Brown-incumbent secretary of state
- Paul Damian Wells-engineer and "Voters Rights Advocate"
Republican candidates
- Knute Buehler-Orthopedic surgeon
Former candidates
- Commercial truck driver and former election judge Randy Pollock withdrew from the election on February 7, 2012, citing a lack of campaign contributions.[5]
Polls
Public Policy Polling
| 2012 General election secretary of state candidates | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Kate Brown | Knute Buehler | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Oregonian Poll (October 25-28, 2012) | 38% | 23% | 36% | 405 | |||||||||||||||
| Oregon Public Broadcasting/Fox-12 Poll (October 26-28, 2012) | 43% | 37% | 15% | +/-4.4 | 500 | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Poll June 26, 2012 | 48% | 31% | 21% | +/-3.7 | 686 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 43% | 30.33% | 24% | +/-2.7 | 530.33 | ||||||||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||||||||||
- **Although not shown in table above, Poll#3 also included the option for respondents to indicate support for a minor party candidate in the race. The results showed the three minor party candidates were each supported by 1% of voters.**
Endorsements
Endorsements
Buehler
| Community Leaders Endorsement List[6] | |
|---|---|
|
Fmr. Secretary of State Norma Paulus Former Governor Vic Atiyeh Fmr. Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer US Congressman Greg Walden Ambassador Butch Swindells Fmr. Speaker of the House Bev Clarno Speaker of the House Bruce Hanna Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli Fmr. Representative Charlie Ringo Republican Leader Kevin Cameron Representative Dennis Richardson Promise King Senator Jeff Kruse Mike Hollern Bill and Trish Smith Dave Dotterrer Representative Patrick Sheehan Representative Greg Smith Brett Wilcox Dale Riddle Representative Tim Freeman Senator Bruce Starr Linda and John Shelk Senator Brian Boquist Representative Julie Parrish Representative Gene Whisnant Joan Austin Rick Sohn Rob Cornilles Representative Wally Hicks Jim Rudd Marty Brantley Representative Jim Thompson Senator Jackie Winters Representative Shawn Lindsay Representative Andy Olson Don Tykeson Representative Jim Weidner Hank Swigert Ron Saxton Representative Sal Esquivel Representative Bill Kennemer Bill Thorndike John Murphy Representative Jason Conger Representative Matt Wand Pamela Hulse Andrews Patty Moss Allyn Ford Representative Mike McLane Representative Katie Eyre Brewer Senator Frank Morse Rick Miller Representative John Huffman Sue Hollern Kelly Coughlin Fmr. Bend/Lapine Superintendent Doug Nelson Amy Tykeson Fmr. Beaverton School Superintendent Jerry Colonna | |
Brown
| 2012 Endorsement List[7] | |
|---|---|
|
Oregon Nurses Association Service Employees International Union 503 and 49 (SEIU) Oregon Education Association Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon NARAL EMILY's List Basic Rights Oregon Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Oregon League of Conservation Voters Willamette Women Democrats American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers/Oregon School Employees Association International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) United Food and Commercial Workers 555 (UFCW) International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 48 (IBEW) Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals Pacific NW Regional Council of Carpenters International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) | |
Campaign finance
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 Due dates for reports |
| 2 Candidates |
Due dates for reports
The Secretary of State administers campaign finance law and maintains all records online.
As of 2007, there were no longer scheduled reporting deadlines. Committees continuously report campaign finance transactions.
In mid-September, Brown announced that she was placing a $1 million spending cap on her re-election campaign in 2012. Her opponent, Buehler, who reportedly raised nearly $1 million and spent about $542,000 at that point in the election season, said he would not follow suit, and suggested that Brown's adoption of a spending limit was a reaction to concerns about trailing Buehler in fundraising (Brown had raised $575,000 and spent about $264,000 as of September 19) and staff shake-ups, including the firing of her campaign finance manager. Brown denied his accusations, saying that she had hired a replacement, and she defended the ethical merits of setting a spending limit: "I've raised more than $1 million in the past.... It's not fun and it's also not right. That's why I think it's time for us to do something about it and I'm the one in this race leading by example."[8]
Candidates
Democrats
Kate Brown[9]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Citizen Action for Political Education | $25,000.00 |
| Democratic Association of Secretaries of State | $15,000.00 |
| Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians | $10,000.00 |
| Oregon AFSCME Council 75 | $10,000.00 |
| Oregon Education Association-People for Improvement of Education (142) | $10,000.00 |
| Local Electricians PAC (4572) | $10,000.00 |
| EMILY's List Federal Fund | $5,000.00 |
| Plumbers and Steamfitters PAC (221) | $5,000.00 |
| Local Electricians PAC (4572) | $5,000.00 |
| LGBTQ Victory Fund | $5,000.00 |
Republicans
Knute Buehler[10]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| James Young | $90,000.00 |
| Phillip H Knight | $50,000.00 |
| Patricia Buehler | $30,000.00 |
| Karl R Miller | $25,000.00 |
| Seneca Jones Timber Company | $25,000.00 |
| Howard M Koff | $10,000.00 |
| Henry T Swigert | $10,000.00 |
| Larry Keith | $10,000.00 |
| Murphy | $10,000.00 |
| Bizzy B Seven LLC | $10,000.00 |
Former candidates
Paul Damian Wells
Wells reported four in-kind contributions, all from his campaign committee, as of May 4, 2012. The contributions amounted to $13,650.[11]
Campaign Sites/Media
Campaign sites
Democrats
Kate Brown |
Knute Buehler |
Robert Wolfe |
Former candidates
Ads
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News
- By the numbers: Comparing Oregon's secretary of state candidates September 29
- Open primaries a non-starter for Oregon Republicans
- Oregon secretary of state sued by candidate over alleged misinformation
- Oregon secretary of state's election date snafu still unresolved despite judge's ruling
- 2012 elections preview: Oregonians prepare to choose state executive nominees at the polls tomorrow
- Election aftermath: Oregon's state executive races
- Election preview: Oregon's state executive candidates file for office
- Attorney General Kroger leaves politics to take job as president
Additional reading
See also
External links
- Politics1.com Guide to Oregon elections
- Office of the Secretary of State Website
- Oregon Votes 2012
- Kate Brown Official Campaign Site
- Knute Buehler Official Campaign Site
- Robert Wolfe Official Campaign Website
Footnotes
- ↑ Oregon Live, "2012 General Election Results," November 7, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Voter Guide," accessed October 18, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Oregon 2012 Primary Results," May 15, 2012
- ↑ Governing, "Secretaries of State Still Juggling Politics, Elections," September 21, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate information," accessed March 6, 2012
- ↑ Knute Buehler for Secretary of State 2012, "Endorsements," accessed October 1, 2012
- ↑ Kate Brown for Oregon, "Endorsements," accessed October 1, 2012
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Oregon Secretary of State candidates trade tough words over campaign spending limits," September 19, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Reports-Kate Brown," accessed September 29, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Reports-Knute Buehler," accessed September 29, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Reports-Paul Damian Wells," accessed May 4, 2012
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