Oregon state executive official elections, 2016

2017 → ← 2015

Oregon Executive Official Elections

Top Ballot Governor • Attorney General Secretary of State • Treasurer Down Ballot None The Beaver State

Key election dates

Filing deadline (major parties): March 8, 2016

Primary date: May 17, 2016

Filing deadline (third parties and independents): August 30, 2016

General election date: November 8, 2016

Recount request deadline: December 13, 2016

Inauguration: TBD

Four state executive offices in Oregon were up for election in 2016:

• Governor (special election)
• Attorney General

• Secretary of State
• Treasurer

HIGHLIGHTS

Oregon held a special election for governor following the mid-term resignation of Governor John Kitzhaber (D) due to ethics concerns surrounding his administration.

Democrats have held trifecta control of state government since 2013. All four offices up for election in 2016 were held by Democrats, two of whom ran for re-election.

Republicans won control of the secretary of state's office for the first time in three decades.

Context of the 2016 elections

Primary elections

A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. Oregon generally utilizes a closed primary process. The selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members for presidential and legislative elections. However, the Oregon Republican Party voted to open the Republican primary to unaffiliated voters for the offices of secretary of state, attorney general, and treasurer.

Oregon's primary elections took place on May 17, 2016.

Party control in Oregon

Oregon is traditionally a "blue" state and Democrats have trifecta control of the state government. Democrats dominate Oregon's top offices: the last Republican to occupy the governor's office was Victor Atiyeh, who served two terms from 1979-1987. Other statewide elected offices, including Oregon Treasurer, Oregon Secretary of State, Attorney General of Oregon, and the two United States Senate seats have all been occupied by Democrats for the last 15 years. The last Republican to win a statewide election was former United States Senator Gordon Smith, who lost a re-election bid in 2008 to Jeff Merkley after having served two terms in office. However, Smith lost the state by a much smaller margin than fellow Republican John McCain did in the same year.

Democrats dominate Oregon's top executive offices. All four of the offices up for election in 2016 are held by Democrats, two of whom are running for re-election. Despite the recent trend of close statewide elections, Democrats are expected to retain control of all four offices.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Oregon, the Oregon State Senate and the Oregon House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

2016 elections

Races we watched

Secretary of State

Oregon held an election for secretary of state on November 8, 2016, with a primary on May 17. Incumbent Jeanne Atkins (D) did not run for election. Republican Dennis Richardson won the election, giving Republicans control of the seat for the first time in three decades.

HIGHLIGHTS

Incumbent Jeanne Atkins (D) was appointed in March 2015 to replace former Secretary Kate Brown (D), who succeeded to the governorship upon the resignation of former Governor John Kitzhaber (D).

Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries Brad Avakian won the Democratic nomination after a highly competitive race.

Former state Rep. Dennis Richardson won the Republican nomination by a large margin.

Richardson won the general election on November 8, 2016, giving Republicans control of the seat for the first time in three decades.

Elections by office

Governor

To view race information, click [show] to expand the full section.

Kate Brown (D/Working Families) Governor of Oregon since 2015 Bud Pierce (R) Oncologist Cliff Thomason (IPO) Realtor, president of Orhempco, Inc. Aaron Auer (Constitution Party) Preacher James Foster (Lib.) Software executive, attorney Click [show] to view candidates who were defeated in the primary elections or who declined to run in this race   Defeated Prominent candidates Julian Bell (D) I.C.U. physician. Steve Johnson (D) Home care worker, realtor Allen Alley (R) Executive chairman, Indice Semiconductor Bruce Cuff (R) Real estate broker Bob Niemeyer (R) Business owner, engineer Other candidates Chet Chance (D) - Truck driver Kevin M. Forsythe (D) - Team associate, Walmart Bob Forthan (R) - Unknown Dave Stauffer (D) - Environmental engineer, attorney Patrick Barney (IPO) - Certified nursing assistant Declined Brad Avakian (D) - Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries Betsy Johnson (D) - State Senator Tina Kotek (D) - State House Speaker Ted Wheeler (D) - Oregon Treasurer Shane Bemis (R) - Gresham Mayor, former city commissioner Knute Buehler (R) - State Rep. and 2012 GOP secretary of state nominee Sid Leiken (R) - Lane County Commissioner, former Mayor of Springfield Sherrie Sprenger (R) - State House Minority Whip Monica Wehby (R) - Neurosurgeon and former 2014 U.S. Senate candidate General election Incumbent Kate Brown defeated Bud Pierce, Cliff Thomason, James Foster, and Aaron Auer in the Oregon governor election. Oregon Governor, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic/Working Families Kate Brown Incumbent 50.70% 985,027      Republican Bud Pierce 43.53% 845,609      Independent Party of Oregon Cliff Thomason 2.44% 47,481      Libertarian James Foster 2.33% 45,191      Constitution Party Aaron Auer 1.00% 19,400 Total Votes 1,942,708 Source: Oregon Secretary of State Primary elections Democratic primary election   The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for governor. Democratic primary for governor, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Kate Brown Incumbent 83.96% 403,730 Julian Bell 7.04% 33,872 Dave Stauffer 2.83% 13,624 Steve Johnson 2.36% 11,366 Kevin M. Forsythe 1.79% 8,599 Chet Chance 0.95% 4,584 Write-in votes 1.06% 5,077 Total Votes 480,852 Source: http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2016P/1314035914.html Republican primary election   Bud Pierce defeated Allen Alley, Bruce Cuff, Bob Niemeyer and Bob Forthan defeated in the Republican primary for governor. Republican primary for governor, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Bud Pierce 47.03% 143,387 Allen Alley 29.25% 89,180 Bruce Cuff 11.55% 35,201 Bob Niemeyer 10.15% 30,933 Bob Forthan 1.23% 3,756 Write-in votes 0.8% 2,435 Total Votes 304,892 Source: http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2016P/1314035914.html Independent Party of Oregon primary election Cliff Thomason defeated Patrick Barney in the Independent Party of Oregon primary for governor. Independent Party of Oregon primary for governor, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Cliff Thomason 35.92% 8,380 Patrick Barney 25.25% 5,892 Write-in votes 38.83% 9,060 Total Votes 23,332 Source: http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2016P/1314035914.html

Attorney General

To view race information, click [show] to expand the full section.

Ellen Rosenblum (D/IPO/Working Families) Attorney General of Oregon since 2012 Daniel Crowe (R) Director, Veterans' Justice Project Lars D.H. Hedbor (Lib.) Author; chair, Libertarian Party of Oregon General election Incumbent Ellen Rosenblum defeated Daniel Crowe and Lars D.H. Hedbor in the Oregon attorney general election. Oregon Attorney General, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic/Working Families/Independent Party of Oregon Ellen Rosenblum Incumbent 55.07% 1,011,761      Republican Daniel Crowe 41.74% 766,753      Libertarian Lars D.H. Hedbor 3.19% 58,609 Total Votes 1,837,123 Source: Oregon Secretary of State Primary elections Democratic primary election   Incumbent Ellen Rosenblum ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for attorney general. Democratic primary for attorney general, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Ellen Rosenblum Incumbent (unopposed) 98.96% 350,737 Write-in votes 1.04% 3,699 Total Votes 354,436 Source: http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2016P/71227554.html Republican primary election   Daniel Crowe ran unopposed in the Republican primary for attorney general. Republican primary for attorney general, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Daniel Crowe  (unopposed) 98.70% 195,407 Write-in votes 1.3% 2,574 Total Votes 197,981 Source: http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2016P/71227554.html

Secretary of State

To view race information, click [show] to expand the full section.

Brad Avakian (D/Working Families/Prog.) Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries since 2008 Dennis Richardson (R) State Rep., 2002-2015 Paul Damian Wells (IPO) CNC machinist Sharon Durbin (Lib.) Retired attorney Michael P. Marsh (CP) Lin County Constitution Party chair Alan Zundel (Pacific Green Party of Oregon) Counselor, retired public policy professor Click [show] to view candidates who were defeated in the primary elections.   Richard Devlin (D) State Sen. since 2002 Val Hoyle (D) State Rep. since 2009 Sid Leiken (R) Lane County Commissioner since 2010 General election The following candidates ran in the Oregon secretary of state election. Oregon Secretary of State, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Dennis Richardson 47.44% 892,669      Democratic/Progressive/Working Families Brad Avakian 43.27% 814,089      Independent Party of Oregon Paul Damian Wells 3.45% 64,956      Pacific Green Party of Oregon Alan Zundel 2.53% 47,576      Libertarian Sharon Durbin 2.50% 46,975      Constitution Party Michael P. Marsh 0.81% 15,269 Total Votes 1,881,534 Source: Oregon Secretary of State Primary results Democratic primary contest Brad Avakian defeated Val Hoyle and Richard Devlin in the Democratic primary for secretary of state. Democratic primary for secretary of state, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Brad Avakian 39.06% 168,041 Val Hoyle 33.81% 145,444 Richard Devlin 26.35% 113,335 Write-in votes 0.78% 3,362 Total Votes 430,182 Source: http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2016P/71227554.html Republican primary contest Dennis Richardson defeated Sid Leiken in the Republican primary for secretary of state. Republican primary for secretary of state, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Dennis Richardson 77.93% 229,325 Sid Leiken 21.49% 63,247 Write-in votes 0.58% 1,715 Total Votes 294,287 Source: http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2016P/1521964421.html Independent Party of Oregon primary contest Paul Damian Wells ran unopposed in the Independent Party of Oregon primary for secretary of state. Independent Party of Oregon primary for secretary of state, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Paul Damian Wells  (unopposed) 66.24% 14,553 Write-in votes 33.76% 7,417 Total Votes 21,970 Source: http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2016P/1521964421.html

Treasurer

To view race information, click [show] to expand the full section.

Tobias Read (D) State rep. since 2007, House speaker pro tempore Jeff Gudman (R) Lake Oswego City Councilor, investor Chris Telfer (IPO) Oregon Lottery Commissioner since 2013 Chris Henry (Pacific Green/Progressive) Union truck driver, aircraft mechanic General election Tobias Read defeated Jeff Gudman, Chris Telfer, and Chris Henry in the Oregon treasurer election. Oregon Treasurer, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Tobias Read 43.97% 808,998      Republican Jeff Gudman 41.67% 766,680      Independent Party of Oregon Chris Telfer 9.45% 173,878      Pacific Green Party of Oregon Chris Henry 4.92% 90,507 Total Votes 1,840,063 Source: Oregon Secretary of State Primary results Democratic primary contest   Tobias Read ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for treasurer. Democratic primary for treasurer, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Tobias Read  (unopposed) 98.46% 333,653 Write-in votes 1.54% 5,219 Total Votes 338,872 Source: [1] Republican primary contest   Jeff Gudman ran unopposed in the Republican primary for treasurer. Republican primary for treasurer, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Jeff Gudman  (unopposed) 98.59% 217,445 Write-in votes 1.41% 3,112 Total Votes 220,557 Source: [2] Independent Party of Oregon primary contest Chris Telfer ran unopposed in the Independent Party of Oregon primary for treasurer. Independent Party of Oregon primary for treasurer, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Chris Telfer  (unopposed) 81.05% 17,478 Write-in votes 18.95% 4,087 Total Votes 21,565 Source: [3]

Voter registration

For full information about voting in Oregon, contact the state election agency.

Registration

To vote in Oregon, you must be:

“	☐ A resident of Oregon ☐ A US citizen ☐ At least 17 years old	”
—Oregon Secretary of State

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Oregon has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Past elections

Candidate ballot access
Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

2015

There were no state executive elections in Oregon in 2015.

2014

Two state executive offices were up for election including governor and labor commissioner.

• Oregon down ballot state executive elections, 2014
• Oregon gubernatorial election, 2014
• Oregon state executive official elections, 2014

2013

There were no elections in Oregon in 2013.

2012

Four state executive offices were up for election including attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and labor commissioner.

• Oregon down ballot state executive elections, 2012
• Oregon Secretary of State election, 2012
• Oregon state executive official elections, 2012

State profile

Demographic data for Oregon
	Oregon	U.S.
Total population:	4,024,634	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	95,988	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	85.1%	73.6%
Black/African American:	1.8%	12.6%
Asian:	4%	5.1%
Native American:	1.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.4%	0.2%
Two or more:	4.1%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	12.3%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	89.8%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	30.8%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$51,243	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	18.4%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Oregon. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Oregon

Oregon voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, two are located in Oregon, accounting for 0.97 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Oregon had two Retained Pivot Counties, 1.10 of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Oregon coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Oregon
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• Public policy in Oregon
• Endorsers in Oregon
• Oregon fact checks
• More...

External links

Suggest a link

• State of Oregon: Official Website

Footnotes

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