Patrick Starnes

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Patrick Starnes

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 17, 2022

Education

Associate

Umpqua Community College, 1990

Bachelor's

University of Oregon, 1996

Personal

Birthplace

Lansing, Mich.

Profession

Old homes restorer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Patrick Starnes (Democratic Party) ran for election for Governor of Oregon. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 17, 2022.

Starnes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Patrick Starnes was born in Lansing, Michigan. He earned an associate degree from Umpqua Community College in 1990 and a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Oregon in 1996. His career experience includes working as an old homes restorer, as a cabinetmaker, and as a teaching assistant and outreach coordinator for Umpqua Watersheds. Starnes was elected as a director of the Douglas Soil & Water Conservation District (DSWCD), as a member of the Douglas Education Service District (DESD), and as a member of the McKenzie School Board. He also served as secretary of the Blue River Community Development Corporation (BRCDC), which later became the McKenzie CDC. Starnes has been affiliated with the Calapooia Food and Alliance, Cascadia Wildlands, and OregonWild.

Elections

2022

See also: Oregon gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of Oregon

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Oregon on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tina Kotek (D / Working Families Party)	47.0	917,074
		Christine Drazan (R)	43.5	850,347
		Betsy Johnson (Independent)	8.6	168,431
		Donice Smith (Constitution Party)	0.4	8,051
		R. Leon Noble (L)	0.4	6,867
		Paul Romero (Constitution Party of Oregon) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2,113

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,952,883
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Nathalie Paravicini (Pacific Green Party / Progressive Party)
• Tom Cox (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Oregon

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Oregon on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tina Kotek	56.0	275,301
		Tobias Read	31.7	156,017
		Patrick Starnes	2.1	10,524
		George Carrillo	1.9	9,365
		Michael Trimble	1.0	5,000
		John Sweeney	0.9	4,193
		Julian Bell	0.8	3,926
		Wilson Bright	0.5	2,316
		Dave Stauffer	0.5	2,302
		Ifeanyichukwu Diru	0.4	1,780
	Submit photo	Keisha Merchant	0.4	1,755
	Submit photo	Genevieve Wilson	0.3	1,588
		Michael Cross	0.3	1,342
	Submit photo	David Beem	0.3	1,308
		Peter Hall	0.2	982
		Other/Write-in votes	2.8	13,746

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 491,445
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Peter Winter (D)
• Casey Kulla (D)
• Nicholas Kristof (D)
• Dave Lavinsky (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Oregon

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Oregon on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christine Drazan	22.5	85,255
		Bob Tiernan	17.5	66,089
		Stan Pulliam	10.9	41,123
		Bridget Barton	10.8	40,886
		Bud Pierce	8.7	32,965
		Marc Thielman	7.9	30,076
		Kerry McQuisten	7.6	28,727
	Submit photo	Bill Sizemore	3.5	13,261
		Jessica Gomez	2.6	9,970
		Tim McCloud	1.2	4,400
		Nick Hess	1.1	4,287
		Court Boice	1.1	4,040
		Brandon Merritt	1.0	3,615
	Submit photo	Reed Christensen	0.8	3,082
		Amber Richardson	0.5	1,924
		Raymond Baldwin	0.1	459
		David Burch	0.1	406
	Submit photo	John Presco	0.0	174
		Stefan Strek	0.0	171
		Other/Write-in votes	2.0	7,407

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 378,317
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Darin Harbick (R)
• John Fosdick III (R)
• Jim Huggins (R)

2018

See also: Oregon gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Oregon

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Oregon on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kate Brown (D)	50.1	934,498
		Knute Buehler (R)	43.7	814,988
		Patrick Starnes (Independent Party of Oregon)	2.9	53,392
		Nick Chen (L)	1.5	28,927
		Aaron Auer (Constitution Party)	1.1	21,145
		Chris Henry (Progressive Party)	0.6	11,013
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	3,034

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,866,997 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Alex DiBlasi (G)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Oregon

Incumbent Kate Brown defeated Ed Jones and Candace Neville in the Democratic primary for Governor of Oregon on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kate Brown	83.8	324,451
	Submit photo	Ed Jones	8.6	33,464
		Candace Neville	7.5	29,110

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 387,025
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Oregon

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Oregon on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Knute Buehler	46.1	144,103
		Sam Carpenter	29.0	90,572
		Greg Wooldridge	20.2	63,049
		Bruce Cuff	1.6	4,857
		Jeff Smith	1.5	4,691
		Dave Stauffer	0.7	2,096
	Submit photo	Jonathan Edwards	0.3	861
	Submit photo	Keenan Bohach	0.3	787
	Submit photo	Brett Hyland	0.2	755
	Submit photo	Jack Tacy	0.2	512

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 312,283
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Independent Party of Oregon primary election

Independent Party of Oregon primary for Governor of Oregon

Patrick Starnes defeated Skye Allen and Dan Pistoresi in the Independent Party of Oregon primary for Governor of Oregon on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patrick Starnes	58.7	6,030
	Submit photo	Skye Allen	23.4	2,405
	Submit photo	Dan Pistoresi	18.0	1,846

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 10,281
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Shawn Liebling (Independent Party of Oregon)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Patrick Starnes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Starnes' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am running for office as a campaign finance reformer. A cabinetmaker who lives in brownsville in Linn County, I was a resident of Douglas County before that where I was Secretary of the Douglas County Democratic Party. I believe in Oregon Health Care coverage for ALL Oregonians and have proposed taxing junk food to pay for it. I support Gov. Kate Brown's COVID-19 mandates because they protect children and the vulnerable. I describe myself as an environmentalist but as a cabinetmaker I understand timber issues.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Campaign Finance Reform will create a better life for all Oregonians.
• Housing and Healthcare for ALL Oregonians is extremely important for you and our economy.
• Wildfires and Climate Change can be prevented and/or eliminated with the right people in office.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Campaign Finance Reform, Housing Crisis, Healthcare for ALL Oregonians, Wildfire Prevention, and the Climate Crisis.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Tom McCall (when I was a kid) with his conversation initiatives and Kitzhaber (pre-scandal) when he created the Oregon Health Plan which I would like to provide to ALL Oregonians. Currently, I appreciate Secretary of State, Shemia Fagan tenacity and follow through.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Godwin.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Listening to the people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I can create something from nothing and I am a problem solver who thinks outside the box.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Bringing people together so we can solve problems and connect the dots.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to see Oregon become the first state with 100% Universal Healthcare

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The assassinations of MLK and Bobby Kennedy as everyone was crying and disoriented; I was 5 and 6 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

A concession stand for the summer while I was a young teenager.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Perfect Day by Ira Levin, a Sci-Fi novel on how to avoid Al Totalitarianism.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Tom Joad

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Change by H.E.R.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I am color blind to the colors red and green and have trouble seeing purple and brown.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

The Governor manages the administrative departments and uses the "bully pulpit" to champion certain initiatives.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

First, balance the budget and then tackle difficult issues around the state with open guidance.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

In our current system, the Governor proposes a budget and then gets feedback afterwards.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A cooperative, hard working relationship where we take to the streets and travel this large state together.

What do you love most about your state?

The natural beauty.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Campaign Finance Reform which will allow us to tackle healthcare and housing along with controlling wildfires, and absorbing and reducing carbon emissions.

Tell us your favorite joke.

The Texas G.O.P.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

Under natural disasters and pandemics/epidemics.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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