2016 Oregon elections explained

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Oregon on November 8, 2016. Primary elections were held on May 17, 2016.

Federal

President of the United States

See main article: article and United States presidential election in Oregon, 2016.

See also: United States presidential election, 2016.

Hillary Clinton won the state's 7 electoral votes.

United States House of Representatives

See main article: article and United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2016.

See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 2016. All five of Oregon's seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for re-election in 2016. All five incumbents, four Democrats and one Republican, won re-election.

United States Senate

See main article: article and United States Senate election in Oregon, 2016.

See also: United States Senate elections, 2016. Incumbent Democratic senior Senator Ron Wyden won re-election to a fourth full term in office.^[1]

Attorney General

Incumbent attorney general Ellen Rosenblum (D) was re-elected.

Democratic primary

• Ellen Rosenblum, incumbent attorney general^{[2] [3]}

Results

^[4]

Republican primary

• Daniel Zene Crowe, lawyer

Results

^[4]

Independent Party primary

No Independent Party candidates filed to run in the primary.

Results

^[4]

General Election

Governor

See main article: article and 2016 Oregon gubernatorial special election. This election determined who fills the remaining two years of the term of Democratic governor John Kitzhaber, who was re-elected in 2014 and resigned in 2015. The incumbent governor is Democrat Kate Brown, who succeeded to the governor's office as Oregon Secretary of State. Brown won re-election; the next gubernatorial election is in 2018.

Secretary of State

See main article: 2016 Oregon Secretary of State election.

Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins declined to seek election; she was appointed in March 2015 following Kate Brown's ascension to the governorship.^[5]

Dennis Richardson (R) defeated Brad Avakian (D), to become the first Republican to win a statewide election in Oregon since 2002

Democratic primary

• Brad Avakian, Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries, former state senator and Representative^{[6] [7] [8]}
• Richard Devlin, state senator and former state representative^{[6] [8] [9]}
• Val Hoyle, state representative^{[6] [8] [10]}

Results

^[11]

Republican primary

• Sid Leiken, Lane County Commissioner^[12]
• Dennis Richardson, former state representative^{[6] [13] [14] [15]}

Results

^[11]

Independent Party primary

• Paul Damian Wells, machinist and perennial candidate

Results

^[11]

Other candidates

• Sharon Durbin, candidate for U.S. House District 2 in 2014 (Libertarian)
• Michael P. Marsh, perennial candidate (Constitution)
• Alan Zundel, former political scientist and former professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Pacific Green)^{[16] [17]}

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Brad Avakian (D)	Dennis Richardson (R)	Paul Damian Wells (I)	Other	Undecided
DHM Research^[18]	October 25–29, 2016	504	± 4.4%	27%	align=center	32%	3%	5%^[19]	28%
DHM Research^[20]	October 6–13, 2016	600	± 4%	29%	align=center	34%	4%	8%^[21]	24%
iCitizen^[22]	September 2–7, 2016	610	± 4.0%	align=center	29%	26%	4%	5%^[23]	align=center	36%
Clout Research^[24]	July 9–13, 2016	701	± 3.71%	36%	align=center	41%	—	—	12%

General Election

State Treasurer

See main article: article and 2016 Oregon State Treasurer election. Incumbent treasurer Ted Wheeler (D) is term-limited and successfully ran for mayor of Portland. Tobias Read (D) was elected to succeed him.

Legislative

See main article: article and 2016 Oregon legislative election.

The Democrats have an 18–12 majority in the Oregon State Senate in the previous session. Of 30 Senate seats, 16 were up for election. In the Oregon House of Representatives, in which Democrats hold a 35–25 majority, all 60 seats were up for election.

Ballot measures

There were seven statewide Oregon ballot measures on the November 2016 ballot:^[25]

• Measure 94 - Amends Constitution: Eliminates mandatory retirement age for state judges
• Measure 95 - Amends Constitution: Allows investments in equities by public universities to reduce financial risk and increase investments to benefit students
• Measure 96 - Amends Constitution: Dedicates 1.5% of state lottery net proceeds to funding support services for Oregon veterans
• Measure 97 - Increases corporate minimum tax when sales exceed $25 million; funds education, healthcare, senior services
• Measure 98 - Requires state funding for dropout-prevention, career and college readiness programs in Oregon high schools
• Measure 99 - Creates "Outdoor School Education Fund," continuously funded through Lottery, to provide outdoor school programs statewide
• Measure 100 - Prohibits purchase or sale of parts or products from certain wildlife species; exceptions; civil penalties

See also

• Elections in Oregon
• Portland, Oregon mayoral election, 2016

External links

• Elections Division at the Oregon Secretary of State
• Oregon at Ballotpedia

Notes and References

1. Web site: Senators Confirm Re-Election Bids for 2016. Cahn. Emily. Alexis. January 28, 2015. Roll Call. January 29, 2015. Levinson.
2. Web site: Candidate Filing Search Results – Attorney General. Oregon Secretary of State. February 18, 2016.
3. Web site: Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to run again. Spurr, Kyle. The Daily Astorian (Astoria, Oregon). March 3, 2015. February 18, 2016.
4. Web site: Official Results - May 17, 2016, Primary Election Abstract of Votes. May 26, 2016. Oregon Secretary of State. State of Oregon.
5. News: Kate Brown appoints veteran government aide Jeanne Atkins to be secretary of state. Mapes. Jeff. March 6, 2015. The Oregonian. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070420/http://www.oregonlive.com/mapes/index.ssf/2015/03/kate_brown_appoints_veteran_go.html. March 4, 2016. live. March 6, 2015.
6. Web site: Candidate Filing Search Results – Secretary of State. Oregon Secretary of State. February 18, 2016.
7. News: Jaquiss, Nigel. Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian Makes It Official: He's Running for Secretary of State. October 6, 2015. Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. February 18, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084445/http://www.wweek.com/2015/10/06/labor-commissioner-brad-avakian-makes-it-official-hes-running-for-secretary-of-state/. March 4, 2016. dead.
8. News: Secretary of State candidates due at Dems brunch. February 18, 2016. Hillsboro Tribune. Hillsboro, Oregon. February 18, 2016.
9. News: Times news staff. Tualatin state senator Richard Devlin to run for secretary of state. September 2, 2015. Tigard-Tualatin Times. Tigard, Oregon. February 18, 2016.
10. News: Jaquiss, Nigel. Strong Fundraising Buoys Val Hoyle as She Officially Enters Secretary of State Race. October 15, 2015. Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. February 18, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302201047/http://www.wweek.com/2015/10/15/strong-fundraising-buoys-val-hoyle-as-she-officially-enters-secretary-of-state-race/. March 2, 2016. dead.
11. Web site: Official Results - May 17, 2016, Primary Election Abstract of Votes. May 26, 2016. Oregon Secretary of State. State of Oregon.
12. News: Jaquiss, Nigel. GOP Candidate For Governor Sid Leiken Lowers Sights, Will Run for Secretary of State. June 29, 2015. Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. February 18, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081503/http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-33404-gop_candidate_for_governor_sid_leiken_lowers_sight.html. March 4, 2016. dead.
13. News: Dennis Richardson announces Secretary of State bid. Friedman. Gordon. October 29, 2015. Statesman Journal. Salem, Oregon. https://web.archive.org/web/20161009233205/http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/10/dennis_richardson_for_oregon_s.html#incart_2box_opinion. October 9, 2016. live. February 18, 2016.
14. News: Anderson, Taylor W.. Dennis Richardson changes tune, mulls run for secretary of state. October 19, 2015. The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. February 18, 2016.
15. News: Cooper, Jonathan J.. Dennis Richardson announce run for Oregon secretary of state. October 29, 2015. The Washington Times. Washington, D.C.. February 18, 2016.
16. News: Alan Zundel for Oregon Secretary of State. September 1, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160917005546/http://www.voteforalan.org/about-alan/. September 17, 2016. dead.
17. News: 2016 PACIFIC GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES. September 1, 2016.
18. News: FOX 12-DHM Poll: Clinton leads Trump in Oregon; Measure 97 trends toward defeat. November 1, 2016. FOX 12 KPTV.com. November 2, 2016.
19. 3% for Durbin, 1% for Zundel, 1% for Marsh.
20. Web site: Oregon Public Broadcasting October State Survey. dhm Research. October 13, 2016. November 2, 2016. October 18, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161018235146/http://res.cloudinary.com/bdy4ger4/image/upload/v1476741090/OPBNewPoll_bwepki.pdf. dead.
21. 3% for Durbin, 2% for Zundel, 3% for Marsh.
22. News: Oregon Poll Results - September 2016. icitizen. September 13, 2016. November 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160915122209/https://icitizen.com/insights/oregon-poll-results-september-2016/. September 15, 2016. dead.
23. 2% for Durbin, 2% for Zundel, 1% for Marsh.
24. Web site: Or Governor Race in Dead Heat; Measure 97 Losing Ground. Clout Research. July 27, 2016. November 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160730171259/http://cloutpolitical.com/or-governor-race-in-dead-heat-measure-97-losing-ground/. July 30, 2016. dead.
25. Voter's Pamphlets: Oregon General Election, November 8, 2016, Oregon Secretary of State.