2006 Oregon gubernatorial election
The 2006 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic Governor of Oregon Ted Kulongoski ran for a second and final term as governor. Kulongoski faced several challengers in his primary, whom he dispatched to win his party's nomination a second time, while Republican nominee Ron Saxton, the former Chair of the Portland Public Schools Board and a candidate for governor in 2002 emerged from a crowded primary. Kulongoski and Saxton were initially going to be challenged in the general election by State Senator Ben Westlund, but Westlund withdrew his candidacy before the general election. There were multiple independent and third party challengers on the ballot as well. In a hard-fought campaign, Kulongoski won re-election by a surprisingly wide margin, winning his second term as governor.
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| Elections in Oregon |
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As of 2022, this marks the last occasion in which the following counties have voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election: Clackamas, Columbia, Marion, and Wasco.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Ted Kulongoski, incumbent Governor of Oregon
- Jim Hill, former Oregon State Treasurer, 2002 Democratic candidate for Governor of Oregon
- Peter Sorenson, Lane County Commissioner
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ted Kulongoski (incumbent) | 170,944 | 53.56 | |
| Democratic | Jim Hill | 92,439 | 28.96 | |
| Democratic | Pete Sorenson | 51,346 | 16.09 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 4,448 | 1.39 | |
| Total votes | 319,177 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Ron Saxton, former Chair of the Portland Public Schools Board
- Kevin Mannix, former Oregon State Representative, 2002 Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon
- Jason Atkinson, Oregon State Senator
- W. Ames Curtright
- Gordon Leitch
- William E. Spidal
- David W. Beem
- Bob Leonard Forthan, perennial candidate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ron Saxton | 125,286 | 41.69 | |
| Republican | Kevin Mannix | 89,553 | 29.80 | |
| Republican | Jason Atkinson | 67,057 | 22.31 | |
| Republican | W. Ames Curtright | 7,414 | 2.47 | |
| Republican | Gordon Leitch | 3,100 | 1.03 | |
| Republican | William E. Spidal | 2,537 | 0.84 | |
| Republican | David W. Beem | 1,659 | 0.55 | |
| Republican | Bob Leonard Forthan | 841 | 0.28 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 3,107 | 1.03 | |
| Total votes | 300,554 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Campaign
As the Democratic and Republican primaries intensified, State Senator Ben Westlund, a registered Republican, announced that he would run for governor as an independent.[2] Though Westlund gathered the requisite signatures to be able to run, he eventually dropped out of the race in August, noting, "At the beginning of this campaign, I made a commitment to the people of Oregon, that I was in it to win it, and that I absolutely would not play a spoiler role."[3] Constitution Party nominee Mary Starrett was widely perceived to win votes largely at the expense of Saxton's campaign.[4]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[5] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[6] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[7] | Lean D | November 2, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics[8] | Lean D | November 6, 2006 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date administered | Ted Kulongoski (D) |
Ron Saxton (R) |
Mary Starrett (C) |
Richard Morley (L) |
Joe Keating (G) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KATU/Oregonian | October 31, 2006 | 45% | 38% | 6% | 1% | 1% |
| Rasmussen | October 31, 2006 | 51% | 44% | — | — | — |
| Riley Research Archived February 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine | October 25, 2006 | 47% | 36% | 4% | 1% | 1% |
| Riley Research Archived November 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine | October 3, 2006 | 37% | 39% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| Rasmussen Archived October 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine | October 1, 2006 | 47% | 42% | — | — | — |
| Rasmussen | September 25, 2006 | 47% | 38% | — | — | — |
| Zogby Interactive Poll | September 11, 2006 | 47% | 40% | 5% | 1% | — |
| Zogby Interactive Poll | August 28, 2006 | 50% | 44% | — | — | — |
| Rasmussen | August 22, 2006 | 49% | 35% | — | — | — |
| Rasmussen Archived October 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine | August 3, 2006 | 45% | 35% | — | — | — |
| Zogby Interactive Poll | July 24, 2006 | 49% | 42% | — | — | — |
| Zogby Interactive Poll | June 21, 2006 | 48% | 40% | — | — | — |
| Rasmussen | May 23, 2006 | 43% | 41% | — | — | — |
| Zogby Interactive Poll | March 22–27, 2006 | 46% | 39% | — | — | — |
| Rasmussen | February 27, 2006 | 47% | 33% | — | — | — |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ted Kulongoski (incumbent) | 699,786 | 50.73% | +1.70% | |
| Republican | Ron Saxton | 589,748 | 42.75% | -3.40% | |
| Constitution | Mary Starrett | 50,229 | 3.64% | ||
| Pacific Green | Joe Keating | 20,030 | 1.45% | ||
| Libertarian | Richard Morley | 16,798 | 1.22% | -3.36% | |
| Write-ins | 2,884 | 0.21% | |||
| Majority | 110,038 | 7.98% | +5.10% | ||
| Turnout | 1,379,475 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Clackamas (largest city: Lake Oswego)
- Marion (largest city: Salem)
- Wasco (largest city: The Dalles)
See also
References
- "Content Manager WebDrawer - 2006 Primary Election Official Results".
- http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060215/NEWS0107/602150347/1001&nav_category=%5B%5D
- "Ben Westlund Withdraws From Oregon Governor's Race". Salem-News.Com.
- "KATU - Portland, Oregon - News - Radio talk show host Mary Starrett to run for governor". Archived from the original on December 14, 2006.
- "2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
- "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- "Content Manager WebDrawer - 2006 General Election Official Results".
- Official campaigns websites