2016 Oregon Secretary of State election
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 County results Precinct resultsRichardson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Avakian: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2016 Oregon Secretary of State election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Oregon Secretary of State. 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.
Republican Dennis Richardson defeated Democrat Brad Avakian to become the first Republican elected to statewide office in Oregon since 2002, and the first to hold this office since 1985. As of 2024, this remains the last statewide election in Oregon won by a Republican.
Candidates
Democratic primary
- Brad Avakian, Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries, former state senator and Representative,[1][2][3] candidate for 2012 Oregon's 1st congressional district special election
- Richard Devlin, state senator and former state representative[1][3][4]
- Val Hoyle, state representative[1][3][5]
Results
Brad Avakian
- 45–50%40–45%35–40%30–35%
Val Hoyle
- 55–60%35–40%30–35%
Devlin–Hoyle tie
- 30–35%
Richard Devlin
- 35–40%30–35%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brad Avakian | 199,214 | 38.94 | |
| Democratic | Val Hoyle | 173,915 | 33.99 | |
| Democratic | Richard Devlin | 134,388 | 26.27 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 4,110 | 0.80 | |
| Total votes | 511,627 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Results
Dennis Richardson
- 85–90%80–85%75–80%60–65%
Sid Leiken
- 50–55%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dennis Richardson | 260,622 | 77.89 | |
| Republican | Sid Leiken | 71,992 | 21.51 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 2,006 | 0.60 | |
| Total votes | 334,620 | 100 | ||
Independent Party primary
- Paul Damian Wells, machinist and perennial candidate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Party | Paul Damian Wells | 16,458 | 65.89 | |
| Independent Party | Write-ins | 8,519 | 34.11 | |
| Total votes | 24,977 | 100 | ||
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)[11][12]
Endorsements
Dennis Richardson
- Betsy Johnson, State Senator (D)[13]
- Brad Witt, State Representative (D)[13]
- Philip D. Lang, former Speaker of the House (D)[14]
- Statesman Journal[15]
- The Oregonian[16]
- News-Register[17]
- The Register-Guard[18]
- East Oregonian[19]
- Willamette Week[20]
- The Daily Astorian[21]
- The Bulletin[22]
- Portland Tribune[23]
- Mail Tribune[24]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin oferror | Brad Avakian (D) | Dennis Richardson (R) | Paul Damian Wells (I) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DHM Research[25] | October 25–29, 2016 | 504 | ± 4.4% | 27% | 32% | 3% | 5%[26] | 28% |
| DHM Research[27] | October 6–13, 2016 | 600 | ± 4% | 29% | 34% | 4% | 8%[28] | 24% |
| iCitizen[29] | September 2–7, 2016 | 610 | ± 4.0% | 29% | 26% | 4% | 5%[30] | 36% |
| Clout Research[31] | July 9–13, 2016 | 701 | ± 3.71% | 36% | 41% | — | — | 12% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dennis Richardson | 903,623 | 47.06% | |
| Democratic | Brad Avakian | 834,529 | 43.47% | |
| Independent Party | Paul Wells | 66,210 | 3.45% | |
| Pacific Green | Alan Zundel | 48,946 | 2.55% | |
| Libertarian | Sharon Durbin | 47,675 | 2.48% | |
| Constitution | Michael Marsh | 15,372 | 0.80% | |
| Write-ins | 3,594 | 0.19% | ||
| Total votes | 1,919,949 | 100% | ||
References
- ^ a b c d "Candidate Filing Search Results – Secretary of State". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (October 6, 2015). "Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian Makes It Official: He's Running for Secretary of State". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Secretary of State candidates due at Dems brunch". Hillsboro Tribune. Hillsboro, Oregon. February 18, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ Times news staff (September 2, 2015). "Tualatin state senator Richard Devlin to run for secretary of state". Tigard-Tualatin Times. Tigard, Oregon. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (October 15, 2015). "Strong Fundraising Buoys Val Hoyle as She Officially Enters Secretary of State Race". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Official Results - May 17, 2016, Primary Election Abstract of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. State of Oregon. May 26, 2016.
- ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (June 29, 2015). "GOP Candidate For Governor Sid Leiken Lowers Sights, Will Run for Secretary of State". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ Friedman, Gordon (October 29, 2015). "Dennis Richardson announces Secretary of State bid". Statesman Journal. Salem, Oregon. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ Anderson, Taylor W. (October 19, 2015). "Dennis Richardson changes tune, mulls run for secretary of state". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ Cooper, Jonathan J. (October 29, 2015). "Dennis Richardson announce run for Oregon secretary of state". The Washington Times. Washington, D.C. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ "Alan Zundel for Oregon Secretary of State". Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "2016 PACIFIC GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES". Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ a b "Two Longtime Democratic Lawmakers Endorse Dennis Richardson, GOP Candidate for Secretary of State". wweek.com. September 30, 2016.
- ^ "Today, I'm incredibly honored to have received the endorsement of Representative Phil Lang, former Democratic..." Twitter. October 4, 2016.
- ^ "Richardson earns our vote for secretary of state". Statesman Journal. October 2, 2016.
- ^ "Dennis Richardson for Oregon secretary of state: Editorial Endorsement 2016". The Oregonian. October 2, 2016.
- ^ "Richardson earns nod for Secretary of state". News-Register. September 23, 2016.
- ^ "Secretary of state: Richardson". The Register-Guard. October 9, 2016.
- ^ "Our view: Richardson for Secretary of State". East Oregonian. October 11, 2016.
- ^ "WW's Fall 2016 Endorsements: State of Oregon". Willamette Week. October 12, 2016.
- ^ "Endorsement: Richardson is best suited for secretary of state". The Daily Astorian. October 14, 2016.
- ^ "Editorial: Dennis Richardson for Secretary of State". The Bulletin. October 14, 2016.
- ^ "Our Endorsement: Richardson's skills, track record shine". Portland Tribune. October 20, 2016.
- ^ "Our View: Richardson for secretary of state". Mail Tribune. October 25, 2016.
- ^ "FOX 12-DHM Poll: Clinton leads Trump in Oregon; Measure 97 trends toward defeat". FOX 12 KPTV.com. November 1, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ 3% for Durbin, 1% for Zundel, 1% for Marsh.
- ^ dhm Research (October 13, 2016). "Oregon Public Broadcasting October State Survey" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ 3% for Durbin, 2% for Zundel, 3% for Marsh.
- ^ icitizen (September 13, 2016). "Oregon Poll Results - September 2016". Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ 2% for Durbin, 2% for Zundel, 1% for Marsh.
- ^ Clout Research (July 27, 2016). "Or Governor Race in Dead Heat; Measure 97 Losing Ground". Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ "Official Results 2016 General Election November 8, 2016". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
