Oregon gubernatorial election, 2006
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The 2006 gubernatorial election in the U.S. state of Oregon took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat Ted Kulongoski defeated Republican Ron Saxton, winning his bid for a second term as Governor of Oregon.
The race featured hotly-contested primary elections for both the Republican and Democratic parties, a strong but short-lived run by State Senator Ben Westlund (as an independent), and controversy over the legitimacy of Constitution Party candidate Mary Starrett.
[edit] Primary elections
Both the Democratic and Republican primary elections were actively contested.
On the Democratic side, numerous challengers considered running to succeed one-term incumbent Ted Kulongoski. Former Governor John Kitzhaber was discussed widely as a potential challenger, but ultimately declined to run. State Senator Vicki Walker, known for standing up to powerful utilities, also considered a run.[1] Former Treasurer and legislator Jim Hill and former state Senator and Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson ended up running against Kulongoski in the May primary election, which Kulongoski won.
A wide field of Republicans emerged to challenge Kulongoski. 2004 nominee, and party chairman Kevin Mannix was an early favorite. It was widely believed that a highly conservative candidate like Mannix (who has based much of his career on strong advocacy of victims' rights and other conservative social issues) faced an uphill battle in a left-leaning state. State Senator Jason Atkinson won strong support as a relative newcomer, but ultimately 2004 contender Ron Saxton - who had been widely regarded in 2004 as the most moderate Republican contender - emerged with the nomination.
State Senator Ben Westlund, formerly a Republican, dropped his party affiliation to run as an independent candidate. He built a strong campaign, likely gathering enough signatures to qualify for the General Election, but ultimately declined to do so (citing his desire not to run as a "spoiler".)
Three minor parties - Constitution, Green, and Libertarian - also nominated candidates for the November election.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, who opposed a Columbia Gorge casino, spent over $800,000 in the Democratic and Republican primary races, opposing Kulongoski and Mannix.[2]
[edit] Polling
[edit] Democratic primary
| Poll Source |
Date Administered |
Ted Kulongoski |
Jim Hill |
Pete Sorenson |
| Oregonian |
May 16, 2006 |
54.37% |
29.37% |
16.27% |
[edit] Republican primary
| Poll Source |
Date Administered |
Ron Saxton |
Kevin Mannix |
Jason Atkinson |
| Oregonian |
May 16, 2006 |
42.17% |
30.05% |
22.56% |
[edit] General Election Candidates
- Democratic Party
- Ted Kulongoski - Incumbent Governor [3]
- Republican Party
- Ron Saxton - Ex-Portland Public School Board Member, Attorney, and 2002 Gubernatorial Candidate [4]
- Constitution Party
- Mary Starrett - Ex radio & talk show host.
- Pacific Green Party
- Joe Keating - Ex director of the Oregon Wildlife Federation, chair of the Oregon Sierra Club from 1999 to 2000
- Libertarian Party
- Richard Morley
[edit] Election results
Results by county:
Kulongoski
Saxton
[edit] Outlook and opinion polling
Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski won a three-candidate primary with 54%, and faced a tough general election against moderate former Portland School Board member Ron Saxton. As of September 21, 2006, Kulongoski's approval rating was 36% according to a poll done by SurveyUSA.[5]
The plus side for Kulongoski is that former moderate Republican-turned-Independent candidate Ben Westlund withdrew from the race for governor on August 10, 2006, explaining that he did not want to be a spoiler [6]; and that Constitution Party candidate Mary Starrett was expected to take votes primarily away from Republican nominee Saxton. CQPolitics quoted Oregon State University political science professor Bill Lunch as explaining: "I think we’re ... likely to see 5-to-6 or 7-to-8 percent from Starrett. Even so, those numbers come right out of Saxton’s hide." [7]
| Poll Source |
Date Administered |
Kulongoski (D) |
Saxton (R) |
Starrett (C) |
Morley (L) |
Keating (G) |
| KATU/Oregonian |
October 31, 2006 |
45% |
38% |
6% |
1% |
1% |
| Rasmussen |
October 31, 2006 |
51% |
44% |
— |
— |
— |
| Riley Research |
October 25, 2006 |
47% |
36% |
4% |
1% |
1% |
| Riley Research |
October 3, 2006 |
37% |
39% |
2% |
1% |
1% |
| Rasmussen |
October 1, 2006 |
47% |
42% |
— |
— |
— |
| Rasmussen |
September 25, 2006 |
47% |
38% |
— |
— |
— |
| Zogby Interactive Poll |
September 11, 2006 |
47.0% |
39.8% |
4.5% |
1.2% |
— |
| Zogby Interactive Poll |
August 28, 2006 |
49.9% |
43.5% |
— |
— |
— |
| Rasmussen |
August 22, 2006 |
49% |
35% |
— |
— |
— |
| Rasmussen |
August 3, 2006 |
45% |
35% |
— |
— |
— |
| Zogby Interactive Poll |
July 24, 2006 |
49.0% |
42.2% |
— |
— |
— |
| Zogby Interactive Poll |
June 21, 2006 |
47.6% |
40.1% |
— |
— |
— |
| Rasmussen |
May 23, 2006 |
43% |
41% |
— |
— |
— |
| Zogby Interactive Poll |
March 22-27, 2006 |
46% |
38.8% |
— |
— |
— |
| Rasmussen |
February 27, 2006 |
47% |
33% |
— |
— |
— |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
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