OREGON GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION, 2006

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.

Contents
Primary elections
General Election Candidates
Election results
Outlook and opinion polling
References
External links
See also

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.
'Democratic Primary'
Source Date Ted Kulongoski Jim Hill Pete Sorenson
Oregonian May 16, 2006 '54.37%' 29.37% 16.27%

'Republican Primary'
Source Date Ron Saxton Kevin Mannix Jason Atkinson
Oregonian May 16, 2006 '42.17%' 30.05% 22.56%

General Election Candidates


;Democratic Party:Ted Kulongoski - Incumbent Governor [2]
;Republican Party:Ron Saxton - Ex-Portland Public School Board Member, Attorney, and 2002 Gubernatorial Candidate [3]
;Constitution Party:Mary Starrett - Ex radio & talk show host.
;Pacific Green Party:Joe Keating
;Libertarian Party:Richard Morley

Election results


Election results by county.

Outlook and opinion polling


Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski won a three-candidate primary with 54%, and he faces 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.[4]
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 [5]; 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." [6]
Source Date 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%

References


1. Walker puts decision on hold David Steves
2. Kulongoski In For 2006 Race, Shakes Up Staff Colin Fogarty
3. http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8923RAO0.html
4. http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/50StateGovernor060921State.htm
5. Ben Westlund Withdraws From Oregon Governor's Race
6. Opposite Outcomes for Outsiders a Boon for Oregon’s Kulongoski

External links



Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division

Oregonian Voter Guide

Joe Keating for Governor

Ted Kulongoski for Governor

Rox Saxton for Governor

Mary Starrett for Governor

See also



Oregon statewide elections, 2006

U.S. gubernatorial elections, 2006

List of Oregon Governors

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