2006 Oregon gubernatorial election
November 7, 2006
 
Nominee Ted Kulongoski Ron Saxton
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 699,786 589,748
Percentage 50.7% 42.8%
County results

Kulongoski:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Saxton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Governor before election

Ted Kulongoski
Democratic

 Elected Governor

Ted Kulongoski
Democratic

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.

As of 2023, 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

Results

Democratic Primary results[1]
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
Democratic primary results by county:
  Kulongoski—60–70%
  Kulongoski—50–60%
  Kulongoski—40–50%
  Hill—40–50%

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary results[1]
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

Oregon gubernatorial election, 2006[9]
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

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Content Manager WebDrawer - 2006 Primary Election Official Results".
  2. ↑ http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060215/NEWS0107/602150347/1001&nav_category=%5B%5D
  3. ↑ "Ben Westlund Withdraws From Oregon Governor's Race". Salem-News.Com.
  4. ↑ "KATU - Portland, Oregon - News - Radio talk show host Mary Starrett to run for governor". Archived from the original on December 14, 2006.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  7. ↑ "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Content Manager WebDrawer - 2006 General Election Official Results".
Official campaigns websites
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