2022 Oregon Commissioner of Labor election

The 2022 Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries election was held on November 8, 2022, in order to elect the Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries. The election was held on a nonpartisan basis. Nevertheless, Christina Stephenson was favored by the Democrats while Cheri Helt was favored by the Republicans.

2022 Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →
 
Nominee Christina Stephenson Cheri Helt
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Popular vote 916,455 582,609
Percentage 60.7% 38.6%

Runoff results by county:
Stephenson:      50–55%      55–60%      60–65%      65–70%      80–85%
Helt:      50–55%      55–60%      60–65%

Commissioner of Labor and Industries before election

Val Hoyle

Elected Commissioner of Labor and Industries

Christina Stephenson

Incumbent Commissioner Val Hoyle did not seek reelection in order to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Christina Stephenson was decisively elected to succeed her in the November runoff, defeating former state representative Cheri Helt.

Primary election

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The primary election was held on May 17, 2022. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, the top two placing candidates advanced to the general election in November.

Candidates

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Prior to the election, Chris Henry withdrew from the race and endorsed Christina Stephenson. However, his name remained on the ballot.[2]

While the position of Labor Commissioner is nonpartisan, Barker, Helt, and Neuman have run for office as Republicans, while Kulla and Stephenson are Democrats. Henry is a member of the Oregon Progressive Party.[3]

Results

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Primary results by county:
Christina Stephenson
  •   65–70%
      55–60%
      50–55%
      45–50%
      40–45%
      35–40%
      30–35%
      25–30%
Cheri Helt
  •   35–40%
      30–35%
      25–30%
Casey Kulla
  •   35–40%
Nonpartisan election primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Christina Stephenson 421,619 47.17%
Nonpartisan Cheri Helt 171,168 19.15%
Nonpartisan Casey Kulla 126,036 14.10%
Nonpartisan Brent Barker 101,576 11.36%
Nonpartisan Robert Neuman 32,331 3.62%
Nonpartisan Chris Henry 22,936 2.57%
Nonpartisan Aaron Baca 14,217 1.59%
Write-in 3,922 0.44%
Total votes 893,805 100.00%

General election

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Campaign

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Although the position is nonpartisan, Stephenson was endorsed by Democratic Party officials, including gubernatorial nominee Tina Kotek and incumbent commissioner Val Hoyle. Helt was endorsed by Republican gubernatorial nominee Christine Drazan and independent gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson.[5]

Results

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General election results[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Christina Stephenson 916,455 60.74%
Nonpartisan Cheri Helt 582,609 38.61%
Write-in 9,826 0.65%
Total votes 1,508,890 100.00%

Runoff results by county

County Christina Stephenson

Democratic

Cheri Helt

Republican

% # % #
Baker 44.31% 2,911 54.96% 3,611
Benton 69.87% 24,969 29.45% 10,526
Clackamas 56.97% 92,011 42.53% 68,692
Clatsop 61.00% 9,077 38.49% 5,728
Columbia 50.99% 11,021 48.21% 10,421
Coos 49.14% 11,580 50.24% 11,841
Crook 35.62% 3,902 63.32% 6,935
Curry 50.90% 4,888 48.39% 4,647
Deschutes 49.16% 44,867 50.45% 46,050
Douglas 45.23% 17,709 53.75% 21,047
Gilliam 44.05% 311 55.67% 393
Grant 39.23% 1,178 59.47% 1,786
Harney 37.87% 1,013 61.20% 1,637
Hood River 68.11% 5,613 31.31% 2,580
Jackson 53.45% 40,637 45.97% 34,954
Jefferson 43.00% 3,410 56.22% 4,458
Josephine 42.53% 13,570 56.74% 18,103
Klamath 39.86% 8,515 59.41% 12,690
Lake 38.58% 1,135 60.40% 1,777
Lane 64.85% 88,088 34.27% 46,549
Lincoln 64.50% 13,389 35.02% 7,270
Linn 46.60% 21,857 52.44% 24,592
Malheur 42.13% 2,946 57.34% 4,010
Marion 54.34% 54,709 44.97% 45,270
Morrow 40.49% 1,264 59.03% 1,843
Multnomah 80.26% 240,296 19.2% 57,487
Polk 54.83% 17,890 44.44% 14,500
Sherman 35.49% 252 64.08% 455
Tillamook 58.31% 6,232 40.79% 4,360
Umatilla 40.13% 7,838 59.37% 11,596
Union 42.39% 4,018 56.86% 5,389
Wallowa 42.08% 1,430 57.24% 1,945
Wasco 53.66% 4,619 45.76% 3,939
Washington 66.45% 132,645 32.85% 65,576
Wheeler 36.57% 207 62.72% 355
Yamhill 50.74% 20,458 48.61% 19,597

By congressional district

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Stephenson won 5 of 6 congressional districts, including one that elected a Republican.[7]

District Stephenson Helt Representative
1st 69% 30% Suzanne Bonamici
2nd 45% 54% Cliff Bentz
3rd 75% 25% Earl Blumenauer
4th 61% 38% Peter DeFazio (117th Congress)
Val Hoyle (118th Congress)
5th 55% 44% Kurt Schrader (117th Congress)
Lori Chavez-DeRemer (118th Congress)
6th 59% 41% Andrea Salinas

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Withycombe, Claire (April 21, 2022). "Election 2022: Meet the candidates for Oregon labor commissioner". The Statesman Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Manning, Rob (May 9, 2022). "Race for Oregon labor commissioner attracts candidates with legal, government experience". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  3. ^ "OR Commissioner of Labor - 2022". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  4. ^ "May 17, 2022, Primary Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. May 17, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  5. ^ "Stephenson wins race to lead Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries". Oregon Public Broadcasting. November 8, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  6. ^ "November 8, 2022, General Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. November 8, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Results. docs.google.com (Report).