2022 Oregon Gubernatorial Election
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The 2022 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the
governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...
. Incumbent
Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 38th governor of Oregon from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th distr ...
took office when fellow Democrat John Kitzhaber resigned on February 18, 2015. She won the subsequent
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
special election and a full term in
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
. Due to term limits, she was unable to run again in 2022. ''
The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...
'' anticipated the election to have "the first competitive Democratic primary in more than a decade and potentially the closest such race since 2002." ''
Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history '' ...
'' anticipated a "wide open field of Democrats", citing the lack of an incumbent. Almost 20 Republican Party candidates ran for the office, including two previous nominees for governor in
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
and
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, as well as 15 Democrats and some non-affiliates/third-party members. This was the state's first gubernatorial election since 2002 in which there was no current or former governor on the ballot. In the May 17 primary elections, former Oregon House Speaker
Tina Kotek Christine Kotek ( ; born September 30, 1966) is an American politician serving as the 39th governor of Oregon since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Kotek served eight terms as the state representative from the 44th district in the Ore ...
was declared the winner of the Democratic primary half an hour after the ballot deadline. The next day, former House Minority Leader
Christine Drazan Christine Renee Drazan ( Deboy; born May 28, 1972) is an American politician who serves in the Oregon House of Representatives from the 51st district as a member of the Republican Party. She served from the 39th district from 2019 to 2022, befo ...
was determined to have won the Republican primary. Notably, the general election featured three prominent female candidates, including former state senator
Betsy Johnson Elizabeth Katharine "Betsy" Johnson (born January 12, 1951) is an American aviator, entrepreneur, and politician who served in the Oregon House of Representatives from the 1st and 31st House districts from 2001 to 2005, and in the Oregon Senat ...
, who was a moderate Democrat, running as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
. Oregon was considered a possible Republican pickup, as Kate Brown had the lowest approval rating of any governor in the United States at the time and Johnson could have siphoned votes from Kotek. Nonetheless, Kotek narrowly won the election, becoming Oregon's 7th consecutive Democratic governor. Notably, all of Oregon's county results in this election matched the county results of 2016 and 2018 for this Governor election. She became one of the first lesbian governors in the United States, along with
Maura Healey Maura Tracy Healey (born February 8, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 73rd governor of Massachusetts since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served as Massachusetts Attorney Ge ...
, who was elected Governor of Massachusetts the same day.


Democratic primary


Candidates


Nominee

*
Tina Kotek Christine Kotek ( ; born September 30, 1966) is an American politician serving as the 39th governor of Oregon since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Kotek served eight terms as the state representative from the 44th district in the Ore ...
, former
speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives #REDIRECT List of speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives #REDIRECT List of speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives {{R from other capitalisation ...
{{R from other capitalisation ...
(2013–2022)


Eliminated in primary

*David Beem, former member of the Oregon Disabilities Commission *Julian Bell, critical care and pulmonary medicine specialist and candidate for governor in
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
*Wilson Bright, retired textile company operator *George Carrillo, program manager at the Oregon Health Authority and
Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...
veteran *Michael Cross, software designer, commercial driver, and Republican nominee for Oregon attorney general in
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
*Ifeanyichukwu Diru, farmer and candidate for governor in
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
*Peter Hall, Haines city councilor and member of the Board of Directors of the League of Oregon Cities *Keisha Merchant, artist and creative designer *
Tobias Read Tobias Read (born July 1, 1975) is an American politician who is currently serving as the 30th Oregon Secretary of State since 2025. As a member of the Democratic Party he served as the 29th Oregon State Treasurer from 2017 to 2025. Before that, ...
,
Oregon state treasurer The Oregon state treasurer is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, elected by statewide vote to serve a four-year term. As chief financial officer for the state, the office holder head ...
''(endorsed Kotek in general election)'' *Patrick Starnes, former
Independent Party of Oregon The Independent Party of Oregon (IPO) is a centrist political party in the U.S. state of Oregon with more than 140,000 registrants since its inception in January 2007. The IPO is Oregon's third-largest political party and the first political party ...
candidate for governor (2018) *David Stauffer, environmental inventor and
perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates are most common where there is no limit on the number of times that a person can run for office and little cost ...
*John Sweeney, owner of Canary Castle Gallery *Michael Trimble,
cyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
and disability advocate *Genevieve Wilson, independent contractor


Disqualified

*
Nicholas Kristof Nicholas Donabet Kristof (born April 27, 1959) is an American journalist and political commentator. A winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, he is a regular CNN contributor and an op-ed columnist for ''The New York Times''. Born in Chicago, Kristof wa ...
, author and
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning journalist at ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' ''(found to not meet residency requirements by the Secretary of State's office and Oregon Supreme Court; endorsed Kotek in general election)''


Withdrew

* Casey Kulla, Yamhill County commissioner ('' running for labor commissioner'') * David Lavinsky, businessman * Nico Pucci, Oregon Health Authority operations and policy analyst * Peter Winter, non-profit project manager


Declined

* Rukaiyah Adams, chief investment officer of the Meyer Memorial Trust *Julia Brim-Edwards, member of the Portland Public School Board *
Shemia Fagan Shemia Patricia Fagan (born September 20, 1981) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Oregon secretary of state from 2021 to 2023. She previously served as a Democratic member of the Oregon Senate, representing Senate District ...
,
Oregon secretary of state The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in the line of succession to the List of Governors of Oregon, governor. The duties of the offi ...
*
Val Hoyle Valerie Anne Hoyle (née Toomey; born February 14, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2023. Until 2023, she served as the commissioner of Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) (commonly called ...
, Oregon labor commissioner ''( running for the U.S. House)'' * Deborah Kafoury, chair of the
Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...
Commission and former state representative from the 18th and 43rd districts (''endorsed Kotek'') * Lynn Peterson, president of the Portland Metro Council (''endorsed Kotek'') *
Ellen Rosenblum Ellen F. Rosenblum (born January 6, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 17th Oregon Attorney General from June 2012 to December 2024. She is the first female state attorney general in Oregon's history, and previously wa ...
,
Oregon attorney general The Oregon attorney general is a statutory officer within the executive branch of the U.S. state, state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Oregon Department of Justice, Department of Justice with its six op ...
''(endorsed Kotek in general election)'' *Melissa Unger, executive director of
Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing 2 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of m ...
Oregon chapter *
Ted Wheeler Edward Tevis Wheeler (born August 31, 1962) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 53rd mayor of Portland, Oregon, from 2017 to 2025. A moderate member of the Democratic Party, Wheeler served as the state treasurer of Ore ...
, mayor of Portland and former Oregon state treasurer


Debates


Endorsements


Polling


Results


Republican primary


Candidates


Nominee

*
Christine Drazan Christine Renee Drazan ( Deboy; born May 28, 1972) is an American politician who serves in the Oregon House of Representatives from the 51st district as a member of the Republican Party. She served from the 39th district from 2019 to 2022, befo ...
, former minority leader of the
Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...
(2019–2021) and state representative from the 39th district (2019–2022)


Eliminated in primary

* Raymond Baldwin, general contractor * Bridget Barton, political consultant for Third Century Solutions ''(endorsed Johnson in general election)'' * Court Boice, Curry County chair ''(endorsed Drazan in general election)'' *David Burch *Jessica Gomez, member of the Business Oregon Commission and
Oregon Institute of Technology The Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) is a public college in Oregon with a residential campus in Klamath Falls, Oregon, an urban campus in Wilsonville, Oregon, and additional locations in Salem, Oregon, Salem and Seattle. Almost all s ...
Board of Trustees *Nick Hess, CEO and entrepreneur *Tim McCloud, business development analyst *
Kerry McQuisten Kerry McQuisten is an American politician and business owner. She served as a member of the city council of Baker City, Oregon, from 2021-2023. She ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Oregon in 2022 and has done work with the conservative voter a ...
, mayor of Baker City *Brandon Merritt, business development manager *
Bud Pierce William C. "Bud" Pierce (born October 3, 1956) is an American physician and politician. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon in the 2016 special election. Early life and career Pierce was born in Germany and raised in Riverside ...
, oncologist and nominee for governor in
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
''(endorsed Drazan in general election)'' * John Presco, president of Royal Rosamond Press *Stan Pulliam, mayor of
Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (Iranian music band), Iranian singer, comp ...
''(endorsed Drazan in general election)'' *Amber Richardson, chiropractor *
Bill Sizemore Bill Sizemore (born June 2, 1951) is an American political activist and writer in Redmond, Oregon, United States. Sizemore has never held elected office, but has nonetheless been a major political figure in Oregon since the 1990s. He is considered ...
, general contractor, tax-reduction advocate, candidate for governor in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, and nominee in
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
*Stefan Galen Strek, painter and graphic design artist *Marc Thielman, former Alsea School District superintendent *
Bob Tiernan Bob Tiernan (born May 24, 1955) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Oregon House of Representatives from January 1993 to January 1997, representing Oregon's 24th House district, in the earl ...
, former state representative from the 24th district (1993–1997) and former chair of the
Oregon Republican Party The Oregon Republican Party is the U.S. state, state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party in Oregon, headquartered in Salem, Oregon, Salem. The party was established in the Oregon Territory in Februar ...
(2009–2011)


Withdrew

* Angelique Bouvier, psychologist and business owner *Reed Christensen, former electrical engineer * Mark Duncan, fight instructor * John L. Fosdick III, customer service representative,
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
veteran * Darin Harbick, businessman ('' running for U.S. Senate)'' * Jim Huggins, film producer, businessman and
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
veteran (''endorsed McQuisten)'' * Alexander Males,
polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...
manufacturing worker * Monte Sauer Jr., CEO of AmericaProud


Declined

*
Knute Buehler Knute Carl Buehler (born August 1, 1964) is an American physician and politician who served as the Oregon State Representative for the 54th district from 2015 until January 2019. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon in the 201 ...
, former state representative from the 54th district (2015–2019), nominee for Secretary of State in
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, and nominee for governor in
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
(''endorsed Johnson'') * Dallas Heard, state senator from the 1st district and former chair of the
Oregon Republican Party The Oregon Republican Party is the U.S. state, state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party in Oregon, headquartered in Salem, Oregon, Salem. The party was established in the Oregon Territory in Februar ...
''(endorsed Drazan in general election)'' *
Tim Knopp Tim Knopp (born September 30, 1965) is an American politician and businessman who served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the Oregon House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005, and the Oregon State Senate from 2013 to 2025. A mem ...
, minority leader of the
Oregon Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...
from the 27th district *
Dennis Linthicum Dennis Linthicum (born 1956) is an American politician who served in the Oregon Senate from 2017 until 2025. He is a member of the Republican Party. Early life and career Linthicum graduated with a bachelors in economics from University of Cali ...
, state senator from the 28th district ''(endorsed Drazan in general election)'' *
Julie Parrish Julie Parrish (born Ruby Joyce Wilbar; October 21, 1940 – October 1, 2003) was an American actress. Early life Parrish was born Ruby Joyce Wilbar on October 21, 1940, in Middlesboro, Kentucky, to William Robert "Bob" Wilbar and Gladys Wilbar ...
, former state representative from the 37th district (2011–2019) * Bill Post, former state representative from the 25th district (2015–2021) (''ineligible due to out-of-state residency'') * Tootie Smith,
Clackamas County Clackamas County ( ) is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the na ...
chair and former state representative from the 18th and 28th districts (2001–2003) ''(endorsed Drazan in general election)''


Debates


Endorsements


Polling


Results


Independents and other parties


Candidates


Candidates for general election

*
Betsy Johnson Elizabeth Katharine "Betsy" Johnson (born January 12, 1951) is an American aviator, entrepreneur, and politician who served in the Oregon House of Representatives from the 1st and 31st House districts from 2001 to 2005, and in the Oregon Senat ...
, former Democratic state senator from Oregon's 16th Senate district (non-affiliated) *R. Leon Noble ( Libertarian Party) *Donice Noelle Smith,
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
veteran and talk show host ( Constitution Party)


Withdrew

* Nathalie Paravicini, naturopathic doctor (
Pacific Green Party The Pacific Green Party of Oregon (PGP) is a left-wing political party in the U.S. state of Oregon, recognized by the Oregon Secretary of State. It is affiliated with the Green Party of the United States. The party has occasionally elected candid ...
and
Oregon Progressive Party The Oregon Progressive Party (OPP) is a progressive political party in Oregon. OPP formed in 2007 as the Oregon Peace Party. OPP supports economic justice, environmental justice, and grassroots democracy. OPP and other state progressive parti ...
) ''(endorsed Kotek)''


Failed to qualify for general election

In order to be listed as candidates on the general election ballot, non-affiliated candidates for governor needed to collect 23,744 signatures from Oregon voters (1% of votes cast for president in the 2020 election). * Tim Harrold, security expert (non-affiliated) *Dustin Watkins, dishwasher (non-affiliated)


Not nominated

*Kevin Levy, real estate broker ( Independent Party) *Paul Romero, refrigeration repair technician, Republican candidate for
Oregon's 2nd congressional district Oregon's 2nd congressional district is the largest of Oregon's Oregon's congressional districts, six districts, and is the List of United States congressional districts, seventh largest district in the nation. It is the second-largest congressi ...
in
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
and
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
(Constitution Party)


General election


Predictions


Debates


Post-primary endorsements


Polling

Aggregate polls
Graphical summary
Tina Kotek vs. Christine Drazan
Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican vs. Betsy Johnson
Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican
Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican vs. generic independent


Results


By county

Note: In Gilliam County, where Kotek placed behind Johnson, the margin of difference is the Drazan vote minus the Johnson vote.


By congressional district

Kotek won 3 of 6 congressional districts, with the remaining 3 going to Drazan, including one that elected a Democrat.


See also

*
2022 Oregon elections A general election was held in the U.S. state of Oregon on November 8, 2022. Primary elections were held on May 17, 2022. Federal United States Senate Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic senator Ron Wyden won re-elect ...
*
2022 United States gubernatorial elections United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 8, 2022, in 36 states and three territories. As most governors serve four-year terms, the last regular gubernatorial elections for all but two of the seats took place in 2018 United St ...


Notes

Partisan clients


References


External links

Official campaign websites
Christine Drazan (R) for Governor

Betsy Johnson (I) for Governor

Tina Kotek (D) for Governor

R. Leon Noble (L) for Governor

Donice Noelle Smith (C) for Governor
{{Notable third party performances in United States elections 2022 Oregon elections
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
November 2022 in the United States