2006 Oregon state elections


Oregon's 2006 statewide election included a May 16 primary election and a November 7 general election.
Ten statewide ballot measures were on the November ballot.
The following offices were up for election: Governor, Supreme Court Position 6, and numerous seats in the state legislature, the state Circuit Courts, and the District Attorney's offices.
Offices that were uncontested, or local to various towns, counties, or regions, were also on Oregon ballots. Such races are not listed on this page.

Election process

Both partisan and non-partisan offices were at stake in the 2006 election cycle. Oregon conducts partisan and non-partisan elections differently:
County governments conduct the elections. Immediately after an election, their web sites
are the best place to find accurate election results. The Secretary of State's office posts official results 30 days after an election.

Voter statistics and turnout

According to the , the total estimated population of Oregon as of July 1, 2005 was 3,631,440, of which 2,765,827 were of voting age. Of these, 69,146 were ineligible to vote due to legal impediments, leaving an estimated 2,696,681 Oregonians eligible to vote. 1,976,669 voters were in fact registered for the 2006 election, 73.3% of those estimated eligible, and 70.8% of these registered voters or 1,399,650 voters actually did cast their ballots.

Key: abbreviations of Oregon political parties

U.S. Congress

; All five of Oregon's federal congressional districts in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2006. All incumbents won re-election.
; Neither of Oregon's US Senate seats was up for election in 2006.
Current US Senators for Oregon:
In the bicameral Oregon Legislative Assembly, each of the 30 Senate districts is composed of exactly two House districts.
Detailed district boundaries may be found at the Secretary of State's web site.
Oregon's State House in its entirety comes up for election in even numbered years. All 60 biennially elected seats in the House were up for election. Each seat has a 2-year term with no term limits. The Democrats won in 31 of 60 districts, gaining four seats and control of Oregon's State House for the first time since 1990.
Oregon State Senators serve four-year terms without term limits. Their terms are staggered so that only half of the Senators are up for re-election every two even-numbered years.
The Republicans lost one seat in the State Senate, because Senator Westlund, although not up for election, switched first to non-partisan Independent to challenge for the Governor's seat, then withdrew from that race and re-registered as a Democrat, gaining the Democrats one seat. The Democrats, however, also lost Senator Gordly, who was not up for election either, but she re-registered as a non-partisan Independent. Outside the party changes by these two individual Senators, no other seats in the Senate shifted party as a result of the election, although three incumbents declined to run for various reasons and another lost his primary.
Most races were not strongly contested in the General Election. In 60% of the legislative races, the "underdog" candidate raised less than 25% of the funds his or her opponent raised. Also, in 85% of the 75 legislative races, the winner was the candidate who raised more money.
Candidates for the Oregon Senate and House are listed in the chart below. House districts are listed next to the Senate district to which they belong The counties covered by each Senate district are listed in italics, with if the county extends into other districts. Box colors indicate party affiliation for both incumbents and General Election winners. Names and statistics of General Election winners are also boldfaced.
For primary candidates, see Oregon primary election, 2006.

Results

Candidates (Executive)

Governor

Incumbent Governor Ted Kulongoski won the election.
; Democratic Party
winner in primary:
losers in primary:
; Republican Party
winner in primary:
losers in primary:
; Pacific Green Party
; Constitution Party
; Libertarian Party
; Independent
Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries
winner in primary:
Superintendent of Public Instruction
winner in primary:
loser in primary:
Many judicial positions are not contested. Incumbents are rarely opposed, and when they resign, it is often timed such that the Governor chooses their replacement.
If a judicial position becomes vacant and the Governor declines to make an appointment, it must be filled at the next General Election. If it's not too late to file for a Primary Election, candidates will appear on that ballot in the first round of a runoff election. If there is no Primary before the next General Election, all candidates appear on the General Election ballot, and a plurality vote may determine the winner.

Oregon Supreme Court

Position 2

Incumbent Judge Paul De Muniz sought reelection and was the only candidate to file. He won easily in the primary election against only write-in candidate opposition.

Position 3

Incumbent Judge Robert D. Durham sought reelection and was the only candidate to file. He won easily in the primary election against only write-in candidate opposition.

Position 6

Incumbent Judge Wallace P. Carson, Jr. of Oregon Supreme Court, Position 6, decided to retire after 34 years on the bench. Three candidates entered the race to succeed him:
No candidate received a majority in the primary election, and Linder and Roberts advanced to the general election. Linder won by 51.75 percent of the vote.

Oregon Court of Appeals

Circuit Court

Judge of the Circuit Court, 1st District, Position 5
Judge of the Circuit Court, 1st District, Position 9
Primary:
Runoff:
Judge of the Circuit Court, 2nd District, Position 1
Judge of the Circuit Court, 2nd District, Position 3
Judge of the Circuit Court, 2nd District, Position 9
Judge of the Circuit Court, 2nd District, Position 14
Judge of the Circuit Court, 4th District, Position 4
Judge of the Circuit Court, 4th District, Position 28
Judge of the Circuit Court, 4th District, Position 31
Judge of the Circuit Court, 4th District, Position 37
Judge of the Circuit Court, 6th District, Position 5
Judge of the Circuit Court, 14th District, Position 2
Judge of the Circuit Court, 15th District, Position 3
Judge of the Circuit Court, 16th District, Position 5
Judge of the Circuit Court, 18th District, Position 3
Judge of the Circuit Court, 20th District, Position 6