Presidential election
Oregon, which has consistently supported the Democratic Party in previous presidential elections, was not among the swing states this year. Although fewer than in previous years, many Oregonians were still keen to cast their ballots.
For Oregon elections to achieve the turnout levels saw in the previous two presidential elections, a significant surge of 700,000 or more ballots would have to be received Tuesday and beyond.
By the day before the November 2020 election, the state’s voter turnout had risen to 73% and then to 82%. Former Vice President Joe Biden carried Oregon 56.64% of the vote that year, compared to 40.25% for then-President Donald Trump.
MORE: Real-time election results in Oregon
MORE: Real-time coverage of local, state, and national races
MORE: A preview of Oregon’s general election
U.S. House of Representatives
Voters in the Portland region cast ballots in two of the most competitive congressional elections this year.
Oregon Congressional District 5
Four-term Democrat Janelle Bynum defeated first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemerin in a fierce contest that the Cook Political Report had deemed a tie.
It wasn’t until Thursday night that the outcome of the close contest was known, as the election revealed that the incumbent had no realistic chance of overtaking Bynum’s 48% to 45% lead.
District 5 extends from Bend to Southeast Portland. Of the 530,000 registered voters in the district as of August, roughly 31% were Democrats and roughly 27% were Republicans.
Washington Congressional District 3
In the contest to represent southwest Washington in Congress, Democratic U.S. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, in her first term, defeated Republican Joe Kent.
Election authorities in Washington said Gluesenkamp Perez was ahead by 51.3% to 48.3%, or 11,000 votes, as of Thursday, Nov. 7.
In the 2022 election for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes the southwestern portion of the state, Gluesenkamp Perez defended her seat against Republican Joe Kent, who was endorsed by Trump.
Other Oregon congressional races
In a rematch of their 2022 contest, Democratic U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas defeated businessman Mike Erickson in the 6th Congressional District.
After successfully defending her seat in the 4th District against Air Force veteran Monique DeSpain, Democratic U.S. Representative Val Hoyle was re-elected.
In the 3rd District, Democratic state representative Maxine Dexter defeated retiring U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer.
Other statewide races
In Tuesday’s election, Oregon elected a new treasurer, attorney general, and secretary of state.
Those statewide posts have long been held by Democrats. Voters have only chosen one Republican to be secretary of state since 1985. Since 1993, Republicans have not been elected to the positions of attorney general or treasurer of the state.
Attorney General
In one of the most difficult statewide contests of the year, former Democratic Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield defeated Will Lathrop, a former assistant district attorney in Marion and Yamhill counties, to succeed Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.
As of mid-August, Rayfield had a modest lead in money, with both candidates having raised about $1 million for their campaigns.
Oregon Secretary of State
Beatty state senator Dennis Linthicum, who was disqualified from running for reelection to the Senate after taking part in a 2023 walkout, lost to Democratic state treasurer Tobias Read.
Both candidates stated that they would approach the job, which has seen significant turnover and heightened public scrutiny in recent years, in quite different ways.
Oregon Treasurer
Republican Senator Brian Boquist, who was likewise disqualified from running for reelection in the Senate after taking part in the 2023 walkout, lost to Democratic state Senator Elizabeth Steiner.
State measures
This November, voters in Oregon made decisions on five statewide propositions.
By amending the state Constitution, Measure 115 would enable the Oregon Legislature to remove elected officials from office, including the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, and labor commissioner, with a two-thirds majority in each chamber.The bill was approved.
MORE: Only in Oregon are state officials immune from impeachment by lawmakers. With Measure 115, will voters alter that?
The governor, state lawmakers, judges, district attorneys, and other elected officials would have had their pay set by an independent compensation commission under Measure 116, which was defeated.
MORE: Voters in Oregon will determine whether state elected officials’ wages should be established by an independent committee.
Single-winner ranked-choice voting would have been used for upcoming federal and state elections under Measure 117, which was defeated. As of right now, only two states have fully adopted that system: Maine and Alaska.Concerns over the ranked-choice voting measure’s cost have been voiced by 16 county clerks in Oregon.
Measure 118 is the most controversial of all the statewide measures.The proposal would increase corporation taxes to provide an estimated $1,600 annually to all Oregonians.
Advocates claimed that it would force big businesses to pay their fair share of taxes and lessen the financial strain on low-income Oregonians. Both Republicans and Democrats, however, have fiercely opposed the idea.The measure was defeated by the electorate.
The recently enacted Measure 119 would mandate that cannabis business owners permit their employees to form unions without hindrance.
MORE: Voters in Oregon will determine whether to allow cannabis workers to form unions.
City of Hillsboro
Voters in Hillsboro rejected the addition of fluoride to the public water system, citing concerns about the mineral’s potential to harm children’s brain development despite its widespread usage to improve tooth enamel.
MORE: Voters in Hillsboro will advise the city on whether to fluoridate the water supply.
Portland City Council and Mayor
In a historic election that will drastically alter the political and governmental power structures in the most populous city in Oregon, Portland voters chose a new mayor and twelve members of the City Council.
Voters accepted the redesign in 2022, and the 2024 election follows two years later.
MORE: There will soon be significant changes to the way Portland chooses its mayor. These are the benefits and drawbacks.
Keith Wilson was elected mayor of Portland by voters utilizing a popular single-winner ranked-choice voting method that has been used in over 40 American cities.
But Multnomah County election officials estimate as many as 53% of ballots across the county may be left to be tallied. Therefore, the outcome of the campaign is far from definite, and incumbent Portland city commissioner Carmen Rubio, the front-runner, cannot be ruled out.
MORE:Portland enters uncharted territory with first-in-nation City Council election system
Portland residents will elect 12 members to the City Council, representing four sizable geographic districts, as opposed to five.The winners are as follows:
First District
Candace Avalos
Dunphy, Jamie
Loretta Smith
District 2
Sameer Kanal
Elana Pirtle-Guiney
Dan Ryan
District 3
Tiffany Koyama Lane
Angelita Morillo
Steve Novick
District 4
Oliva Clark
Mitch Green
Eric Zimmerman
MORE:See the new City Council district boundaries
Multnomah County Board of Commissioners
Nonprofit policy director Meghan Moyerwon theDistrict 1seat on the Multnomah County Board of Commissionersto represent Portland s westside, defeating administrative law judge Vadim Mozyrsky.
Partial results tallied as of 8 p.m. showed Moyer with 57% of the vote to Mozyrsky s 42%. But county officials estimate as many as 46% of countywide ballots may be left to be tallied.
In District 2, Shannon Singleton, a trained social worker and former head of the Portland-Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services, defeatedformer Portland Mayor Sam Adams. The county district spans North and Northeast Portland.
Singleton had captured 53% ofthe voteto Adams 46%, preliminary results tallied at 8 p.m. Tuesday showed.
Clackamas County Board of Commissioners
Incumbent Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smithlost her bidto keep her seat in a runoff against former Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts.
In the May primary, Roberts received more votes than Smith but failed to reach more than 50% to win the chair seat outright. The race ended up looking different with a much higher turnout expected in the 2024 general election than in the primary.
Small business owner Melissa Fireside beatthe embattled incumbent Clackamas County CommissionerMark Shull.
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