With Governor Kate Brown’s time in office wrapping up thanks to term limits, there are dozens of hopeful politicians – Democrat and Republican alike – seeking to place themselves as head of state.
The 2022 Oregon Primary Election deadline passed on March 10, and 20 Republicans and 15 Democrats have officially filed and entered the running. This is the largest number of candidates to run for governor since 1910.
Even more surprising is that between 1910 and 2018, Oregon has never seen over a dozen candidates running for the position in either party.
Many Republican candidates are promising parents more say on what’s taught in schools, stronger support for law enforcement, and minimal taxes on small businesses. Meanwhile, Democratic candidates are aiming to expand healthcare, confront climate change, and encourage criminal justice reform.
The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office said in 2018 that at least 5% of eligible voters in the state were registered members of the Independent Party of Oregon, so gubernatorial candidates from the party appeared on that year’s ballot.
However, in 2022, the situation is different. Independent Party voters make up less than 5% of Oregon voters, which will prevent their candidates from appearing on the primary election ballot.
Below you can find a list of the candidates for both parties that are running:
Democrats:
- David Beem
- Julian Bell
- Wilson Bright
- George Carrillo
- Michael Cross
- Ifeanyichukwu Diru
- Peter W. Hall
- Tina Kotek
- Keisha Lanell Merchant
- Tobias Read
- Patrick Starnes
- David Stauffer
- John Sweeney
- Michael Trimble
- Genevieve Wilson
Republicans:
- Raymond Baldwin
- Bridget Barton
- Court Boice
- David A. Burch
- Christine Drazan
- Reed Christensen
- Jessica Gomez
- Nick Hess
- Tim McCloud
- Kerry McQuisten
- Brandon Merritt
- William (Bud) Pierce
- John Presco
- Stan Pulliam
- Amber Richardson
- Paul Romero
- Bill Sizemore
- Stefan Strek
- Marc Thielman
- Bob Tierman
Add to all of this, three Republicans and four Democrats have either withdrawn or been disqualified, and one candidate, Betsy Johnson, is running unaffiliated.
By Ethan Hauck
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