Tina Kotek dominated the 15-candidate field for the Democratic nomination for governor, and Christine Drazan widened her lead over Bob Tiernan in the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary.
Kotek, a former Oregon House speaker from Portland, was winning handily over state Treasurer Tobias Read of Beaverton for the office being vacated by Democrat Kate Brown, who cannot run again because of term limits. Kotek was leading with 56%, Read 32%, Patrick Starnes, the 2018 Independent Party nominee who ran as a Democrat this time, with 2%, and others trailing as of early Wednesday.
Stephenson on top for race for Oregon State Labor Commissioner
The Portland lawyer easily edges out rivals but is just shy of 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff
Portland labor lawyer Christina Stephenson has a big lead, but maybe not big enough to avoid a fall runoff, in the race for commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries, according election returns updated Wednesday morning.
Stephenson had 46.9% of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with former Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, in second with 19.5%. Yamhill County Commissioner Casey Kulla, a Democrat, was third with just over 14.1% of the vote in early returns.
If a candidate gets over 50% of the vote, they win. If not, the top two will face a run-off in November.
Salinas, Erickson hold leads in new 6th Congressional District
Democrat Andrea Salinas and Republican Mike Erickson appear to have won their party nominations for Oregon’s new 6th District seat in the U.S. House.
Salinas, a state representative from Lake Oswego since 2017, was ahead of Carrick Flynn in the field of nine Democrats.
According to results updated Wednesday morning by the Oregon Elections Division, Salinas was drawing about 38%, Flynn 19%, Cody Reynolds of Tualatin 12%, and former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith, 10%, with others trailing.
Rep. Schrader trailing in bid to retain congressional seat
Delays in reporting of votes in Clackamas County added an air of uncertainty returns in key May 17 congressional races.
An attempt to topple U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader in the Democratic primary for the 5th Congressional District appeared to be succeeding, based on updated results Wednesday morning.
On the Republican side, former Happy Valley Mayor Lori Chavez-DeRemer is the apparent nominee, with 42% of the vote in a crowded field.
For Democrats, Central Oregon attorney Jamie McLeod-Skinner was leading the one-on-one primary against Schrader, with 61% of the vote.
But early vote totals were heavily weighted toward Deschutes, Linn and Multnomah counties, while a printing glitch slowed return from populous Clackamas County, home to Schrader, who was pulling a majority of the few votes that had been counted as of Wednesday morning.
Salinas leads in 6th district
The slow ballot count from Clackamas County also put in question the early lead of Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego, atop the returns of the crowded Democratic primary for the new 6th Congressional District.
Salinas, a leader in the 2022 redistricting approved by the Legislature last year, had 38% of the vote Wednesday morning. Carrick Flynn, her closest challenger, had 19%.
Mike Erickson of Lake Oswego, who won Republican nominations for Congress in 2006 and 2008, was leading the GOP race in the 6th Congressional District, with 34% of the vote. He fueled his first bid in 14 years by loaning his own campaign $640,000.
Rep. Ron Noble of McMinnville was second, at 20%.
OFFICE SERVICES AVAILABLE: Copying, Scanning, Emailing & Faxing Services are now available at The Herald’s office in Oakridge.
