2006 Oregon gubernatorial election

The 2006 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic Governor of Oregon Ted Kulongoski ran for a second and final term as governor. Kulongoski faced several challengers in his primary, whom he dispatched to win his party's nomination a second time, while Republican nominee Ron Saxton, the former Chair of the Portland Public Schools Board and a candidate for governor in 2002 emerged from a crowded primary. Kulongoski and Saxton were initially going to be challenged in the general election by State Senator Ben Westlund, but Westlund withdrew his candidacy before the general election. There were multiple independent and third party challengers on the ballot as well. In a hard-fought campaign, Kulongoski won re-election by a surprisingly wide margin, winning his second term as governor.

2006 Oregon gubernatorial election

← 2002 November 7, 2006 2010 →

Nominee Ted Kulongoski Ron Saxton Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 699,786 589,748 Percentage 50.73% 42.75%

County results Kulongoski:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Saxton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election Ted Kulongoski Democratic Elected Governor Ted Kulongoski Democratic

As of 2025, this marks the last occasion in which the following counties have voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election: Clackamas, Columbia, Marion, and Wasco.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary results by county:

Ted Kulongoski

•   60–65%
    55–60%
    50–55%
    45–50%
    40–45%

Jim Hill

•   40–45%

Candidates

• Ted Kulongoski, incumbent Governor of Oregon
• Jim Hill, former Oregon State Treasurer, 2002 Democratic candidate for Governor of Oregon
• Peter Sorenson, Lane County Commissioner

Results

Democratic Primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ted Kulongoski (incumbent)	170,944	53.56
	Democratic	Jim Hill	92,439	28.96
	Democratic	Pete Sorenson	51,346	16.09
	Democratic	Write-ins	4,448	1.39
Total votes			319,177	100.00

Republican primary

Republican primary results by county:

Ron Saxton

•   50–55%
    45–50%
    40–45%
    35–40%

Kevin Mannix

•   35–40%
    30–35%

Jason Atkinson

•   45–50%
    35–40%

Candidates

• Ron Saxton, former Chair of the Portland Public Schools Board
• Kevin Mannix, former Oregon State Representative, 2002 Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon
• Jason Atkinson, Oregon State Senator
• W. Ames Curtright
• Gordon Leitch
• William E. Spidal
• David W. Beem
• Bob Leonard Forthan, perennial candidate

Results

Republican primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ron Saxton	125,286	41.69
	Republican	Kevin Mannix	89,553	29.80
	Republican	Jason Atkinson	67,057	22.31
	Republican	W. Ames Curtright	7,414	2.47
	Republican	Gordon Leitch	3,100	1.03
	Republican	William E. Spidal	2,537	0.84
	Republican	David W. Beem	1,659	0.55
	Republican	Bob Leonard Forthan	841	0.28
	Republican	Write-ins	3,107	1.03
Total votes			300,554	100.00

General election

Campaign

As the Democratic and Republican primaries intensified, State Senator Ben Westlund, a registered Republican, announced that he would run for governor as an independent.^[2] Though Westlund gathered the requisite signatures to be able to run, he eventually dropped out of the race in August, noting, "At the beginning of this campaign, I made a commitment to the people of Oregon, that I was in it to win it, and that I absolutely would not play a spoiler role."^[3] Constitution Party nominee Mary Starrett was widely perceived to win votes largely at the expense of Saxton's campaign.^[4]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[5]	Tossup	November 6, 2006
Sabato's Crystal Ball[6]	Tilt D	November 6, 2006
Rothenberg Political Report[7]	Lean D	November 2, 2006
Real Clear Politics[8]	Lean D	November 6, 2006

Polling

Poll source	Date administered	Ted Kulongoski (D)	Ron Saxton (R)	Mary Starrett (C)	Richard Morley (L)	Joe Keating (G)
KATU/Oregonian[9]	October 31, 2006	45%	38%	6%	1%	1%
Rasmussen[10]	October 31, 2006	51%	44%	—	—	—
Riley Research[11]	October 25, 2006	47%	36%	4%	1%	1%
Riley Research[12]	October 3, 2006	37%	39%	2%	1%	1%
Rasmussen[13]	October 1, 2006	47%	42%	—	—	—
Rasmussen[14]	September 25, 2006	47%	38%	—	—	—
Zogby Interactive Poll[15]	September 11, 2006	47%	40%	5%	1%	—
Zogby Interactive Poll[15]	August 28, 2006	50%	44%	—	—	—
Rasmussen[16]	August 22, 2006	49%	35%	—	—	—
Rasmussen[17]	August 3, 2006	45%	35%	—	—	—
Zogby Interactive Poll[15]	July 24, 2006	49%	42%	—	—	—
Zogby Interactive Poll[15]	June 21, 2006	48%	40%	—	—	—
Rasmussen[18]	May 23, 2006	43%	41%	—	—	—
Zogby Interactive Poll[19]	March 22–27, 2006	46%	39%	—	—	—
Rasmussen[20]	February 27, 2006	47%	33%	—	—	—

Results

Oregon gubernatorial election, 2006^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Ted Kulongoski (incumbent)	699,786	50.73%	+1.70%
	Republican	Ron Saxton	589,748	42.75%	−3.40%
	Constitution	Mary Starrett	50,229	3.64%
	Pacific Green	Joe Keating	20,030	1.45%
	Libertarian	Richard Morley	16,798	1.22%	−3.36%
	Write-ins		2,884	0.21%
Majority			110,038	7.98%	+5.10%
Turnout			1,379,475
	Democratic hold		Swing

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Clackamas (largest city: Lake Oswego)
• Marion (largest city: Salem)
• Wasco (largest city: The Dalles)

See also

• Oregon statewide elections, 2006
• 2006 United States gubernatorial elections
• List of Oregon Governors