2020 Oregon Secretary of State election

See also: 2020 United States secretary of state elections

2020 Oregon Secretary of State election

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Nominee Shemia Fagan Kim Thatcher Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,146,370 984,587 Percentage 50.3% 43.2%

County results Congressional district results Precinct results Fagan:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Thatcher:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Tie:     40–50%     50%     No data

Secretary of State before election Bev Clarno Republican Elected Secretary of State Shemia Fagan Democratic

The 2020 Oregon Secretary of State election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the Oregon Secretary of State, the highest office in the state after the governor. Incumbent Republican Bev Clarno had agreed not to run for a full term. ^[1] Clarno was appointed by Governor Kate Brown to replace Dennis Richardson, who died of cancer during his term. ^{[2] [3]}

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Dave Stuaffer, environmental engineer, candidate for governor of Oregon in 2016 (as a Democrat) and in 2018 (as a Republican) ^[4]
• Kim Thatcher, state senator for Oregon's 13th Senate district ^[5]

Declined

• Rich Vial, former state representative for Oregon's 26th House district and former deputy Secretary of State ^[6]

Endorsements

Kim Thatcher

Organizations

• NRA Political Victory Fund ^[7]
• Oregon Business and Industry
• Oregon Firearms Federation
• Oregon National Federation of Independent Business

Newspapers

• The Bulletin ^[8]

Results

Republican primary results ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kim Thatcher	312,296	85.62%
	Republican	Dave Stauffer	48,839	13.39%
	Write-in		3,625	0.99%
Total votes			364,760	100.0%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Shemia Fagan, state senator for Oregon's 24th Senate district ^[10]
• Mark Hass, state senator for Oregon's 14th Senate district ^{[11] [12] [13] [14]}
• Jamie McLeod-Skinner, environmental attorney and nominee for Oregon's 2nd congressional district in 2018 ^{[11] [12] [13] [14]}

Withdrawn

• Jamie Morrison (withdrew candidacy effective February 28, 2020, to run for District 18 in the Oregon House of Representatives) ^[15]
• Cameron Smith, former Director of Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services and Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs (withdrew candidacy effective March 10, 2020) ^{[16] [17]}
• Jennifer Williamson, former Majority Leader of the Oregon House of Representatives and former state Representative for District 36 (withdrew candidacy effective February 26, 2020) ^{[18] [19]}
• Ryan Wruck, office manager (withdrew candidacy effective November 8, 2019, endorsed Mark Hass) ^{[20] [21]}

Endorsements

Shemia Fagan

Statewide officials

• Barbara Roberts, former Governor of Oregon ^[22]

Unions

• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ^[23]
• American Federation of Teachers ^[22]
• Oregon AFL–CIO ^[22]
• Oregon Education Association ^[22]
• Oregon School Employees Association ^[22]
• Oregon State Building & Construction Trades Council ^[22]
• Oregon State Firefighters Council ^[22]
• Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters ^[22]
• PCUN ^[22]
• Service Employees International Union ^[22]
• Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association ^[22]
• United Association Local 290 ^[24]

Organizations

• NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC ^[22]
• Oregon League of Conservation Voters ^[22]
• Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon ^[22]

Newspapers

• The Bulletin ^[25]

Mark Hass

Statewide officials

• Bill Bradbury, former Oregon Secretary of State (served 1999–2009) ^[26]
• Susan Castillo, former Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction (served 2003–2012) ^[26]
• Phil Keisling, former Oregon Secretary of State (served 1991–1999) ^[27]

State legislators

• Ginny Burdick, state senator representing District 18, Majority Leader of the Oregon State Senate ^[26]
• James Manning Jr., state senator representing District 7 ^[26]
• Caddy McKeown, state representative representing District 9 ^[26]
• Kathleen Taylor, state senator representing District 21 ^[26]
• Carolyn Tomei, former state representative representing District 41 (served 2001–2015) ^[26]

Local officials

• Ben Bowman, Tigard-Tualatin school board member ^[26]
• Anne Bryan, Beaverton school board member ^[26]
• Deborah Kafoury, Multnomah County Commission chair ^[26]
• LeeAnn Larsen, Beaverton school board member ^[26]
• Maria Reyes, Tualatin city councilor ^[26]
• Donna Tyner, Beaverton school board member ^[26]
• Maureen Wolf, chair, Tigard-Tualatin School Board ^[26]

Party officials

• Maria Smithson, former vice chair, Democratic Party of Oregon ^[26]

Individuals

• Jennifer Mohr Colett, music teacher, Beaverton School District ^[26]
• Nafisa Fai, Pan African Planning Group ^[26]
• Sheila Hamilton, author and journalist ^[26]
• Lupita Maurer, engineer, Latino rights advocate ^[26]
• Megan McMillan, Oregon Emerge graduate ^[26]
• Betty Reynolds, Clackamas Community College Board member ^[26]
• Ryan Wruck, former 2020 candidate for Oregon Secretary of State ^[21]

Newspapers

• Willamette Week ^[28]

Jamie McLeod-Skinner

Statewide officials

• Jeanne Atkins, former Oregon Secretary of State (served 2015–2017) ^[29]
• Marilynne Keyser, former deputy Oregon Secretary of State (served 1989–1991) ^[29]

State legislators

• Jane Cease, former state senator representing District 10 (served 1985–1991), former state representative representing District 19 (served 1979–1985) ^[29]
• Jackie Dingfelder, former state senator representing District 23 (served 2001–2009), former state representative representing District 19 and District 45 (served 2009–2013) ^[29]
• Jeff Golden, state senator representing District 3 ^[29]
• Alissa Keny-Guyer, state representative representing District 46 ^[29]

State judicial officials

• Nancy Campbell Mead, retired circuit court judge, Washington County ^[29]
• Pete Runnels, Harney County judge ^[29]

Local officials

• Bill Baertlin, Tillamook County Commissioner ^[29]
• Tammy Baney, former Deschutes County Commissioner ^[29]
• Melissa Barnes-Dholakia, Bend-La Pine school board member ^[29]
• Roy Barron, Hermiston city councilor ^[29]
• Victor Chang, Ashland school board member ^[29]
• Sumitra Chhetri, Centennial school board member ^[29]
• Serena Cruz, former Multnomah County Commissioner ^[29]
• Michelle DePass, Portland Public Schools Board of Education ^[29]
• Carrie Douglas, co-chair, Bend-La Pine School Board ^[29]
• Royce Embanks, Madras city councilor, former mayor ^[29]
• Sarah Finger McDonald, vice chair, Corvallis School Board ^[29]
• Dale Freeman, Pendleton school board member ^[29]
• Gena Goodman-Campbell, Bend city councilor ^[29]
• Claire Hall, Lincoln County Commissioner ^[29]
• Roland Herrera, Keizer city councilor ^[29]
• Ken Humberston, Clackamas County Commissioner ^[29]
• John Hummel, Deschutes County District Attorney ^[29]
• Nora Kent, Lane Education Service District Board member ^[29]
• Chelsea King Martin, West Linn-Wilsonville school board member ^[29]
• Darcy Long-Strickler, The Dalles city councilor ^[29]
• Mary Middleton, vice chair, Southern Oregon ESD Board ^[29]
• Carina Miller, former Tribal Council member, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs ^[29]
• Shimiko Montgomery, Bend-La Pine school board member ^[29]
• Eddy Morales, Gresham city councilor ^[29]
• Daniel Nguyen, Lake Oswego city councilor ^[29]
• Denise Piza, former Madras city councilor ^[29]
• Dawn Rasmussen, North Wasco County school board member ^[29]
• Kathy Schwartz, Wasco County Commissioner ^[29]
• Stefani Seffinger, Ashland city councilor ^[29]
• Caroline Skidmore, Bend-La Pine school board member ^[29]
• John Snider, mayor of Tigard ^[29]
• Karen Starchvick, Medford school board member ^[29]
• Leonard Stoehr, Springfield city councilor ^[29]
• Darby Stricker, mayor of Talent ^[29]
• Claire Syrett, Eugene city councilor ^[29]
• Lucy Vinis, Mayor of Eugene ^[29]
• Mary Walston, Eugene 4J school board member ^[29]

Party officials

• Valdez Bravo, former vice chair, Democratic Party of Oregon ^[29]
• Barbara Dudley, Senior Policy Advisor, Oregon Working Families Party ^[29]
• James Freed, former vice chair, Multnomah County Democrats ^[29]
• Linda Simmons, vice chair, Malheur Democratic Party ^[29]

Organizations

• Josephine County Democratic Party ^[29]
• LGBTQ Victory Fund ^{[29] [30]}
• The Vocal Seniority ^[29]

Individuals

• Howard Arnett, attorney and University of Oregon law professor ^[29]
• Dave Eyler, retired teacher, Malheur County ^[29]
• Ryan Moore, candidate for Eugene city council ^[29]
• Deb Porta, executive director, Pride Northwest ^[29]
• Grant Starr, College Democrats of Oregon ^[29]

Results

Results by county:

Shemia Fagan

•   45–50%
    40–45%
    35–40%

Mark Hass

•   45–50%
    40–45%
    35–40%

Jamie McLeod-Skinner

•   60–65%
    55–60%
    50–55%
    45–50%
    40–45%
    35–40%

Democratic primary results ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Shemia Fagan	209,682	36.23%
	Democratic	Mark Hass	205,230	35.46%
	Democratic	Jamie McLeod-Skinner	159,430	27.55%
	Write-in		4,395	0.76%
Total votes			578,737	100.0%

General election

Debate

2020 Oregon Secretary of State debate

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Democratic	Pacific Green	Libertarian
Key:  P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Kim Thatcher	Shemia Fagan	Nathalie Paravicini	Kyle Markley
1	October 1, 2020	City Club of Portland	John Schrag	YouTube	P	P	N	N

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [31]	Likely D (flip)	June 25, 2020

Endorsements

Shemai Fagan

Organizations

• Oregon League of Conservation Voters ^[32]

Newspapers

• The Oregonian ^[33]

Results

2020 Oregon Secretary of State election ^[34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Shemia Fagan	1,146,370	50.31%	+7.10%
	Republican	Kim Thatcher	984,597	43.21%	–4.17%
	Pacific Green	Nathalie Paravicini	82,211	3.61%	+1.09%
	Libertarian	Kyle Markley	62,985	2.77%	+0.28%
	Write-in		2,340	0.10%	–0.04%
Total votes			2,278,503	100.0%
	Democratic gain from Republican

By congressional district

Despite losing the state, Thatcher won three of five congressional districts, including two that elected Democrats. ^[35]

District	Thatcher	Fagan	Representative
1st	38%	55%	Suzanne Bonamici
2nd	58%	37%	Cliff Bentz
3rd	25%	68%	Earl Blumenauer
4th	49%	45%	Peter DeFazio
5th	47.1%	46.8%	Kurt Schrader

See also

• Oregon Secretary of State
• 2020 Oregon state elections

References

1. "Oregon Secretary of State election, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
2. Oregonian/OregonLive, Gordon R. Friedman | The (February 27, 2019). "Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson dies of brain cancer". oregonlive. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
3. VanderHart, Dirk. "Bev Clarno, Former House Speaker, Will Be Oregon's Next Secretary Of State". www.opb.org. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
4. "Candidate Information: David W Stauffer". Oregon Secretary of State: Elections Division. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
5. Monahan, Rachel (February 6, 2020). "Sen. Kim Thatcher Enters the Race for Oregon Secretary of State". Willamette Week . Retrieved February 10, 2020.
6. Hammond, Betsy; Davis, Rob (January 9, 2020). "Rich Vial resigns as deputy Oregon secretary of state". The Oregonian . Retrieved February 10, 2020.
7. "NRA-PVF | Grades | Oregon". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020.
8. "Editorial: Kim Thatcher for secretary of state in the Republican primary". The Bulletin . April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
9. "May 19, 2020, Primary Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. May 19, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
10. Monahan, Rachel (February 27, 2020). "State Sen. Shemia Fagan Officially Enters the Race for Oregon Secretary of State". Willamette Week . Retrieved March 2, 2020.
11. Monahan, Rachel (September 12, 2019). "Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum Files for Reelection in 2020". Willamette Week . Retrieved October 25, 2019.
12. Selsky, Andrew (September 13, 2019). "Oregon's 2020 election season is officially underway". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
13. Visser, Brenna (October 21, 2019). "Secretary of State candidates debate public trust, election integrity". East Oregonian . Retrieved October 25, 2019.
14. Selsky, Andrew (September 13, 2019). "Jamie McLeod-Skinner files to run for secretary of state". The Bulletin . Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
15. "Candidate Information: Jamie A Morrison". Oregon Secretary of State: Elections Division. February 28, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
16. Monahan, Rachel (March 10, 2020). "Former State Agency Director Cameron Smith Withdraws from Secretary of State's Race". Willamette Week . Retrieved March 11, 2020.
17. "Candidate Information: Cameron Smith". Oregon Secretary of State: Elections Division. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
18. Monahan, Rachel; Jaquiss, Nigel (February 10, 2020). "Former House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson Abruptly Ends Campaign for Secretary of State In Advance of WW Story". Willamette Week . Retrieved February 10, 2020.
19. "Candidate Information: Jennifer A Williamson". Oregon Secretary of State: Elections Division. February 26, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
20. "Candidate Information: Ryan F Wruck". Oregon Secretary of State: Elections Division. November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
21. Wruck, Ryan (November 10, 2019). "Readers respond: An SOS candidate bows out". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
22. "Endorsements". Shemia Fagan for Oregon. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
23. Jaquiss, Nigel (March 1, 2020). "Just Days After Entering Secretary of State's Race, State Sen. Shemia Fagan Scores a Key Endorsement". Willamette Week . Retrieved March 2, 2020.
24. "2020 Endorsement" (PDF). United Association Local 290. April 17, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
25. "Editorial: Vote Shemia Fagan in the Democratic primary for secretary of state". The Bulletin . April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
26. "Mark Hass: Endorsements". Mark Hass for Secretary of State. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
27. "Mark Haas Endorsement: Phil Keisling". Twitter. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
28. "WW's May 2020 Endorsement for Oregon Secretary of State". Willamette Week . April 29, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
29. "Jamie McLeod-Skinner: Endorsements". Jamie McLeod-Skinner for Secretary of State. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
30. Keith, Jarod (January 22, 2020). "Victory Fund Endorses 32 New LGBTQ Candidates for 2020". LGBTQ Victory Fund . Retrieved March 24, 2020.
31. "An Updated Look at Handicapping the 2020 Secretary of State Elections". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
32. "2020 General Election Endorsements" . Retrieved February 21, 2024.
33. "Editorial endorsement 2020: Shemia Fagan for secretary of state". The Oregonian. September 30, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
34. "November 3, 2020, General Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
35. "DRA 2020". Daves Redistricting. Retrieved August 21, 2024.