Oregon Secretary of State election, 2020

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2024
2016
Oregon Secretary of State
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 10, 2020
Primary: May 19, 2020
General: November 3, 2020

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Bev Clarno (R)
How to vote
Poll times: No polling hours (vote-by-mail)
Voting in Oregon
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2020
Impact of term limits in 2020
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
Oregon
executive elections
Secretary of State

Treasurer
Attorney General

Shemia Fagan (D) defeated Kim Thatcher (R), Kyle Markley (L), and Nathalie Paravicini (Pacific Green Party) in the general election for Oregon Secretary of State on November 3, 2020. Incumbent Bev Clarno (R) did not run for re-election, which Governor Kate Brown (D) made a condition of her appointment after the death of former Secretary of State Dennis Richardson (R).[2]

Richardson was first elected in 2016, defeating Brad Avakian (D) 47% to 43%. In Oregon, the secretary of state is first in line for the governor's office in the case of a vacancy. Brown was the secretary of state before Richardson and became governor after John Kitzhaber (D) resigned in 2015. Democrats held the secretary of state seat from 1985 to 2017.

In Oregon, the secretary of state oversees the Elections Division, which performs election administration and oversight, the Audits Division, which provides oversight of public spending, the Corporations Division, which administers business filings, and the Archives Division, which maintains the official records of Oregon government.

If the Oregon state Legislature fails to establish a redistricting plan for state legislative districts, the secretary of state intervenes to draw the boundaries. In 2011, the Legislature redrew congressional and legislative districts without changes from the secretary of state or the courts. It was the first time this had happened since 1911.[3] Oregon’s next round of redistricting was scheduled for 2021, following the publication of the National Census.[4]

Oregon was one of 14 states under divided triplex control, meaning control of the top executive positions was split between the parties or one or more of the positions are held by independent or nonpartisan officers not appointed by the governor. The governor and attorney general were Democrats, while the secretary of state was a Republican.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Oregon did not modify any procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Oregon Secretary of State

Shemia Fagan defeated Kim Thatcher, Nathalie Paravicini, and Kyle Markley in the general election for Oregon Secretary of State on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Shemia Fagan
Shemia Fagan (D / Working Families Party)
 
50.3
 
1,146,370
Image of Kim Thatcher
Kim Thatcher (R / Independent)
 
43.2
 
984,597
Image of Nathalie Paravicini
Nathalie Paravicini (Pacific Green Party / Progressive Party)
 
3.6
 
82,211
Image of Kyle Markley
Kyle Markley (L)
 
2.8
 
62,985
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
2,340

Total votes: 2,278,503
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Oregon Secretary of State

Shemia Fagan defeated Mark Hass and Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the Democratic primary for Oregon Secretary of State on May 19, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Shemia Fagan
Shemia Fagan
 
36.2
 
209,682
Image of Mark Hass
Mark Hass Candidate Connection
 
35.5
 
205,230
Image of Jamie McLeod-Skinner
Jamie McLeod-Skinner
 
27.5
 
159,430
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
4,395

Total votes: 578,737
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Oregon Secretary of State

Kim Thatcher defeated Dave Stauffer in the Republican primary for Oregon Secretary of State on May 19, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kim Thatcher
Kim Thatcher
 
85.6
 
312,296
Image of Dave Stauffer
Dave Stauffer
 
13.4
 
48,839
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.0
 
3,625

Total votes: 364,760
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Oregon Secretary of State

Kyle Markley advanced from the Libertarian convention for Oregon Secretary of State on July 6, 2020.

Candidate
Image of Kyle Markley
Kyle Markley (L)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Pacific Green Party convention

Pacific Green Party convention for Oregon Secretary of State

Nathalie Paravicini advanced from the Pacific Green Party convention for Oregon Secretary of State on June 6, 2020.

Candidate
Image of Nathalie Paravicini
Nathalie Paravicini (Pacific Green Party)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[5] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Image of Shemia Fagan

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Fagan graduated from Northwest Nazarene University with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religion in 2003. She received a law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2009. As of her 2020 campaign, Fagan’s professional experience included working as an attorney and as managing partner of HKM Employment Attorneys LLP.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Fagan said she would defend Oregon’s mail-in voting system and expand Oregon citizens’ access to voting with a determination informed by her childhood experiences.


In response to the coronavirus, Fagan said she would work to ensure people have timely access to unemployment assistance.


Fagan said she would work to ensure Oregon’s tax revenue is spent to support schools, healthcare, small businesses, and the environment.


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Oregon Secretary of State in 2020.

Image of Kim Thatcher

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Thatcher attended Portland State University. Her professional experience includes being the owner/operator of Highway Specialties and owner/president of KT Contracting Company.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Thatcher said she would audit state agencies to ensure tax revenue is spent effectively and government is held accountable. She said she would audit Oregon’s coronavirus response, public schools, state spending in response to property destruction in Portland, and fire management and disaster planning.


Thatcher said she would support small businesses and provide them with technical support.


Thatcher said she would administer elections impartially and would work to ensure Oregon citizens are able to vote and access the initiative and referendum process.


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Oregon Secretary of State in 2020.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

If you are aware of polls conducted in this race, please email us.

Campaign finance

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement Fagan (D) Thatcher (R)
Newspapers and editorials
The Astorian[6]
The Bend Bulltein[7]
The Corvallis Advocate[8]
East Oregonian[9]
Eugene Weekly[10]
The Oregonian[11]
The Skanner News[12]
The Source Weekly[13]
Willamette Week[14]
Yamhill County News-Register[15]
Individuals
Former Governor Barbara Roberts (D)[16][17]

Timeline

2020


Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Shemia Fagan

Supporting Fagan

"Camping Trip" - Fagan campaign ad, released October 20, 2020
"Tradition" - Fagan campaign ad, released October 1, 2020
"Gov. Barbara Roberts Endorsement" - Fagan campaign ad, released May 15, 2020
"Oregon's Progressive Leader" - Fagan campaign ad, released May 14, 2020
"How She Got There" - Fagan campaign ad, released May 14, 2020
"Shemia Fagan Delivering Yard Signs to Her Dad" - Fagan campaign ad, released April 9, 2020
"Shemia for Oregon" - Fagan campaign ad, released March 18, 2020


Opposing Thatcher

"Judges Ruling" - Fagan campaign ad, released September 28, 2020

Republican Party Kim Thatcher

Supporting Thatcher

"Looking to 2021: Accountability for a Better Oregon" - Thatcher campaign ad, released October 1, 2020

"Homeless" - Thatcher campaign ad, released October 22, 2020
"Helping" - Thatcher campaign ad, released May 14, 2020


Opposing Fagan

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Democratic Party Shemia Fagan

Fagan’s campaign website stated the following:

EASTERN OREGON ROOTS
Senator Shemia Fagan is a working mom and a proud lifelong Oregonian who grew up in and out of poverty in Dufur and The Dalles. She struggled early on both at home and at school. But Shemia’s elementary school teacher saw she needed help. He invited her to join the school’s chess team, giving her something to be excited about in the classroom. Shemia went on to become the first girl in Oregon’s to win the statewide chess championship – and the world opened for her.

After putting herself through college and law school, Shemia dedicated her life to public service. She knew firsthand the power of a public school teacher to change lives. She started serving on the David Douglas School Board. Later as an Oregon State Representative and Senator, Shemia has worked to lower barriers to success for working Oregonians. She’s helped increase funding for our public schools, pass paid family and medical leave, and ensure equal pay for equal work. Shemia has made it easier for every Oregonian to exercise their fundamental right to vote by eliminating barriers and increasing access to the ballot.

Oregon’s proud tradition of voting by mail is under attack from Donald Trump. Shemia is running for Secretary of State because she knows it’s never been more important to protect and expand our fundamental right to vote in Oregon. And with the state reeling from the effects of the COVID crisis, Shemia will use the power of the audits department to ensure that struggling families quickly get the unemployment assistance they deserve. She’ll ensure our state’s tax dollars go to where they’re supposed to: helping Oregonians in our schools, our health care system, our small businesses and our environment.

Today Shemia is a civil rights attorney, state senator and most importantly, a mom to Alton and Imogene.

FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS
Shemia worked her way through college and law school to become a civil rights attorney. She was driven by the need to stand up for those who don’t have an advocate. It’s the same reason she first decided to run for public office a decade ago. She ran for a seat on the David Douglas School District and unseated a 25-year incumbent.

Shemia went on to run for the Oregon State House, defeating an incumbent Republican to win back a Democratic majority in the Oregon House — just two months after having her first baby and was re-elected to the House seat. Most recently, just months after giving birth to her second child, Shemia unseated an entrenched, three-term incumbent in the State Senate. She never runs from a fight, but steps up to ensure that everyone has a voice.

FIGHTING FOR OREGONIANS
Shemia has spent her career fighting for working Oregonians, holding big corporations accountable, and speaking truth to power. She’s been on the forefront of fights for rent control, expanding health care access, transgender rights, and much more. She’s dedicated her career to ensuring that children growing up without much – like she did – still have the opportunity to get ahead and to dream of more. It’s why she’s running for Secretary of State – to bring progress within reach for all. [18]

—Shemia Fagan’s campaign website (2020)[19]


Republican Party Kim Thatcher

Thatcher’s campaign website stated the following:

Kim Thatcher will carry on and strengthen reforms enacted when Oregon voters elected Secretary of State Dennis Richardson in 2016 to restore Accountability, Transparency, and Integrity to state government. Republicans, Democrats, and Independent voters heard the call that our Secretary of State should:

  • Be effective and impartial in administering fair elections where everyone who has the right to vote has the opportunity to vote, and that citizens seeking to change their government have the support they need to access their constitutional right of the initiative and referendum process.
  • Use the power of the Audits Division to identify critical financial and performance concerns at every level of government, from Cities and School Boards to State Agencies, and use the findings to make recommendations that ensure critical services are delivered, and taxpayer dollars are well-spent.
  • Promote the success of Oregon's 400,000+ businesses and provide the technical assistance they need to grow and thrive.
  • Preserve the public record in a manner to create transparency for citizens and the media so government operations and the funding used for those public programs are understood by the public.

“As our next Secretary of State, you can expect that I will work to preserve and expand upon Dennis' legacy, which voters from al I parties now expect and deserve from that office." - Kim Thatcher

[18]

—Kim Thatcher’s campaign website (2020)[20]


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Two of 36 Oregon counties—5.6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Columbia County, Oregon 11.46% 5.16% 12.02%
Tillamook County, Oregon 5.58% 4.86% 9.89%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Oregon with 50.1 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 39.1 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Oregon cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 73.3 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Oregon supported Republican candidates for president more often than Democratic candidates, 56.7 to 43.3 percent. The state, however, favored Democrats in every election between between 2000 and 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Oregon. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[21][22]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 39 out of 60 state House districts in Oregon with an average margin of victory of 26.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 36 out of 60 state House districts in Oregon with an average margin of victory of 31.6 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 21 out of 60 state House districts in Oregon with an average margin of victory of 20.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 24 out of 60 state House districts in Oregon with an average margin of victory of 24 points. Trump won three districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


Past elections

2016

See also: Oregon Secretary of State election, 2016

The general election for secretary of state was held on November 8, 2016.

The following candidates ran in the Oregon secretary of state election.[23]

Oregon Secretary of State, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Dennis Richardson 47.44% 892,669
     Democratic/Progressive/Working Families Brad Avakian 43.27% 814,089
     Independent Party of Oregon Paul Damian Wells 3.45% 64,956
     Pacific Green Party of Oregon Alan Zundel 2.53% 47,576
     Libertarian Sharon Durbin 2.50% 46,975
     Constitution Party Michael P. Marsh 0.81% 15,269
Total Votes 1,881,534
Source: Oregon Secretary of State


State profile

See also: Oregon and Oregon elections, 2020
USA Oregon location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of April 23, 2020.

Presidential voting pattern

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • Democrats held three and a Republican held one of Oregon's 13 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
  • Oregon's governor was Democrat Kate Brown.

State legislature

Oregon Party Control: 1992-2025
Seventeen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate D D D R R R R R R R R S S D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
House R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D S S D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Oregon quick stats
  • Became a state in 1859
  • 33rd state admitted to the United States
  • Oregon is home to the single largest organism in the world.
  • Members of the Oregon State Senate: 30
  • Members of the Oregon House of Representatives: 60
  • U.S. senators: 2
  • U.S. representatives: 5

More Oregon coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Oregon
 OregonU.S.
Total population:4,024,634316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):95,9883,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:85.1%73.6%
Black/African American:1.8%12.6%
Asian:4%5.1%
Native American:1.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.4%0.2%
Two or more:4.1%3%
Hispanic/Latino:12.3%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:89.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:30.8%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$51,243$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.4%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Oregon.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

Oregon State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Oregon is a vote-by-mail state. Polling hours apply to vote centers where individuals can instead vote in person.
  2. Oregon Public Broadcasting, "Bev Clarno, Former House Speaker, Will Be Oregon's Next Secretary Of State," March 29, 2019
  3. City Club of Portland, "Lines That Don't Divide: A City Club of Portland report on improving Oregon's redistricting process," February 17, 2012
  4. Oregon Secretary of State, "Redistricting Reform Task Force," accessed October 7, 2020
  5. Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 The Astorian, "Our View: Fagan for secretary of state," October 20, 2020
  7. 7.0 7.1 The Bulletin, "Editorial: Bulletin's editorial endorsements for November 2020 election," October 17, 2020
  8. 8.0 8.1 The Corvallis Advocate, "Election 2020: The Corvallis Advocate Endorsements," October 17, 2020
  9. 9.0 9.1 East Oregonian, "Our view | Shemia Fagan for Secretary of State," October 17, 2020
  10. 10.0 10.1 Eugene Weekly, "Who to vote for in the most important election of your lifetime, and why," October 15, 2020
  11. 11.0 11.1 Twitter, "Shemia Fagan on September 30, 2020," accessed October 6, 2020
  12. 12.0 12.1 The Skanner News, "The Skanner News Statewide Election 2020 Endorsements," October 15, 2020
  13. The Source Weekly, "Vote Shemia Fagan For Oregon Secretary Of State," October 21, 2020
  14. 14.0 14.1 Willamette Week, "WW’s November 2020 Endorsements: Statewide," October 14, 2020
  15. 15.0 15.1 Facebook, "Kim Thatcher on September 19, 2020," accessed October 6, 2020
  16. Roberts also served as Oregon's Secretary of State from 1985 to 1991.
  17. Shemia Fagan's 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed October 6, 2020
  18. 18.0 18.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  19. Shemia Fagan’s campaign website, “Meet Shemia,” accessed October 6, 2020
  20. Kim Thatcher’s campaign website, “Voters' Pamphlet,” accessed October 6, 2020
  21. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  22. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  23. Oregon Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Abstract of Votes," accessed May 25, 2017