After what polls predicted to be a close race for Oregon’s governorship, Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski retained his post in Tuesday’s election.
The governor had faced criticism from Republican challenger Ron Saxton, who cast Kulongoski as mediocre and ineffectual during his four-year tenure. But speaking before a cheering crowd in Portland Tuesday night, Kulongoski said he felt “confidence in every corner of Oregon during this campaign.”
Kulongoski, 66, received about 51 percent of the vote statewide, compared with Saxton’s roughly 43 percent. In Lane County, Kulongoski won about 58 percent of the vote.
Kulongoski will work with a Democratic state legislature, the first in more than a decade.
“And today, you, the voters of Oregon, gave us a vote of confidence that I will never forget and I will never take for granted,” Kulongoski said. “Yours was a vote for an even better Oregon.”
He applauded Oregonians for voting to “solidly reject” Measures 41 and 48, which critics, such as University President Dave Frohnmayer, said would have bankrupted higher education in the state.
“You defended our state and preserved a golden opportunity to live up to our potential,” he said, adding that he will focus on providing a full school year, smaller class sizes and “stable funding for every school district in this state.”
“With your votes, you said yes to tax fairness and a long-overdue increase in the corporate minimal tax that will enable us to open up head start to all eligible three and four-years old and make our community colleges and universities truly affordable for all Oregonians,” he said.
During his campaign, Kulongoski had touted Oregon’s economic recovery and tried to link Saxton with President Bush and the war in Iraq.
Initial statewide returns at 8:05 p.m. gave Saxton an early lead with only three counties reporting. But ten minutes later, with the addition of liberal-leaning Multnomah County, the election swung in Kulongoski’s favor, 62.7 to 30.8 percent.
The Oregonian called the race for Kulongoski by 8:40 p.m., and Saxton, a Portland attorney, conceded by 10 p.m.
“I am going to spend the next months thanking you for all you have individually done,” Saxton said in his concession speech.
It was the second defeat for Saxton, who lost to Kulongoski in 2002 by 36,219 votes – less than half the margin separating the candidates this year. The last Republican governor was Vic Atiyeh, whose tenure ended in 1986.
“We’re going to make (Oregon) all it ought to be one way or another,” he said.
Kulongoski was just one of many Democratic governors who emerged victorious Tuesday from the Northeast to the Rockies, giving them control of top state posts in a majority of states for the first time in 12 years.
Portland pollster Tim Hibbitts said anti-GOP sentiment that swept the nation in Tuesday’s midterm election hurt Saxton at the polls.
“Make no mistake – the Republicans have taken a bad beating nationwide,” Hibbitts said Tuesday night. “There’s no question that hurt Ron Saxton.”
Ballot measures
Several Oregon ballot measures, many supported by out-of-state groups, were strongly defeated at the polls.
Measures 41 and 48, which opponents said would hurt state education by forcing the Oregon Legislature to cut funding, were among the measures defeated.
Both measures attracted opposition from Frohnmayer and ASUO Senate President Sara Hamilton, who said the measures would lead to higher tuition, cuts in opportunity grants and greater student debt.
Frohnmayer said Tuesday night that he was relieved and grateful that the measures were defeated.
“There was an overwhelming coming together of groups: firefighters, seniors, teachers,” Frohnmayer said. “The other thing is there was a significant and appropriate indignation at the amount of out-of-state money that was trying to make Oregon their playground for these kinds of ideological experiments.”
Oregonians also shot down Measure 43, which would have required medical providers to give a written notice to a girl’s parents before performing an abortion.
Kellie DeVore, a spokeswoman for the opposition campaign, said the measure was not as simple as it said, adding that the campaign’s coalition and a reinvigorated pro-choice grassroots had helped defeat the measure.
“The outcome reminds us that Oregon has always been a pro-choice state,” DeVore said. “I think the voters saw this as the dangerous and deceptive measure it always was.”
University law professor Caroline Forell said she was pleased that it was defeated.
“It was extreme,” she said. “I think it speaks about where Oregonians stand. Oregonians have been pretty pro-choice.”
Measure 39, which prohibits Oregon governments from condemning private property if it intends to convey all or part of it to another private party, passed with more than 67 percent as of midnight.
Oregonians also voted to pass Measure 44, which allows any Oregonian without prescription drug coverage to participate in the Oregon Prescription Drug Plan. An overwhelming 77 percent of voters approved the change.
Oregonians split on two campaign finance reform measures. Measure 47, a law that limits or prohibits certain political contributions and expenditures and a candidate’s spending on his or her own campaign, passed. Measure 46, a constitutional amendment that would have allowed laws regulating campaign contributions, was defeated.
About 45.4 percent of Oregon voters turned out for the midterm election, compared with 86.5 percent in the 2004 presidential election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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