2022 Oregon Commissioner of Labor election

See also: 2022 Oregon elections

The 2022 Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries election was held on November 8, 2022, in order to elect the Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries. The election was held on a nonpartisan basis. Nevertheless, Christina Stephenson was favored by the Democrats while Cheri Helt was favored by the Republicans.

2022 Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Christina Stephenson Cheri Helt Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 916,455 582,609 Percentage 60.7% 38.6%

Runoff results by county: Stephenson:      50–55%      55–60%      60–65%      65–70%      80–85% Helt:      50–55%      55–60%      60–65%

Commissioner of Labor and Industries before election Val Hoyle Elected Commissioner of Labor and Industries Christina Stephenson

Incumbent Commissioner Val Hoyle did not seek reelection in order to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Christina Stephenson was decisively elected to succeed her in the November runoff, defeating former state representative Cheri Helt.

Primary election

The primary election was held on May 17, 2022. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, the top two placing candidates advanced to the general election in November.

Candidates

• Aaron Baca, reforestation company owner^[1]
• Brent Barker, real estate broker^[1]
• Cheri Helt, former state representative^[1]
• Chris Henry, truck driver and perennial candidate^[2]
• Casey Kulla, Yamhill County commissioner^[1]
• Robert Neuman, business manager^[1]
• Christina Stephenson, lawyer^[1]

Prior to the election, Chris Henry withdrew from the race and endorsed Christina Stephenson. However, his name remained on the ballot.^[2]

While the position of Labor Commissioner is nonpartisan, Barker, Helt, and Neuman have run for office as Republicans, while Kulla and Stephenson are Democrats. Henry is a member of the Oregon Progressive Party.^[3]

Results

Primary results by county:

Christina Stephenson

•   65–70%
    55–60%
    50–55%
    45–50%
    40–45%
    35–40%
    30–35%
    25–30%

Cheri Helt

•   35–40%
    30–35%
    25–30%

Casey Kulla

•   35–40%

Nonpartisan election primary results^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Christina Stephenson	421,619	47.17%
	Nonpartisan	Cheri Helt	171,168	19.15%
	Nonpartisan	Casey Kulla	126,036	14.10%
	Nonpartisan	Brent Barker	101,576	11.36%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Neuman	32,331	3.62%
	Nonpartisan	Chris Henry	22,936	2.57%
	Nonpartisan	Aaron Baca	14,217	1.59%
	Write-in		3,922	0.44%
Total votes			893,805	100.00%

General election

Campaign

Although the position is nonpartisan, Stephenson was endorsed by Democratic Party officials, including gubernatorial nominee Tina Kotek and incumbent commissioner Val Hoyle. Helt was endorsed by Republican gubernatorial nominee Christine Drazan and independent gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson.^[5]

Results

General election results^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Christina Stephenson	916,455	60.74%
	Nonpartisan	Cheri Helt	582,609	38.61%
	Write-in		9,826	0.65%
Total votes			1,508,890	100.00%

Runoff results by county

County	Christina Stephenson Democratic		Cheri Helt Republican
	%	#	%	#
Baker	44.31%	2,911	54.96%	3,611
Benton	69.87%	24,969	29.45%	10,526
Clackamas	56.97%	92,011	42.53%	68,692
Clatsop	61.00%	9,077	38.49%	5,728
Columbia	50.99%	11,021	48.21%	10,421
Coos	49.14%	11,580	50.24%	11,841
Crook	35.62%	3,902	63.32%	6,935
Curry	50.90%	4,888	48.39%	4,647
Deschutes	49.16%	44,867	50.45%	46,050
Douglas	45.23%	17,709	53.75%	21,047
Gilliam	44.05%	311	55.67%	393
Grant	39.23%	1,178	59.47%	1,786
Harney	37.87%	1,013	61.20%	1,637
Hood River	68.11%	5,613	31.31%	2,580
Jackson	53.45%	40,637	45.97%	34,954
Jefferson	43.00%	3,410	56.22%	4,458
Josephine	42.53%	13,570	56.74%	18,103
Klamath	39.86%	8,515	59.41%	12,690
Lake	38.58%	1,135	60.40%	1,777
Lane	64.85%	88,088	34.27%	46,549
Lincoln	64.50%	13,389	35.02%	7,270
Linn	46.60%	21,857	52.44%	24,592
Malheur	42.13%	2,946	57.34%	4,010
Marion	54.34%	54,709	44.97%	45,270
Morrow	40.49%	1,264	59.03%	1,843
Multnomah	80.26%	240,296	19.2%	57,487
Polk	54.83%	17,890	44.44%	14,500
Sherman	35.49%	252	64.08%	455
Tillamook	58.31%	6,232	40.79%	4,360
Umatilla	40.13%	7,838	59.37%	11,596
Union	42.39%	4,018	56.86%	5,389
Wallowa	42.08%	1,430	57.24%	1,945
Wasco	53.66%	4,619	45.76%	3,939
Washington	66.45%	132,645	32.85%	65,576
Wheeler	36.57%	207	62.72%	355
Yamhill	50.74%	20,458	48.61%	19,597

By congressional district

Stephenson won 5 of 6 congressional districts, including one that elected a Republican.^[7]

District	Stephenson	Helt	Representative
1st	69%	30%	Suzanne Bonamici
2nd	45%	54%	Cliff Bentz
3rd	75%	25%	Earl Blumenauer
4th	61%	38%	Peter DeFazio (117th Congress)
			Val Hoyle (118th Congress)
5th	55%	44%	Kurt Schrader (117th Congress)
			Lori Chavez-DeRemer (118th Congress)
6th	59%	41%	Andrea Salinas

See also

• 2022 Oregon state elections

References

1. Withycombe, Claire (April 21, 2022). "Election 2022: Meet the candidates for Oregon labor commissioner". The Statesman Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
2. Manning, Rob (May 9, 2022). "Race for Oregon labor commissioner attracts candidates with legal, government experience". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
3. "OR Commissioner of Labor - 2022". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
4. "May 17, 2022, Primary Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. May 17, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
5. "Stephenson wins race to lead Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries". Oregon Public Broadcasting. November 8, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
6. "November 8, 2022, General Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. November 8, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
7. Results. docs.google.com (Report).