norTHwEsT lAbor PrEss |
June 1, 2018 | PAgE 11
PolITICs
oregon May primary election results: labor union edition
Val Hoyle (left), candidate
for Oregon Labor
Commissioner, attends a
February rally with
Heather Buch, a
candidate for Lane
County Commissioner.
Both had strong labor
backing in the May 15
primary. Buch placed first
and faces a November
runoff. Hoyle won out-
right. Her win means a la-
bor ally will be in charge
of enforcing wage and
hour laws, setting the
prevailing wage on pub-
lic construction projects,
and overseeing state-
registered apprentice-
ship programs.
Oregon labor unions backed 55
candidates in 41 contested races
in the May 15 primary. Here’s
how they fared.
Unionists across Oregon
breathed sighs of relief on Elec-
tion Night with the victory of
Val Hoyle to be Oregon’s next
top labor law enforcer. Hoyle
won with 51 percent victory
over Lou Ogden’s 36 percent,
despite his receipt of $200,000
in the last three weeks of the
campaign from four conserva-
tive business owners.
The win means that Hoyle —
a former Democratic House Ma-
jority Leader with a strong pro-
labor voting record — will be
Oregon’s next labor commis-
sioner in January at the conclu-
sion of Brad Avakian’s term. La-
bor commissioner is a
non-partisan statewide elected
position, in charge of the Oregon
Bureau of Labor and Industries,
which enforces wage and hour
and civil rights laws, sets the pre-
vailing wage on public construc-
tion projects, and oversees state-
registered apprenticeship training
programs. It’s a job that gets little
notice from the public, but it’s of
great importance to organized la-
bor and working people.
Ogden, in his campaign, said
BOLI has been out of balance
favoring labor over industry.
Hoyle got tremendous sup-
port from Oregon unions in the
campaign.
Labor-endorsed incumbent gov-
ernor Kate Brown easily won
the Democratic primary with 81
percent of the vote against two
challengers who raised no
money and didn’t campaign.
Brown will face Republican
State Rep Knute Buehler in No-
vember; he came in first place in
the Republican primary with 47
percent in a field of 10.
There were no surprises in
Democratic Congressional pri-
maries, with all four Democratic
incumbents winning the party’s
nomination.
In Oregon’s 2nd Congres-
sional District, Jamie McLeod-
Skinner won a seven-way race
with 43 percent of the vote;
she’ll challenge incumbent Re-
publican Greg Walden in No-
vember. McLeod-Skinner, a for-
mer AFSCME member, was
backed by Oregon’s teachers
union. Another former union
member in the race, Eric Bur-
nette, was backed by UFCW
Local 555 and the Teamsters,
but came in sixth place.
orEgon sUPrEME CoUrT
Judge, Position 3
Meagan flynn defeated state securities
attorney Van PoundsFlynn was endorsed
by the Oregon Machinists Council and the
Oregon Education Association.
orEgon CoUrT of APPEAls
Judge, Position 10
rex Armstrong, the incumbent, won re-
election. He was endorsed by the Oregon
Education Association.
orEgon sEnATE
District 3 (Medford)
Union-backed Athena goldberg, D, got
36 percent, losing to jeff golden, a long-
time public TV and radio broadcaster. Her
candidacy was considered a priority for the
Oregon AFL-CIO.
District 11 (Salem)
Labor-backed incumbent Peter Court-
ney, D, won 65 percent of the vote, surviv-
ing a primary challenge from Joyce Judy.
District 13 (Keizer)
UFCW-backed law professor Paul Diller,
D, outpolled American Federation of Teach-
ers-local union president sarah grider by
58 to 41 percent, winning the chance to
challenge Republican incumbent Kim
Thatcher. Grider was endorsed by AFT.
District 24 (East Portland)
Former deputy district attorney Marty
wilde, D, outpolled SEIU law clerk kim-
berly koops by 53 to 46 percent. Both
candidates had union backing.
UFCW-endorsed incumbent john sweet
took first place with 46 percent and will
face katy Eymann (28 percent) in a No-
vember runoff.
District 18 (Silverton)
Position 3
UFCW-backed barry shapiro, D, won by
69 to 30 percent and will face Republican
incumbent rick lewis.
UFCW-endorsed incumbent Melissa Crib-
bins won outright against two challengers
with 55 percent.
District 32 (North Coast)
State child welfare worker Tiffiny ClACkAMAs CoUnTy
Mitchell, D, with support from four pub-
lic-sector unions, won with 41 percent in a
field of three. Former state rep Tim josi,
who was backed by UFCW and the State
Building Trades Council, finished third.
Mitchell will face Republican teacher Vi-
neeta lower to succeed Democrat Debo-
rah Boone, who’s retiring.
District 45 (NE Portland)
Incumbent barbara smith warner, D,
backed broadly by labor, easily defeated a
primary challenge (90-10).
District 52 (Hood River)
Anna williams, D, outpolled Aurora Del
Val by 76 to 22 percent. The two candi-
dates shared dual endorsements from
three unions. Del Val withdrew from the
race in April but her name was still on the
ballot. Williams will face Republican jeff
Helfrich in November.
METro
Scandal-plagued incumbent Sherry Hall
got 43 percent of the vote and will face
union-backed Pamela white (32 percent)
in a November runoff.
orEgon HoUsE
Council, District 4 (W, Hillsboro)
Coos CoUnTy
Position 2
Chair
Incumbent Deborah kafoury, with broad
union backing, won 72 percent of the vote
against three challengers.
Commissioner District 2
Union-backed susheela jayapal won
outright with 61 percent in a field of four.
Auditor
In a field of three, union-endorsed jen-
nifer Mcguirk narrowly outpolled Scott
Learn (42-41) and will face him again in a
run-off.
wAsHIngTon CoUnTy
Chair
Metro Council member kathryn Harring-
ton had broad union backing and placed
first with 38 percent. She’ll face incumbent
commissioner bob Terry (30 percent) in a
November runoff. ryan Deckert, a former
Democratic state rep and business lobbyist
who was endorsed by six building trades
unions, came in third with 23 percent.
District 2
Pam Treece, a former PacifiCorp executive
and head of a business advocacy group, de-
feated incumbent greg Malinowski by 58
to 41 percent. Both had union backing.
District 4
Union-backed activist kimberly Culbert-
son lost to Hillsboro mayor jerry willey,
who was backed by real estate and busi-
ness groups.
District attorney
ClATsoP CoUnTy
UFCW-backed incumbent lianne Thomp-
son won re-election with 59 percent.
CITy of PorTlAnD
ColUMbIA CoUnTy
Commissioner, Position 2
Henry Heimuller, the incumbent, fin-
ished first and will face Port of St. Helens
Commissioner Paulette lichatowich in
November. Heimuller was endorsed by
UFCW and the NW Oregon Labor Council.
Position 1 (West)
joe buck outpolled three other candi-
dates with 38 percent, and will face Chris-
tine lewis (23 percent) in a runoff in No-
vember. Both have union endorsements.
MUlTnoMAH CoUnTy
Prosecutor kevin barton defeated UFCW-
backed defense attorney Max wall by 70
to 30 percent.
lAnE CoUnTy
Non-profit executive juan gonzalez de-
feated Laborers Local 483 shop steward
Dana Carstensen 55 to 44 percent. Both
had union endorsements.
District 11 (Eugene)
Clerk
lynn Peterson, broadly backed by labor,
won 79-20 against an opponent who did
not actively campaign.
Council, District 2 (S/SE)
Incumbent Caddy Mckeown, D, backed
by the Building Trades and OEA, easily over-
came a challenger by 81 to 19 percent.
Paul savas, backed broadly by labor, eas-
ily won re-election outright with 60 per-
cent of the vote against two challengers.
President
Former state rep shemia fagan, D, with
support from public-sector unions, de-
feated longtime incumbent rod Monroe,
who was backed by IBEW and the State
Building Trades Council. Fagan got 62 per-
cent to Monroe’s 22 percent.
District 9 (Coos Bay)
Commission, Position 2
Gary Williams (31 percent) in November.
Incumbent jay bozievich won outright
with 56 percent, surviving a challenge from
union-backed OEA member nora kent
(39 percent) and AFSCME member bev-
erly Hills (5 percent). Bozievich did have
the endorsement of IBEW Local 280.
Position 2 (Springfield)
With broad union backing, joe berney
defeated incumbent sid leiken 52 to 48
percent. Leiken’s hostility to a strike by
members of AFSCME Local 2831 was a fac-
tor in the race.
Position 5 (East)
Union-backed Heather buch won 31.27
in a field of six and will face incumbent
Commissioner, Position 2
Incumbent nick fish, who had broad
union backing, won a four-way race with
62 percent of the race; julia Degraw,
backed by a trio of smaller union endorse-
ments, came in second with 32 percent.
Commissioner, Position 3
Former state rep jo Ann Hardesty took
first place with 44 percent of the vote in a
field of six; she’ll face second-place finisher
and current Multnomah County Commis-
sioner loretta smith (22 percent) in a
run-off in November. Hardesty had four la-
bor endorsements; Smith had 11, including
the Northwest Oregon Labor Council. A
third candidate, Andrea Valderrama,
was backed by AFSCME Local 189, the
largest City union; she came in fourth
place.
CITy of sAlEM
City Council, Ward 8: Oregon Labor
Candidates School graduate Micki Varney,
a union steward with SEIU Local 503, came
about 250 votes short of defeating incum-
bent city council member Jim Lewis.