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Oregon State Senate elections, 2014

Majority control •Qualifications Competitiveness •Fight for majority control

List of candidatesDistrict 3 •District 4 •District 6 •District 7 •District 8 •District 10 •District 11 •District 13 •District 15 •District 16 •District 17 •District 19 •District 20 •District 24 •District 26

State Legislative Election Results

Oregon State Senate •2014 Oregon House Elections

State legislative elections in 2014

Elections for theOregon State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 11, 2014.

TheRepublican Party aimed to take control of several state senates andOregon was one of them. Oregon had been a Democraticstate government trifecta, meaning the party had controlled both houses and thegovernorship. The state leanedDemocratic and in 2012 there were no races with a margin of victory smaller than 5 percent. None of those seats, however, were up for election in 2014.^[1]

Republicans hoped turnout in 2014 would improve from the2010 midterms. While the national party had success in electing conservatives to office that year, the Democrats retained the Senate in Oregon.^[2]

Meanwhile, Democrats hoped that there were more vulnerable Republican seats than Democratic in 2014.

TheOregon State Senate was one of 20 state legislative chambers noted by Ballotpedia staff as being abattleground chamber. It had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republicans of two seats, which amounted to 13.3 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. In 2012, when 14 districts were up for election, two districts were mildly competitive, with a margin of victory between 5 and 10 percent.

Louis Jacobson ofGoverning magazine identified the Oregon Senate as one of 17 chambers nationally that was "vulnerable to a change in control in November."^[1]

The Bulletin, an Oregon-based newspaper, wrote that both major parties focused on close races and particularly in attractingindependent voters in those races. Key races identified inThe Bulletin includedDistrict 15,District 20,District 26, and a rematch ofDistrict 3, which was close enough to call for a recount and resulted in a Democratic victory.^[2]

In addition, Republicans wanted to oustPresident of the SenatePeter Courtney inDistrict 11.^[2] They failed to do that when Courtney defeated hisRepublican opponent,Patricia Milne, by about 9 percentage points.

Following the general election, theDemocratic Party retained control of theOregon State Senate. The party, which had 16 seats before the election, increased its total to 18. TheRepublican Party had 14 seats before the election and that number was reduced to 12.

Incumbents retiring

Only one incumbent,Larry George (R), did not run for re-election in 2014.

Majority control

See also:Partisan composition of state senates

Heading into the November 4 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in theOregon State Senate:

2014 Competitiveness Overview
Primary competition (state comparison)
Incumbents defeated •Victorious challengers • Primary competitiveness
Major party challengers (state comparison)
Candidates with no challenges at all in 2014
Open seats (state comparisons)
Impact of term limits on # of open seats Long-serving senators •Long-serving reps
Chart Comparing 2014 Results
Chart Comparing 2014 Results •Comparisons Between Years
Competitiveness Index •Absolute Index
2014 State Legislative Elections State legislative incumbent turnover in 2014
Competitiveness Studies from Other Years
2007 •2009 •2010 •2011 •2012 •2013

Competitiveness

Candidates unopposed by a major party

In 6 (40%) of the 15 districts up for election in 2014, there was only one major party candidate running for election. Five Democrats and one Republican were guaranteed election in November barring unforeseen circumstances.

Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 9 (60%) of the 15 districts up for election. Fourteen Senate seats were up for election in2012. None of those seats held competitive elections in 2012, meaning a margin of victory ranging from 0 to 5 percent. Two elections were mildly competitive, with a margin of victory of 5 to 10 percent. Those districts wereDistrict 5 andDistrict 25. Those two mildly competitive districts saw almost $3 million in campaign contributions raised by general election candidates.^[3] Elections in the Senate were staggered, meaning none of the seats with elections in 2012 were up for election in 2014.

Primary challenges

No incumbent state senators faced primary competition on May 20. There was one incumbent not seeking re-election in 2014 and another 14 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition.

Retiring incumbents

In District 13,Larry George (R) was the only incumbent not seeking re-election, while 14 (93.3%) of the 15 current incumbents ran for re-election.

Qualifications

Article 4, Section 8 of theOregon Constitution states:

• No person shall be a Senator or Representative who at the time of election is not a citizen of the United States; nor anyone who has not been for one year next preceding the election an inhabitant of the district from which the Senator or Representative may be chosen. However, for purposes of the general election next following the operative date of an apportionment under section 6 of this Article, the person must have been an inhabitant of the district from January 1 of the year following the reapportionment to the date of the election.
• Senators and Representatives shall be at least twenty one years of age.
• No person shall be a Senator or Representative who has been convicted of a felony during:
  • The term of office of the person as a Senator or Representative; or
  • The period beginning on the date of the election at which the person was elected to the office of Senator or Representative and ending on the first day of the term of office to which the person was elected.
• No person is eligible to be elected as a Senator or Representative if that person has been convicted of a felony and has not completed the sentence received for the conviction prior to the date that person would take office if elected. As used in this subsection, “sentence received for the conviction” includes a term of imprisonment, any period of probation or post-prison supervision and payment of a monetary obligation imposed as all or part of a sentence.
• Notwithstanding sections 11 and 15, Article IV of this Constitution:
  • The office of a Senator or Representative convicted of a felony during the term to which the Senator or Representative was elected or appointed shall become vacant on the date the Senator or Representative is convicted.
  • A person elected to the office of Senator or Representative and convicted of a felony during the period beginning on the date of the election and ending on the first day of the term of office to which the person was elected shall be ineligible to take office and the office shall become vacant on the first day of the next term of office.
• Subject to subsection (4) of this section, a person who is ineligible to be a Senator or Representative under subsection (3) of this section may:
  • Be a Senator or Representative after the expiration of the term of office during which the person is ineligible; and
  • Be a candidate for the office of Senator or Representative prior to the expiration of the term of office during which the person is ineligible.
• No person shall be a Senator or Representative who at all times during the term of office of the person as a Senator or Representative is not an inhabitant of the district from which the Senator or Representative may be chosen or has been appointed to represent. A person shall not lose status as an inhabitant of a district if the person is absent from the district for purposes of business of the Legislative Assembly. Following the operative date of an apportionment under section 6 of this Article, until the expiration of the term of office of the person, a person may be an inhabitant of any district.

Context

A two-seat gap separated Republican and Democratic control of the State Senate, with the Democratic Party holding the chamber heading into November.

TheOregon State Senate was identified by Louis Jacobson ofGoverning magazine as one of 17 chambers that was "vulnerable to a change in control in November." Jacobson rated the state senate contest in Oregon as "leans Democratic."^[1]

Both parties offered an analysis of how they could maneuver themselves into a Senate majority. For the Oregon Democratic Party, Democratic-friendly issues were expected to boost turnout among registered Democrats. According to Tom Powers, the executive director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, which was the leading funding operation of the Oregon Democratic Party, "Voters in Southern Oregon and the Mid-Valley delivered a strong message yesterday about their excitement to elect Democratic candidates for the Senate."^[4] Powers highlighted the larger voter turnout in support of traditionally Democratic positions such as the prohibition on genetically-modified crops, particularly in Southern Oregon's Jackson County. A statewide initiative,Measure 92, which would require that genetically-modified food receive a label, also played a role in voter turnout.^[4]

On the Republican side, the Oregon Republican Party had 11 Senate candidates running in 16 districts.^[5] Dan Lavey, president of Gallatin Public Affairs and a Republican strategist, said "In terms of control of the Legislature, theRepublican party and the candidates closest to the center of the electorate will be successful." Lavey suggested that in order to take majority control in the state senate, the Republican Party in Oregon needed to bring together "a rural/suburban coalition," including "a moderate business coalition combined with a populist conservative coalition."^[6]

The Bulletin, an Oregon-based newspaper, noted that the Democratic and Republican parties were focused on close races as well as the influence that independent voters can wield in those key races.^[2] Several of the key races identified byThe Bulletin received extra attention from the state parties. For the Democrats, this includedDistrict 3, a district which Tom Powers, the executive director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, called "our top contentious seat to hold a majority."^[2] According to Powers, other vulnerable incumbent Republicans included senators fromDistrict 15,District 20 andDistrict 26. Oregon Democrats hoped that the number of vulnerable Republican incumbents exceeded that of vulnerable Democrats, placing their party in a stronger position to maintain control of the state senate.

For state Republicans, the party focused on taking outState Sen.Peter Courtney, also the chamber's president.^[2] The Republicans also hoped that increasing turnout in a non-presidential election year would mimic the turnout of the 2010 midterm election, during which Republican and conservative candidates around the country managed to capture numerous state legislative chambers as well as governorships. During that election, the Oregon Republican Party managed to tie the Democratic Party in theOregon House of Representatives. Another focus of the state's Republicans included independent voters, many of which who had not registered with either the Republican or Democratic parties.^[2] According to Michael Gay, an state senate Republican Party spokesperson, such voters could have helped shift certain electoral districts toward Republicans.

Races to watch

• District 3: IncumbentAlan Bates (D) won the Senate seat in District 3 by only 275 votes in 2010 in a recount againstDave Dotterrer (R). That victory by Bates helped the Democratic Party achieve a slim majority (16-14) in the State Senate (the chamber would have been evenly divided had Dotterrer defeated Bates). In 2014, Dotterrer faced Bates in a closely-watched race that could have tipped the control of the State Senate into Republican hands. As of 2013, the Democrats had a registration edge of roughly 5 points over that of Republicans, although that was a point less than Democratic registration in 2010.^[7] Recent campaign finance reports showed that Bates raised just over $430,000, while Dotterrer has raised $606,000.^[8]

• District 8: IncumbentBetsy Close (R) was defeated byRep. Sara Gelser (D-16) in the general election. Close, from conservative Albany, was appointed to the chamber to replaceFrank Morse (R), a more moderateRepublican who retired. Gelser has served in the House for four terms, representing the liberal college town of Corvallis.^[9] In this election cycle, Gelser had raised $630,000, compared to $408,000 for Close. Gelser received more than $160,000 from the Senate Democratic campaign fund as well as donations from several union organizations.^[8]

• District 15: Former state representativeChuck Riley (D) defeated incumbentBruce Starr (R) andCaitlin Mitchel-Markley (L) in the general election. In 2010, Starr defeated Riley by less than 2,000 votes. Campaign finance reports released before the general election showed that Starr had received over $550,000 and Riley had raised over $400,000 in donations.^[8]

List of candidates

District 3

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Alan Bates: 14,155a- Incumbent Bates was first elected to the chamber in 2004.

May 20 Republican primary:

• Dave Dotterrer: 10,531a

November 4 General election candidates:

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Alan Bates: 27,678

Dave Dotterrer: 23,700

Art H. Krueger: 1,917

District 4

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Floyd Prozanski: 10,414a- Incumbent Prozanski was first appointed to the chamber in 2003.

May 20 Republican primary:

• Cheryl Mueller: 6,184a

November 4 General election candidates:

Floyd Prozanski: 30,601

Cheryl Mueller: 20,119

William Bollinger: 2,010

District 6

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Lee Beyer: 6,624a- Incumbent Beyer was first elected to the chamber in 2010.

May 20 Republican primary:

• Michael P. Spasaro: 3,772a

November 4 General election candidates:

Lee Beyer: 26,080

Michael P. Spasaro: 17,999

District 7

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Chris Edwards: 7,914a- Incumbent Edwards was first appointed to the chamber in 2009.

May 20 Republican primary:

• Gary Williams (write-in): 66

November 4 General election candidates:

Chris Edwards: 30,550

District 8

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Sara A. Gelser: 8,240a

May 20 Republican primary:

• Betsy L. Close: 6,337a- Incumbent Close was first appointed to the chamber in 2012.

November 4 General election candidates:

Sara A. Gelser: 27,826

Betsy L. Close: 21,922

District 10

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Jackie Winters (write-in): 136

May 20 Republican primary:

• Jackie Winters: 8,296a- Incumbent Winters was first elected to the chamber in 2002.

November 4 General election candidates:

Jackie Winters: 38,129

Glen E. Ewert: 5,315

District 11

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Peter Courtney: 4,769a- Incumbent Courtney was first elected to the chamber in 1998.

May 20 Republican primary:

• Patricia Milne: 3,838a
• Tom M. Chereck Jr.: 736

November 4 General election candidates:

Peter Courtney: 16,179

Patricia Milne: 13,442

District 13

Note: IncumbentLarry George (R) did not run for re-election.

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Ryan Howard: 4,957a

May 20 Republican primary:

• Kim Thatcher: 8,644a

November 4 General election candidates:

Ryan Howard: 19,434

Kim Thatcher: 27,638

District 15

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Chuck Riley: 4,658a

May 20 Republican primary:

• Bruce Starr: 5,173a- Incumbent Starr was first elected to the chamber in 2002.

November 4 General election candidates:

Chuck Riley: 18,156

Bruce Starr: 17,869

Caitlin Mitchel-Markley: 3,593

District 16

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Betsy Johnson: 9,965a- Incumbent Johnson was first appointed to the chamber in 2005.

May 20 Republican primary:

• Betsy Johnson (write-in): 449

November 4 General election candidates:

Betsy Johnson: 34,324

Robert Ekstrom: 5,985

Perry Roll: 1,901

Andrew Kaza: 6,603

District 17

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Elizabeth Steiner Hayward: 8,256a- Incumbent Haywards was first appointed to the chamber in 2012.

May 20 Republican primary:

• John Verbeek: 4,298a

November 4 General election candidates:

Elizabeth Steiner Hayward: 30,677

John Verbeek: 15,697

District 19

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Richard Devlin: 10,183a- Incumbent Devlin was first elected to the chamber in 2002.

May 20 Republican primary:

• Richard Devlin (write-in): 212

November 4 General election candidates:

Richard Devlin: 39,529

District 20

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Jamie Damon: 6,417a

May 20 Republican primary:

• Alan R. Olsen: 7,106a- Incumbent Olsen was first elected to the chamber in 2010.

November 4 General election candidates:

Jamie Damon: 23,930

Alan R. Olsen: 26,705

District 23

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Michael Dembrow: 11,189a- Incumbent Dembrow was first appointed to the chamber in 2013.

May 20 Republican primary:

• Michael Dembrow (write-in): 12

November 4 General election candidates:

Michael Dembrow: 40,948

Michael Marvin: 6,097

District 24

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Rod Monroe: 4,950a- Incumbent Monroe was first elected to the chamber in 2006.

May 20 Republican primary:

• Rod Monroe (write-in): 205

November 4 General election candidates:

Rod Monroe: 22,491

District 26

May 20 Democratic primary:

• Robert R. Bruce: 4,867a

May 20 Republican primary:

• Chuck Thomsen: 5,267a- Incumbent Thomsen was first elected to the chamber in 2010.

November 4 General election candidates:

Robert R. Bruce: 18,641

Chuck Thomsen: 24,422

See also

• Oregon State Senate
• Oregon State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Oregon Secretary of State - Candidate list
• Official Results - May 20, 2014 Primary Election
• Oregon Secretary of State - Unofficial General Election Results
• Oregon Secretary of State - Official General Election Results

Footnotes

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