2012_Oregon's_1st_congressional_district_special_election
A 2012 special election in Oregon's 1st congressional district was held on January 31, 2012, to fill a seat in the U.S. Congress for Oregon's 1st congressional district, following the resignation of Representative David Wu. Primary elections were held on November 8, 2011, with the Democrats selecting state senator Suzanne Bonamici and the Republicans selecting businessman Rob Cornilles.[1][2]
Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...
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 County results Bonamici: 40–50% 50–60% 70–80% Cornilles: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||
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Bonamici was declared the winner almost as soon as the ballot deadline expired at 8 pm PST.[3] She carried every county in the district except Yamhill County, which Cornilles won by a seven-point margin.[4]
Ballots were due for the Democratic primary on November 8, 2011.
Candidates
The following candidates filed to run in the primary:
- Saba Ahmed, lobbyist and former engineer[5][6]
- Brad Avakian, commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries[6][7]
- Suzanne Bonamici, state senator[6][7]
- Dominick Hammon, former contractor[5][6]
- Robert Lettin, investment adviser[5][6]
- Todd Ritter, textbook dealer[5][6]
- Dan Strite, golf professional and business owner[5][6]
- Brad Witt, state representative[6][7]
Polling
More information Poll source, Dates administered ...
| Poll source | Dates administered | Brad Avakian | Suzanne Bonamici | Dominick Hannon | Robert Lettin | Todd Ritter | Dan Strite | Brad Witt | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregonian/KGW | October 24–26, 2011 | 11% | 45% | – | – | – | – | 5% | 1% | 38% |
| Survey USA | October 17–20, 2011 | 14% | 52% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 9% | – | 21% |
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Results
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Suzanne Bonamici | 48,404 | 65.27 | |
| Democratic | Brad Avakian | 16,415 | 22.13 | |
| Democratic | Brad Witt | 5,870 | 7.92 | |
| Democratic | Dan Strite | 1,176 | 1.59 | |
| Democratic | Dominic Hammon | 889 | 1.20 | |
| Democratic | Todd Lee Ritter | 632 | 0.85 | |
| write-ins | 454 | 0.61 | ||
| Democratic | Saba Ahmed | 231 | 0.31 | |
| Democratic | Robert E. Lettin | 91 | 0.12 | |
| Total votes | 74,162 | 100 | ||
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Ballots were due for the Republican primary on November 8, 2011.
Candidates
The following candidates have filed to run in the primary:
- Rob Cornilles, businessman and unsuccessful 2010 nominee[6][7]
- Pavel Goberman, fitness instructor and perennial candidate[5][6]
- Jim Greenfield, real estate investor and film producer[5][6]
- Lisa Michaels, activist and cable show host[5][6]
- Delinda Delgado-Morgan, works with the International Union of Operating Engineers[5][6]
Polling
More information Poll source, Dates administered ...
| Poll source | Dates administered | Rob Cornilles | Delinda Delgado-Morgan | Pavel Goberman | Jim Greenfield | Lisa Michaels | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | October 17–20, 2011 | 66% | 2% | 1% | 4% | 7% | 20% |
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Results
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rob Cornilles | 39,500 | 72.76 | |
| Republican | Jim Greenfield | 6,222 | 11.46 | |
| Republican | Lisa Michaels | 5,597 | 10.31 | |
| Republican | Pavel Goberman | 1,629 | 3.00 | |
| Republican | Delinda Delgado-Morgan | 831 | 1.53 | |
| write-ins | 507 | 0.93 | ||
| Total votes | 54,286 | 100 | ||
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Oregon's cross nomination system, a form of fusion voting, allows a candidate for partisan public office to be nominated by up to three political parties.[8] In November 2011, the Independent Party of Oregon held a primary, announcing the results on November 30. Suzanne Bonamici won the primary and was able list herself as the nominee of the Independent Party on the general election ballot.
Candidates
- Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon state senator
- Rob Cornilles, businessman
Results
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Suzanne Bonamici | 56 | 64.37 | |
| Republican | Rob Cornilles | 31 | 35.63 | |
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Ballots were due for the special election on January 31, 2012.
Candidates
The following candidates will be on the ballot:
- Suzanne Bonamici, (Democrat, Independent), State Senator[2]
- Rob Cornilles (Republican), businessman[2]
- James Foster (Libertarian), computer programmer[10]
- Steven Reynolds (Progressive), Army veteran[11]
Polling
More information Poll Source, Date Administered ...
| Poll Source | Date Administered | Suzanne Bonamici (D) | Rob Cornilles (R) | James Foster (L) | Steven Reynolds (OPP) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | December 22, 2011 – January 4, 2012 | 50% | 39% | 2% | 2% | 7% |
| Public Policy Polling/Daily Kos/SEIU | December 13–14, 2011 | 52% | 41% | – | – | 7% |
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Results
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Suzanne Bonamici | 111,570 | 53.82 | ||
| Republican | Rob Cornilles | 81,985 | 39.55 | ||
| Progressive | Steven Reynolds | 6,679 | 3.22 | ||
| Libertarian | James Foster | 6,524 | 3.15 | ||
| write-ins | 527 | 0.25 | |||
| Total votes | 207,285 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
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- Trygstad, Kyle (August 4, 2011). "Oregon Special Election Set for January". Roll Call. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- "November 8, 2011 Special Congressional Primary Election: Election Results". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
- "Democrat Suzanne Bonamici wins Oregon special election, replacing David Wu after sex scandal". The Washington Post. January 31, 2012. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- "Representative in Congress, 1st District". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- Mapes, Jeff (August 15, 2011). "Oregon's 1st District race attracts 13 hopefuls for Republican, Democratic primaries". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
- "Candidate Filing Search Results: 2011 Special Congressional Primary". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- Joseph, Cameron (August 3, 2011). "Rep. Wu's 2010 GOP opponent jumps into special election to replace lawmaker". The Hill. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- Mapes, Jeff (July 8, 2009). "Kulongoski will sign fusion voting bill". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- "Bonamici Wins IPO Nomination for U.S. Representative". Independent Party of Oregon. Archived from the original on December 23, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
- Knight, Bruce (September 28, 2011). "LPO picks James Foster for US House of Representatives". Libertarian Party of Oregon. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- Mapes, Jeff (November 16, 2011). "Progressive Party candidate wins ballot spot in congressional special election". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- "January 31, 2012, Special Election Official Results". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- Saba Ahmed campaign website
- Brad Avakian campaign website
- Suzanne Bonamici campaign website
- Rob Cornilles campaign website
- James Foster campaign website
- Pavel Goberman campaign website
- Jim Greenfield campaign website
- Lisa Michaels campaign website
- Delinda Morgan campaign website Archived October 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Dan Strite campaign website
- Brad Witt campaign website