Candidates for Oregon governor 2022
More than 40 candidates have filed to run for governor in Oregon this year.
KGW
Oregon’s 2022 primary election will be held on May 17, 2022, followed by the general election on Nov. 8, 2022. Term limits prevent Gov. Kate Brown from running for another consecutive term, throwing next year’s gubernatorial race wide open.
More than 40 candidates filed with the Oregon Secretary of State’s office to run for governor in 2022 or announced plans to run, although a handful have subsequently dropped out. Those who remain include 16 Democrats, 21 Republicans, one Independent and three unaffiliated candidates.
Party-affiliated candidates will need to compete in their respective parties’ primaries, with the winner securing the party nomination and advancing to the general election. Unaffiliated candidates will bypass the primaries and appear directly on the November 2022 ballot.
The filing deadline for the primary election was March 8, so the list of candidates who will appear on the May ballot has been finalized.
Candidates for each party are listed below, alphabetically by last name within each party, along with their home city as listed on Oregon Secretary of State records and the occupation listed on either their own website or state records.
Each listing also includes the candidate’s website, if available, and their campaign’s cash balance as of March 16. This page will be updated with information about any additional candidates who join the race.
To see where the candidates come down on the issues, check out the results of the 2022 Oregon Media Collaboration, in which each candidate was quizzed about climate change and the environment, crime and public safety, education, housing and the economy.
Democratic Candidates
There are 16 Democratic candidates who are listed on the Oregon Secretary of State's website and have not announced plans to drop out:
Julian Bell
Occupation: Physician
Lives in: Ashland
Website: drjulianbell.com
Cash balance: $1,395
David Beem
Occupation: Not listed
Lives in: Salem
Website: Unknown
Cash balance: Not listed
Wilson Bright
Occupation: Retired
Lives in: Bend
Website: endoregonhomelessness.org
Cash balance: $5,000
George Carrillo
Occupation: Program manager at Oregon Health Authority
Lives in: Sherwood
Website: georgefororegon.org
Cash balance: Not listed
Michael Cross
Occupation: Software designer, commercial driver
Lives in: Salem
Website: michaelcrossfororegon.com
Cash balance: $0
Michael David
Occupation: Unclear
Lives in: Ashland
Website: Unknown
Cash balance: $0
Ifeanyichukwu Diru
Occupation: Farmer
Lives in: Beaverton
Website: tosein.com
Cash balance: $0
Peter Hall
Occupation: Semi-retired, City councilor in Haines
Lives in: Haines
Website: peterhallgovforall.com
Cash balance: Not listed
Tina Kotek
Occupation: Former Oregon House Speaker (resigned in January)
Lives in: Portland
Website: tinafororegon.com
Cash balance: $990,438
Dr. Coach Kay (Keisha Lanell Merchant)
Occupation: Artist
Lives in: Corvallis
Website: drcoachkay.wixsite.com/drcoachkay4governor
Cash balance: Not listed
Tobias Read
Occupation: State Treasurer
Lives in: Portland
Website: tobiasread.com
Cash balance: $683,338
Patrick Starnes
Occupation: Cabinetmaker, home restorer
Lives in: Brownsville
Website: starnes2022.com
Cash balance: $32,023
David Stauffer
Occupation: “Environmental inventor” (mass transit waterslide advocate)
Lives in: Portland
Website: facebook.com/StaufferforWater
Cash balance: $3,394
John Sweeney
Occupation: Self-employed
Lives in: Portland
Website: facebook.com/Johnsweeney2022
Cash balance: $0
Michael Trimble
Occupation: Customer service representative, disability advocate
Lives in: Portland
Website: trimbleforgov.com
Cash balance: $0
Genevieve Wilson
Occupation: Independent contractor
Lives in: Portland
Website: Unknown
Cash balance: Not listed
Republican Candidates
There are 21 Republican candidates who are listed on the Oregon Secretary of State's website and have not announced plans to drop out:
Raymond Baldwin
Occupation: Construction
Lives in: Canby
Website: Unknown
Cash balance: $0
Bridget Barton
Occupation: Political consultant
Lives in: West Linn
Website: bridgetbartonfororegon.com
Cash balance: $521,642
Court Boice
Occupation: Not listed
Lives in: Gold Beach
Website: boicegovernor.com
Cash balance: Not listed
David Burch
Occupation: Not listed
Lives in: Salem
Website: Unknown
Cash balance: Not listed
Reed Christensen
Occupation: Not Employed
Lives in: Hillsboro
Website: savethekid.com
Cash balance: $0
Christine Drazan
Occupation: State Representative (resigned in January)
Lives in: Canby
Website: christinefororegon.com
Cash balance: $1,046,430
John Fosdick III
Occupation: Not Employed
Lives in: Corvallis
Website: twitter.com/l_fosdick
Cash balance: $140
Jessica Gomez
Occupation: CEO in electronics manufacturing
Lives in: Medford
Website: jessicagomezforgovernor.com
Cash balance: $135,124
Nicholas Hess
Occupation: IT business owner
Lives in: Tigard
Website: votehess.com
Cash balance: Negative $1,563
Tim McCloud
Occupation: Business analyst
Lives in: Salem
Website: or4mccloud.com
Cash balance: $0
Kerry McQuisten
Occupation: Mayor of Baker City, publisher
Lives in: Baker City
Website: kerrymcquisten.com
Cash balance: $79,073
Brandon Merritt
Occupation: Corporate consultant
Lives in: Bend
Website: merritt22.com
Cash balance: $12,936
Bud Pierce
Occupation: Physician
Lives in: Salem
Website: budpierce.org
Cash balance: $144,816
John Presco
Occupation: Self-employed newspaperman
Lives in: Springfield
Website: Unknown
Cash balance: Not listed
Stan Pulliam
Occupation: Mayor of Sandy, insurance executive
Lives in: Sandy
Website: stanpulliam.org
Cash balance: $290,982
Amber Richardson
Occupation: Massage therapist
Lives in: White City
Website: voteoregonfirst4amber.com
Cash balance: $541
Paul Romero
Occupation: CEO, Youwalk Today
Lives in: Roseburg
Website: romerofororegon.com
Cash balance: $0
Bill Sizemore
Occupation: Writer, political activist
Lives in: Redmond
Website: Unknown
Cash balance: $500
Stefan Strek
Occupation: Artist
Lives in: Eugene
Website: votestrek.com
Cash balance: Not listed
Marc Thielman
Occupation: Alsea school district superintendent
Lives in: Cottage Grove
Website: marcfororegon.com
Cash balance: $10,387
Bob Tiernan
Occupation: Business consultant, attorney
Lives in: Lake Oswego
Website: bobtiernan.com
Cash balance: $1,036,541
Unaffiliated Candidates
There are three Unaffiliated candidates who are listed on the Oregon Secretary of State's website and have not announced plans to drop out:
Timothy Harrold
Occupation: Operations manager
Lives in: Dundee
Website: harroldfororegon.com
Cash balance: $620
Betsy Johnson
Occupation: Former State Senator (resigned in December)
Lives in: Scappoose
Website: runbetsyrun.com
Cash balance: $4,179,250
Dustin Watkins
Occupation: Dishwasher
Lives in: Grant’s Pass
Website: Unknown
Cash balance: $500
Independent Candidates
There is one Independent candidate who is listed on the Oregon Secretary of State's website and has not announced plans to drop out:
Kevin Levy
Occupation: Real estate broker
Lives in: Portland
Website: kevinlevyforgovernor.com
Cash balance: $720
Issue responses
Nearly three dozen candidates for governor are vying for their parties’ nomination in the 2022 primaries on May 17. A collaborative of Oregon journalists wrote 15 questions to help you get to know these folks before you cast your ballot. Click on each candidate’s “card” to see how they responded to our questions on housing, crime, education, the economy and environmental issues.
The following Q&A was compiled by Oregon newsrooms collaborating to cover the 2022 governor’s race. Journalists across the state drafted the following 15 questions, which were distributed to candidates by the Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon. Responses are in the candidates’ own words and have been trimmed at the 300-word limit. Click on the “cards” to see how they responded to our questions on housing, crime, education, economy and environmental issues. The primary election is on May 17.