Republican Dennis Richardson, loser of the last race for Oregon Governor, easily won nomination to run for Secretary of State. His likely opponent will be Democrat Brad Avakian, currently Oregon's labor commissioner.
Richardson walked away with the nomination, rolling up more than 75% of the vote against Lane County Commissioner and former Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken.
Avakian had a closer time of it on the Democratic side, grabbing rough 40% of the vote. State Senator Val Hoyle trailed with 33%, with fellow State Senator Richard Devlin further back. Appointed incumbent Jeanne Atkins did not run for her job.
Avakian has served as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries since his election to that post in 2008. Richardson served several terms in the legislature representing a Rogue Valley district before leaving to run for governor in 2014. He lost the race to John Kitzhaber, only to see Kitzhaber resign in scandal a month into his term.The Secretary of State's duties are many, but the job is often a steppingstone to the governor's office. Current Governor Kate Brown rose to the governorship upon Kitzhaber's resignation; she just won the Democratic nomination to the office.
