2022 Oregon Commissioner of Labor election


The 2022 Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries election was held on November 8, 2022, in order to elect the Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries. The election was held on a nonpartisan basis. Nevertheless, Christina Stephenson was favored by the Democrats while Cheri Helt was favored by the Republicans.
Incumbent Commissioner Val Hoyle did not seek reelection in order to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Christina Stephenson was decisively elected to succeed her in the November runoff, defeating former state representative Cheri Helt.

Primary election

The primary election was held on May 17, 2022. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, the top two placing candidates advanced to a runoff in November.

Candidates

Prior to the election, Chris Henry withdrew from the race and endorsed Christina Stephenson. However, his name remained on the ballot.
While the position of Labor Commissioner is nonpartisan, Barker, Helt, and Neuman have run for office as Republicans, while Kulla and Stephenson are Democrats. Henry is a member of the Oregon Progressive Party.

Runoff

Campaign

Although the position is officially nonpartisan, Stephenson was endorsed by Democratic Party officials, including gubernatorial nominee Tina Kotek and incumbent commissioner Val Hoyle. Helt was endorsed by Republican gubernatorial nominee Christine Drazan and independent gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson.

Results

By congressional district

Stephenson won five of six congressional districts, including one that elected a Republican.
DistrictStephensonHeltRepresentative
69%30%Suzanne Bonamici
45%54%Cliff Bentz
75%25%Earl Blumenauer
61%38%Peter DeFazio
61%38%Val Hoyle
55%44%Kurt Schrader
55%44%Lori Chavez-DeRemer
59%41%Andrea Salinas