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 The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

for

Oregon's 1st congressional district Oregon's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S state of Oregon. The district stretches from Portland's western suburbs and exurbs, to parts of the Oregon coast. The district includes the principal cities of ...

, following the resignation of Representative

David Wu David Wu (born April 8, 1955) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. As a child of immigrants from Taiwan, Wu was the first Taiwanese American to serve in ...

Primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s were held on November 8, 2011, with the Democrats selecting state senator

Suzanne Bonamici Suzanne Marie Bonamici ( ; born October 14, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Oregon's 1st congressional district, a seat she was first elected to in a 2012 special election. The district includes m ...

and the Republicans selecting businessman Rob Cornilles. Bonamici was declared the winner almost as soon as the ballot deadline expired at 8 pm PST. She carried every county in the district except

Yamhill County Yamhill County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,722. The county seat is McMinnville. Yamhill County was named after the Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Tribe. Yamhill Cou ...

, which Cornilles won by a seven-point margin.

Democratic primary

Ballots were due for the Democratic primary on November 8, 2011.

Candidates

The following candidates filed to run in the primary: *

Saba Ahmed Saba Ahmed (born January 11, 1985) is a Pakistani-American political activist, lawyer, and engineer. She is the founder and president of the Republican Muslim Coalition, former lawyer at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and former e ...

, lobbyist and former engineer *

Brad Avakian Brad Peter Avakian (born February 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as a Democrat in the Oregon House, the Oregon Senate, and as the state's nonpartisan elected Labor Commissioner. He was appointed Labor Commissioner by Governor Ted ...

, commissioner of the

Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is an agency in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is headed by the Commissioner of Labor and Industries, a nonpartisan, statewide elective office. The term of ...

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

* Dominick Hammon, former contractor * Robert Lettin, investment adviser * Todd Ritter, textbook dealer * Dan Strite, golf professional and business owner * Brad Witt,

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Polling

Results

Republican primary

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 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

nominee * Pavel Goberman, fitness instructor and

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...

* Jim Greenfield, real estate investor and film producer * Lisa Michaels, activist and cable show host * Delinda Delgado-Morgan, works with the

International Union of Operating Engineers The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) is a trade union within the United States-based AFL–CIO representing primarily construction workers who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, and stationary engineers (also ...

Polling

Results

Independent primary

Oregon's cross nomination system, a form of

fusion voting Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate. It is distinct from the process of electoral alliances in that the political parties remain separat ...

, allows a candidate for partisan public office to be nominated by up to three political parties. In November 2011, the

Independent Party of Oregon The Independent Party of Oregon (IPO) is a centrist political party in the U.S. state of Oregon with more than 135,000 registrants since its inception in January 2007. The IPO is Oregon's third-largest political party and the first political party ...

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

, Oregon state senator * Rob Cornilles, businessman

Results

Special general election

Ballots were due for the special election on January 31, 2012.

Candidates

The following candidates will be on the ballot: *

, (

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

* Rob Cornilles (

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

), businessman * James Foster (

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

), computer programmer * Steven Reynolds ( Progressive), Army veteran

Polling

Results

References

External links

Saba Ahmed campaign websiteBrad Avakian campaign websiteSuzanne Bonamici campaign websiteRob Cornilles campaign websiteJames Foster campaign websitePavel Goberman campaign websiteJim Greenfield campaign websiteLisa Michaels campaign websiteDelinda Morgan campaign website

Dan Strite campaign websiteBrad Witt campaign website
{{Oregon elections 1st Oregon 1 2012 1 special Oregon 2012 1 Oregon 1 United States House of Representatives 2012 01 January 2012 events in the United States

Democratic primary

Candidates

Polling

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Polling

Results

Independent primary

Candidates

Results

Special general election

Candidates

Polling

Results

See also

References

External links