2026 Oregon Commissioner of Labor election

The 2026 Oregon Commissioner of Labor election was held on May 19, 2026, to elect the Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries, one of five statewide elected offices. Incumbent commissioner Christina Stephenson won re-election to a second term.[1] The election is officially nonpartisan, though candidates can affiliate with a political party.

2026 Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries election

 2022
May 19, 2026
2030 
 
Candidate Christina Stephenson Chris Lynch
Popular vote 589,165 337,991
Percentage 63.20% 36.26%

Stephenson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Lynch:      50–60%      60–70%

Commissioner of Labor and Industries before election

Christina Stephenson

Elected Commissioner of Labor and Industries

Christina Stephenson

Commissioner Stephenson was favored to win reelection, yet she managed to outperform her electoral success in November 2022. Although the office is formally nonpartisan, Stephenson, a Democrat, managed to carry over half of Oregon's counties in her reelection campaign, even outright winning Josephine County, as well as flipping Coos and Deschutes counties, which she narrowly lost four years earlier. Stephenson has become the first Democrat or Democratic-endorsed candidate in any contested statewide election to carry Josephine County, and to carry a majority of the Beaver State's counties, since 2004.

Candidates

edit

Declared

edit
  • Chris Lynch, former bureau of labor and industries investigator[2]
  • Christina Stephenson, incumbent commissioner (2022–present)[3]

Endorsements

edit
Christina Stephenson

Political Parties

Newspapers

Results

edit
2026 Oregon Commissioner of Labor election
Candidate Votes %
Christina Stephenson (incumbent) 589,165 63.20
Chris Lynch 337,991 36.26
Write-in 5,021 0.54
Total votes 932,177 100.0

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. Pursinger, Geoff (September 11, 2025). "Who's running for office in Oregon in 2026?". Madras Pioneer. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  2. Lugo, Dianne (April 11, 2026). "Incumbent faces challenger in race for Oregon BOLI commissioner". Statesman Journal. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  3. "Who's running for office in Oregon in 2026?". Oregon Capital Chronicle. February 17, 2026. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  4. "About: Our Candidates". Oregon Working Families Party. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  5. "Editorial endorsement May 2026: Reelect Christina Stephenson as Oregon labor commissioner". The Oregonian. April 26, 2026. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
edit