PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A cabinet maker from Brownsville is the Independent Party of Oregon’s candidate for governor in the upcoming election, the Secretary of State’s office announced Thursday.
Patrick Starnes narrowly won the Independent Party’s nomination with 6,030 votes. Republican state Rep. Knute Buehler received 5,793 votes while Democratic Gov. Kate Brown received 2,899 votes.
The Secretary of State’s office certified the election results on Thursday.
“I am looking forward to being at each and every debate in order to represent an Independent Oregon and make getting big money out of politics a referendum this November,” Starnes said in a statement.
Starnes was the only one of the three Independent Party candidates for governor who paid the $3,000 required to appear in the voters’ pamphlet for the state’s May 15 primary, the Bulletin reported . The Independent Party’s primary was open to any voter who requested a ballot.
Brown and Buehler likely spent thousands of dollars on write-in campaigns attempting to win a cross-nomination from the Independent Party.
The effort was especially important for Buehler because third-party candidates are known to take anti-incumbent votes.
Aside from being a cabinet maker, Starnes also has experience serving on boards for a local school district and education service district, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
Starnes hopes to get the support of non-affiliated voters and others who may be discouraged by the influence of deep-pocketed political donors.
“They’ve given up,” Starnes said. “They feel like big money’s taken over.”
He shares many of Brown and Buehler’s moderate political stances and like the two he is “pro-choice, pro-environment,” he said.
The general election is Nov. 6.
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