The 1982 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Republican Governor Victor Atiyeh won re-election to a second term in a landslide, defeating Democratic state senator Ted Kulongoski and carrying every county in the state. To date, this is the last time that a Republican was elected Governor of Oregon, and the most recent gubernatorial election in which every county voted for the same nominee. Twenty years later, Kulongoski was elected governor and served two terms.

Primary election

Oregon held primary elections on May 18, 1982.

Republican party

Candidates

Results

Republican primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Victor G. Atiyeh (inc.) 208,333 82.41%
Republican Cliff Everett 17,741 7.02%
Republican Walter Huss 16,892 6.68%
Republican Bruce Broussard 5,173 2.05%
Republican John Michael Wiley Todd 3,891 1.54%
Republican Ted Kulongoski (write-in) 441 0.17%
Republican Don Clark (write-in) 127 0.05%
Republican Jerry Rust (write-in) 60 0.02%
Republican Archie Weinstein (write-in) 36 0.01%
Republican Stan Terry (write-in) 15 0.01%
Republican Steve Anderson (write-in) 5 0.00%
Republican E. Allen Propst (write-in) 4 0.00%
Republican Scattering 80 0.03%
Total votes 252,798 100.00%

Democratic party

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ted Kulongoski 186,580 59.54%
Democratic Don Clark 60,850 19.42%
Democratic Jerry Rust 22,962 7.33%
Democratic Archie Weinstein 12,624 4.03%
Democratic E. Allen Propst 10,245 3.27%
Democratic Stan Terry 9,922 3.17%
Democratic Steve Anderson 7,480 2.39%
Democratic M. A. Yegge 1,825 0.58%
Democratic Victor G. Atiyeh (write-in) 735 0.23%
Democratic Walter Huss (write-in) 78 0.23%
Democratic Cliff Everett (write-in) 13 0.00%
Democratic Bruce Broussard (write-in) 2 0.00%
Democratic Scattering 60 0.02%
Total votes 313,376 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Results

1982 Oregon gubernatorial election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Victor G. Atiyeh (inc.) 639,841 61.40% +6.70%
Democratic Ted Kulongoski 374,316 35.92% −9.01%
Libertarian Paul Cleveland 27,394 2.63%
Write-in Scattering 458 0.04%
Total votes 1,042,009 100.00%
Majority 265,525 25.48%
Republican hold Swing +15.71%

Results by county

As of 2026, this is the most recent gubernatorial election in which a Republican has carried Benton County, Lane County, Lincoln County, and Multnomah County. Additionally, Clatsop County has voted Republican only once since this election.[a]

County[3] Victor G. Atiyeh
Republican		 Ted Kulongoski
Democratic		 Paul Cleveland
Libertarian		 Scattering
Write-in		 Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Baker 4,628 67.41% 2,065 30.08% 172 2.51% 0 0.00% 2,563 37.33% 6,865
Benton 18,739 65.35% 9,277 32.35% 641 2.24% 17 0.06% 9,462 33.00% 28,674
Clackamas 65,755 64.03% 33,897 33.01% 3,013 2.93% 28 0.03% 31,858 31.02% 102,693
Clatsop 8,264 61.47% 4,929 36.66% 248 1.84% 4 0.03% 3,335 24.80% 13,445
Columbia 8,112 56.89% 5,825 40.85% 320 2.24% 3 0.02% 2,287 16.04% 14,260
Coos 12,448 52.27% 10,577 44.41% 787 3.30% 5 0.02% 1,871 7.86% 23,817
Crook 3,425 68.75% 1,452 29.14% 100 2.01% 5 0.10% 1,973 39.60% 4,982
Curry 4,583 60.37% 2,729 35.95% 278 3.66% 1 0.01% 1,854 24.42% 7,591
Deschutes 16,712 70.02% 6,545 27.42% 605 2.53% 6 0.03% 10,167 42.60% 23,868
Douglas 19,854 59.26% 12,497 37.30% 1,146 3.42% 7 0.02% 7,357 21.96% 33,504
Gilliam 745 75.18% 235 23.71% 11 1.11% 0 0.00% 510 51.46% 991
Grant 2,319 66.68% 1,057 30.39% 102 2.93% 0 0.00% 1,262 36.29% 3,478
Harney 2,100 68.01% 918 29.73% 68 2.20% 2 0.06% 1,182 36.29% 3,088
Hood River 4,029 66.14% 1,925 31.60% 137 2.25% 1 0.02% 2,104 34.54% 6,092
Jackson 32,459 62.64% 17,857 34.46% 1,484 2.86% 17 0.03% 14,602 28.18% 51,817
Jefferson 3,068 72.09% 1,090 25.61% 96 2.26% 2 0.05% 1,978 46.48% 4,256
Josephine 14,917 66.82% 6,448 28.89% 953 4.27% 5 0.02% 8,469 37.94% 22,323
Klamath 14,322 66.27% 6,492 30.04% 786 3.64% 10 0.05% 7,830 36.23% 21,610
Lake 2,120 67.15% 940 29.78% 97 3.07% 0 0.00% 1,180 37.38% 3,157
Lane 53,776 51.74% 47,855 46.04% 2,273 2.19% 31 0.03% 5,921 5.70% 103,935
Lincoln 9,123 59.53% 5,693 37.15% 505 3.30% 4 0.03% 3,430 22.38% 15,325
Linn 21,214 63.68% 11,280 33.86% 819 2.46% 3 0.01% 9,934 29.82% 33,316
Malheur 6,496 73.59% 2,115 23.96% 216 2.45% 0 0.00% 4,381 49.63% 8,827
Marion 50,374 65.80% 24,246 31.67% 1,864 2.43% 69 0.09% 26,128 34.13% 76,553
Morrow 1,665 64.39% 834 32.25% 87 3.36% 0 0.00% 831 32.13% 2,586
Multnomah 128,961 55.60% 97,322 41.96% 5,468 2.36% 185 0.08% 31,639 13.64% 231,936
Polk 12,300 65.80% 5,851 31.30% 537 2.87% 6 0.03% 6,449 34.50% 18,694
Sherman 823 71.82% 299 26.09% 24 2.09% 0 0.00% 524 45.72% 1,146
Tillamook 5,485 58.76% 3,609 38.67% 238 2.55% 2 0.02% 1,876 20.10% 9,334
Umatilla 11,909 66.53% 5,589 31.22% 401 2.24% 1 0.01% 6,320 35.31% 17,900
Union 5,796 62.89% 3,193 34.65% 225 2.44% 2 0.02% 2,603 28.24% 9,216
Wallowa 2,271 70.05% 889 27.42% 82 2.53% 0 0.00% 1,382 42.63% 3,242
Wasco 5,644 58.60% 3,744 38.87% 239 2.48% 4 0.04% 1,900 19.73% 9,631
Washington 71,024 69.52% 28,470 27.87% 2,631 2.58% 35 0.03% 42,554 41.65% 102,160
Wheeler 440 66.57% 204 30.86% 17 2.57% 0 0.00% 236 35.70% 661
Yamhill 13,941 66.27% 6,368 30.27% 724 3.44% 3 0.01% 7,573 36.00% 21,036
Total639,84161.40%374,31635.92%27,3942.63%4580.04%265,52525.48%1,042,009

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Notes

  1. ↑ In 2014

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Voters' Pamphlet State of Oregon Primary Election May 18, 1982. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Official Abstract of Votes Primary Election May 18, 1982. Oregon Secretary of State. 1982. pp. 6-7 & 51-52. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Official Abstract of Votes General Election November 2, 1982. Oregon Secretary of State. 1982. p. 6. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Oregon_gubernatorial_election