A person pumps gas at an Arco station on Belmont Street in Portland, Ore. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. The recently passed transportation bill would raise the gas tax by 6 cents to a total of 46 cents per gallon, and increase vehicle registration, titling fees and a payroll tax that funds public transit.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
More than 950,000 of Oregon’s 3 million registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election.
The May primary helps set up races for November. Political parties ask voters to name candidates to run for governor and other offices.
At the county level, some races were decided Tuesday night for commissioner seats. However, many races in Washington and Clackamas counties appear to be headed for a run-off in November.
Plenty is also decided in the primary, despite historically garnering fewer voters than the fall election. This year, voters rejected a statewide measure to hike up the tax on gasoline. They also appear to have granted Christina Stephenson a second term as head of Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries in the nonpartisan labor commissioner race.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s election:
1.) Republican Christine Drazan will face incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek in November’s general election.
The top two names on Oregonian’s November ballot will look familiar to those who voted for governor in 2022. That year, Kotek won by 4%.
Drazan is a lifelong Oregonian currently serving as the state senator for Oregon’s 26th District, which includes Hood River County and parts of Clackamas, Multnomah and Wasco counties.
Like her challengers, Drazan ran her primary election on lowering taxes and cutting regulations for businesses. She also talked to voters about increasing funding for public safety, in part to lower the state’s stubbornly high rate of people experiencing homelessness.
The first time Drazan and Kotek went head-to-head, Drazan lost by 67,000 votes. However, the 2022 election included a third party candidate – Betsy Johnson – who likely drew votes away from Drazan. No such candidate is in the race this time around.
2.) Voters soundly reject raising gasoline tax and car registration fees to pay for updates to roads, bridges and public transit
Many of Oregon’s roads and bridges are aging and in desperate need of money for maintenance and updates. But those funds won’t come from an increased tax on gasoline, which on average is costing drivers more than $5.30 per gallon in Oregon, according to AAA.
The current high gas prices are mostly due to the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran threatening the stability of the world’s crude oil supply. But Oregonians also already pay the 12th-highest state gas tax in the nation, at 40 cents per gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Measure 120 would have increased the state’s gas tax by 6 cents, doubled registration and titling fees and temporarily raised payroll taxes to fund public transit. As of Wednesday morning, 83% of those who cast a ballot voted no. In historically liberal Multnomah County, 75% of voters rejected the measure.
Still, transportation officials have continually warned state lawmakers that if some source of funding doesn’t come through, Oregon will lack the resources needed to maintain and update roads and bridges.
3.) Clackamas County voters say no to increasing funding to maintain current sheriff’s staff and jail beds
The sheriff’s office in Clackamas County is facing a funding gap that puts 36 jail deputies, five detectives, 84 jail beds, and body cameras at risk, as well as internal affairs investigators meant to hold personnel accountable.
Measure 3-633 would have increased the current levy by 45%, working out to about $60 per year for the average Clackamas County homeowner.
But in a year when voters are feeling strapped for cash due to the rising cost of groceries, fuel and regular household items, 61% of voters had voted against the levy measure as of 7 a.m. Wednesday.
More: Oregon primary analysis and results
OPB reporters Holly Bartholomew, Lauren Dake and Bryce Dole contributed to this story.
