Skip to main content
Ending whatever small suspense still existed, state Rep. Jennifer Williamson (D-Portland) has put in writing that she intends to run for secretary of state.
Williamson, as of this morning, set up her campaign finance PAC for a run for secretary of state. (She has not yet filed the paperwork to appear on the ballot.)
Related: Williamson Polling for Several Jobs
Williamson, who has championed criminal justice reforms, previously eyed a run for state attorney general. That was an unusual proposition in Oregon Democratic politics, because it would have involved challenging a Democratic incumbent, Ellen Rosenblum, who is running for reelection. (Disclosure: Rosenblum is married to Richard Meeker, the co-owner of WW's parent company.)
Related: Secretary of State Field Getting Bigger
The secretary of state post, by contrast, will be an open seat because current Secretary of State Bev Clarno will not run. Clarno is currently the only Republican state-wide office holder. Gov. Kate Brown appointed Clarno to fill the remainder of the term of the late Secretary of State, Dennis Richardson, who died earlier this year of cancer.
In the Democratic primary, Williamson will face state Sen. Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) and Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who won 39 percent of the vote when she ran against U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) in 2016.
