On November 4, 2008, the U.S. state of Oregon held statewide general elections for three statewide offices (secretary of state, treasurer, and attorney general), both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and twelve state ballot measures. The primary elections were held on May 20, 2008. Both elections also included national races for President of the US, US Senator, and US House Representatives. Numerous local jurisdictions — cities, counties, and regional government entities — held elections for various local offices and ballot measures on these days as well. Candidates for statewide offices Democrat Kate Brown won the election for Secretary of State. She defeated Rick Metsger, Vicki Walker, and Paul Damian Wells in the Democratic primary. She then won the general election, in which she faced Republican Rick Dancer (who was unopposed in the Republican primary) and Pacific Green Party nominee Seth Alan Woolley. Democrat Ben Westlund won the race for Treasurer. He and Republican Allen Alley were each unopposed in their respective primaries. Constitution Party nominee Michael Marsh was also on the November ballot. Democrat John Kroger was elected Attorney General. He won the Democratic nomination over Greg Macpherson. Kroger also won the Republican nomination since no Republican filed and the most write-in votes—2,885—were for him. Three minor party candidates were also on the November ballot: J Ashlee Albies (Oregon Working Families Party), Walter F. Brown (Pacific Green Party), and James E. Leuenberger (Constitution Party of Oregon). Brad Avakian, who was appointed Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries in spring 2008, defeated two opponents in his campaign to retain that seat: Pavel Goberman and Mark Welyczko. The position is non-partisan. Oregon Supreme Court Associate Justice Martha Walters won reelection, with no opponent. Oregon Court of Appeals judge Timothy Sercombe did as well. State legislature The Democratic Party of Oregon gained five seats in the Oregon House of Representatives, while the Oregon Republican Party gained one seat in the state Senate, the one Democrat Ben Westlund vacated to run for state treasurer. Going into the 2009 legislative session, Democrats will have a 36-member majority in the 60-seat House, and an 18-member majority in the 30-seat Senate. These three-fifths majorities give Democrats exactly the number of votes in each house needed to pass any bills that raise revenue, due to the supermajority requirement in Article IV §25 of Oregon's constitution. Of the 60 races for the House, 39 had both Democratic and