# 2008 Oregon Commissioner of Labor election

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The 2008 Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries election was held on November 4, 2008, in order to elect the Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries. The election was held on a nonpartisan basis.
Incumbent Commissioner Brad Avakian, who had been appointed by Governor Ted Kulongoski after Commissioner Dan Gardner resigned, was elected to a full term.

## Candidates

* Brad Avakian, incumbent Labor Commissioner
* Pavel Goberman, perennial candidate
* Mark Welyczko, security guard
While the position of Labor Commissioner is nonpartisan, Avakian is a known Democrat. Welyczko had previously challenged incumbent David Wu in that year's congressional primaries as a Democrat, and Goberman had run for a variety of offices under different parties, including as a Democrat, Republican, and Libertarian.

## Campaign

Avakian, at the time a state senator, was appointed Labor Commissioner in March 2008 and took office April 8. A special election was set for November 4, alongside the general election scheduled for that date.
Avakian faced two opponents with no political experience. Despite that, he spent on advertising, aiming to boost his low statewide name recognition. He was endorsed by the Oregonian and Willamette Week.

## Results

General election results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Nonpartisan | Brad Avakian | 690,000 | 67.21% |
| | Nonpartisan | Pavel Goberman | 184,919 | 18.01% |
| | Nonpartisan | Mark R. Welyczko | 135,666 | 13.22% |
| | | write-ins | 16,056 | 1.56% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,026,641 | 100.00% |