Kate Brown walked away with the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State tonight, scoring 51 percent of the vote, while opponents Rick Metsger and Vicki Walker had 28 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

Brown’s victory was aided by her large campaign kitty; she has spent $480,000 since January, and was supported by large checks from many of Oregon’s largest unions.

The Democratic nominee credited her win to a comprehensive field effort and her volunteers. She said the campaign made over 40,000 individual phone calls.

“It was definitely our field effort,” Brown said.

She also noted that she stayed positive throughout the campaign, and believes that message was important to voters.

“I’ve had people call and thank me for staying positive,” she said.

A supporter nearby added to Brown’s discussion about the factors influencing her victory, proclaiming “plus she’s really great!”

Brown will now take on Republican Rick Dancer in November.