A Republican-led push in Oregon to recall Gov. Kate Brown (D) has failed after the campaign fell short of the required number of signatures needed to qualify for the state ballot.

According to The Oregonian, the effort, launched in July by Oregon Republican Party Chairman Bill Currier amid a partisan fight over environmental legislation, needed to gather 280,050 signatures from registered voters by 5 p.m on Monday in order to make the ballot.

ADVERTISEMENT

If the campaign was successful, it would have been the first time in the history of the state that an effort to have the governor recalled reached the ballot.

During an appearance on "The Lars Larson Show" on Monday, Currier did not disclose the number of signatures the effort ended up gathering but acknowledged it was less than the requirement.

“Not by a lot, but we did come up short,” he said.

In the petition Currier filed earlier this year calling for the governor to be recalled, he wrote that “the people of Oregon deserve and expect a governor that honors the will of the voters and works for the good of all citizens, not just special interests and politically-motivated agendas.”

He cited the governor’s support for legislation that would grant driving privileges to undocumented immigrants as well as a cap-and-trade program that was met with opposition from a number of state Republican lawmakers earlier this year.

An adviser to Brown, Thomas Wheatley, knocked the effort in a statement to The Oregonian on Monday.

“Recalls should be used only when an elected official has committed a crime, not when someone disagrees with the policies of the governor or another elected official,” Wheatley said.

“The extremists pushing reckless recalls want to overturn the will of the voters who elected Democrats by wide margins. In rejecting this recall, the public has sent a clear message: Oregonians don't want to waste their tax dollars on a reckless recall,” he added.

Brown won reelection last year after she bested her Republican challenger, Knute Buehler, by more than 119,000 votes.