The Liftoff: Congressional fundraising numbers are in!
PLUS: Rayfield runs for AG; candidate accused of being a 'nightmarish' boss; Sec. of State won't removed troubled cannabis audit; conflict in the Middle East impacts Oregon politics; and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff!
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1. Rayfield runs for AG—plus, an alleged ‘nightmarish’ boss (and other political news)
Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) announced he is running for attorney general. The Corvallis Democrat, who has served one term as Speaker of the House, confirmed weeks of speculation Wednesday, formally announcing he is running to replace outgoing Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, who is not running for re-election, reports OPB’s Dirk Vanderhart. Rayfield says he will still preside over the February 2024 short legislative session.
Corvallis School Board Member Sami Al-Abdrabbuh and former Corvallis City Councilor Andrew Struthers have already announced they will run for Rayfield’s House District 16 seat, according to the Capital Chronicle.
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin tweeted about HD 16: “By my count there are at least 3 and possibly as many as 6 Democrats seriously considering filing.”
In other statewide election news, former Lake Oswego City Councilor Jeff Gudman, a two-time GOP nominee for State Treasurer, is running for the office again—this time as a Democrat. He joins Senator Elizabeth Steiner in the race.
Five former employees and a consultant of Democrat congressional candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner described their experiences working for her as “a nightmarish boss, who yelled at and berated her staff, corralled them into frequent hours-long meetings, texted them in the middle of the night and retaliated against those who stood up to her,” writes the Capital Chronicle
From the article: “The employees, all of whom worked closely with McLeod-Skinner on teams of fewer than 10 people, described a pattern of behavior that stretched across three campaigns and appears to be part of her management style: Before her first congressional run, a small Oregon city fired her as city manager following similar complaints from city employees.” Read the rest of the article for yourself.
Dick Hughes profiled former House Republican Leader Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville) in a thoughtful and enlightening piece (the interview took place before she stepped down as leader).
From the piece: “She took over as House Republican leader in late 2021 when Christine Drazan stepped down to run for governor. Breese-Iverson had political campaign experience, which Republicans sorely needed to break the Democrats’ super-majority in the House. Republicans won three House seats previously held by Democrats, raised a record amount of money and, for the first time in years, recruited Republican candidates for all 60 House seats.”
The Senate Conduct Committee will review complaints this week alleging that Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego), created a hostile work environment when he refused to grant two Republican senators excused absences for religious reasons during the Republican walkout, reports The Oregonian. An independent investigation by the Legislature already found that Wagner did not violate Senate rules.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint filed against UFCW 555 lobbyist Michael Selvaggio by Rep. Paul Holvey. From the Oregon Capital Chronicle: “Ethics investigator Hillary Murrieta told commissioners there is no ‘specific allegation or evidence’ to suggest he offered to stop the recall in exchange for Holvey’s support on the bill.”
2. Portland loans $3 million to Ritz-Carlton building; another national story on Measure 110
PBS Newshour aired a 10-minute piece on Oregon’s drug decriminalization law (Measure 110) and Portland’s growing drug problem:
Portland Commissioner Mingus Mapps is interviewed saying: “In the last several years, Portland has clearly become known by the drug cartels as a great place to set up a business dealing fentanyl.”
Multnomah County reached a grim milestone last week. The county officially tallied more suspected fatal drug overdoses than the previous year—and it’s only October. According to Willamette Week, there have been 516 fatal drug overdoses this year—six more than last year.
The Prosper Portland board of commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved a $3 million loan to a little-known Portland company that will open a 8,000-square-foot food hall in the nearly complete Ritz-Carlton building, reports Jeff Manning with The Oregonian.
3. Sponsored Message from Harrang Long P.C.: Harrang Long’s Political Law Practice
This message is from our sponsor, Harrang Long P.C.
Now that the legislative session is over, Oregon’s activists, candidates, political committees, and ballot measure petitioners are turning their attention to the 2024 elections. Harrang Long P.C. has represented clients in the political arena for decades, handling matters that include the legal requirements of ballot measure petitions, campaign finance disclosures and regulation, political committee organization, ballot access, and election challenges.
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4. Decoding Oregon’s swing county with Adam Marl
Adam Marl is the City Commission President for Oregon City. He was worked for numerous Republican candidates and elected officials. He serves in the most politically complex of the three major Portland metro counties: Clackamas. Marl is the youngest, as well as first Asian person, to serve on the city commission. As someone who identifies as an Evangelical Christian but cites legislation from leaders like Sen. Mitt Romney, Marl has a nuanced take on Oregon politics. In this episode, Ben and Adam cover a wide range of topics including tolling, culture wars, abortion policy, and what it means to be a young Republican in Oregon in today's political climate.
5. Congressional candidates report fundraising numbers (and other statewide news)
On his Twitter, Kevin Stine has compiled the latest quarterly FEC reports for the major candidates for Congress in Oregon. Here are some highlights:
Fifth CD: Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer had the best quarter of all, raising over $600,000. Her Democratic challengers raised far less: $254,000 for Jamie McLeod-Skinner, $188,000 for State Rep. Janelle Bynum, and $72,000 for Metro President Lynn Peterson.
Sixth CD: Congresswoman Andrea Salinas raised over $400,000. Former State Senator Denyc Boles raised about $60,000.
Fourth CD: Congresswoman Val Hoyle raised over $250,000.
In other federal news, Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer is courting support from unions—uncharacteristic of Republicans. An article from the NW Labor Press called “Teamsters Daughter” quotes her as saying: “It’s not often that Republicans reach out to them and want to build a real relationship with labor.”
The piece is not exactly a flattering profile, however. Here’s an excerpt: “Asked why she wouldn’t support the PRO Act, she answered with lots of words but little clarity.”
An outside review ordered by the Oregon Department of Justice of the Oregon Secretary of State audit of the state’s cannabis program said the audit should be removed from the website, reports The Oregonian. The audit began after former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan disclosed that she was working for cannabis company La Mota.
From Willamette Week: “The investigation stopped short of concluding that the audit itself was corrupted. But it did find that the Audits Division of the Secretary of State’s Office had plenty of warnings that Fagan’s conduct could compromise the perceived or actual independence of the audit—and did not adequately respond to those red flags.”
But, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade says she will not remove it from the website and she will “personally oversee a reevaluation of the evidence presented in the OLCC audit”, reports Willamette Week.
Marion County joined Polk, Jackson and Coos counties in an effort to scrap Measure 110. According to KGW, Marion County commissioners passed a resolution saying that Measure 110, the law to decriminalized small amounts of drugs and set aside cannabis tax revenue for drug treatment programs, has not worked.
An internal Oregon Health Authority audit released to the Oregon Capital Chronicle via a public records request found that the system that determines whether vulnerable Oregonians receive mental health care has widespread “failures” that hurt the people who need care. From the article:
Auditors found a “fragmented, poorly monitored” system that determines how much care people in the behavioral health system should receive – and who is eligible.
Some people had care arbitrarily reduced, while others bunked in secure residential facilities they did not medically qualify for, despite the state’s shortage of behavioral health services.
6. Sponsored Message from the Oregon Values & Beliefs Center: Take the 2023 Typology Survey!
This message is from our sponsor, the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center.
The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center provides independent, nonpartisan opinion research for Oregon. This fall, we’re conducting the OVBC 2023 Typology Project to help give Oregonians the tools to have better conversations about the challenges facing our state and our communities.
Building on past research from the Oregon Values and Beliefs Studies, Policy Interactive, and Pew Research, OVBC’s 2023 Typology Project clusters Oregonians into “neighborhoods” of shared values and beliefs. It gives us a clearer picture of what we agree is important and a better starting point for working together, even when we disagree.
Every Oregonian who takes the survey helps paint a clearer picture of what's going on in our state. So go to ovbc.info/2023, take the survey, tell your friends and family, and talk about it with one another. Make sure your voice is counted, and get the conversation started now, even before the data is ready.
7. Conflict in the Middle East impacts Oregon politics
Oregon’s top elected officials expressed anguish and solidarity with Israel on Tuesday night at Portland’s Congregation Neveh Shalom. U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler joined rabbis at the temple in the Southwest Portland hills, reports Willamette Week.
Meanwhile, Multnomah County Commissioners could not agree on issuing a statement following the attack on Israel, after what Willamette Week described as a “tense, tearful debate”.
From WW: “Broadly, the debate centered on whether to decry the attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people, or pledge support in equal measure to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where retaliatory Israeli bombing has killed more than 1,500, according to media reports.”
8. News Roundup: The most important issue facing Oregon, according to Oregonians
More than 40% of Oregon adults believe homelessness is the most important issue in the state, according to an August survey by the nonpartisan Oregon Values and Beliefs Center.
Must listen: OPB’s Alex Zielinski did two-part series looking at the history of homelessness in Oregon. The second part of her series focused on solutions.
Commercial flights are back for the first time in 15 years at the Salem airport, reports OPB.
The Oregon Ducks Football team lost a heartbreaker to the Huskies in Seattle in a game that the Wall Street Journal described as a thriller. Meanwhile, the Oregon State Beavers defeated UCLA.
The Oregon Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a case to change the state’s public defense system, specifically to force a public defender to take a new client even if the lawyer said they had too many cases, reports OPB.
An Oregon family was profiled in the New York Times for moving to Missouri after being “fed up” by the state’s politics. The piece also profiles an Iowa family who made the move to Minnesota—a sign of the times that politics is determining where people decide to live.
Tips? Feedback? Ideas? Corrections? Email benjaminwbowman@gmail.com or kristinaedmunson@gmail.com.
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About the Authors
Ben Bowman is the state representative for Oregon House District 25 (Tigard, Metzger, and South Beaverton) and a member of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board. In his day job, he works as an administrator for a public school district. Previously, he worked as a legislative aide for former Reps. Margaret Doherty and Val Hoyle. He also co-hosts The Oregon Bridge podcast. In the newsletter and podcast, he speaks only for himself.
Alex Titus is a small business owner and consultant to businesses, nonprofits, and associations. Previously, he served as an Advisor in the Trump Administration and as a Policy Advisor to President Trump’s Super PAC. His writing has appeared in National Review, Fox News, The Hill, RealClearPolitics, and other publications.
Kristina Edmunson has been everything from press assistant for Gov. Kulongoski, media advance associate for VP Biden, and communications director for AG Rosenblum. Born and raised in Eugene, she has been involved in some of the biggest policy and legal decisions in Oregon over the last decade. Today, she runs her own communications practice, and sits on Multnomah County’s Community Involvement Community. She speaks only for herself in The Liftoff.