The Liftoff: National headliners visit Oregon & an Oregon legend passes away
PLUS: A gubernatorial candidate drops out; a new legislator gets appointed; a candidate that both Drazan and Johnson support; an Oregon legislator's new job; big developments in Portland; and more!
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1. Two national headliners visit Oregon
Christine Drazan made some national waves this weekend as Maryland Governor Larry Hogan penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled “A Law-and-Order Leader for Oregon”, crediting Drazan for her tough-on-crime agenda. Hogan, a rumored 2024 presidential contender, also made a campaign stop for Drazan in Portland. She also landed a coveted appearance on the Sean Hannity Show, which is a staple for candidates looking to boost their profile and raise funds.
Betsy Johnson, meanwhile, has a new ad featuring the endorsement of the first African American woman ever to serve in the Oregon State Legislature: Margaret Carter. Carter is also a former Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon.
Additionally, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a trip to Oregon to fundraise for four congressional candidates: Commissioner Val Hoyle, Rep. Andrea Salinas, Jamie McLeod-Skinner, and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (who hosted the event). She later joined Blumenauer and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici to discuss clean energy projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.
In other national news, Republican candidate Alek Skarlatos was cleared of an alleged campaign finance violation filed by a progressive organization.
2. A win for Tina Kotek: no challenger to her left
From OPB: “Nathalie Paravicini, a naturopathic doctor running for governor under the banners of the Oregon Progressive Party and Pacific Green Party, filed a form withdrawing her candidacy on Friday, the last day she could be removed from the November ballot.” Her withdrawal comes after Tina Kotek pledged to support additional campaign finance reform legislation.
Why this matters: most observers are expecting a close race—and most of the publicly available polls show a tight race, too. Third-party candidates often claim between 1% and 4% of the vote. With Paravinci out, there is no “progressive alternative” to Kotek—whereas Constitution Party nominee Donice Smith presents herself as a far-right conservative in her voters pamphlet statement. If the margin of victory is small, third-party candidates can play a role in determining the winner.
3. Cheri Helt wins two big endorsements for BOLI
Cheri Helt, a former state legislator and current candidate for Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries, was endorsed last week by two competitors for Governor.
Here’s a quote from Helt: “I am deeply honored to receive the endorsement of these two strong women. Christine Drazan and Betsy Jonhson are campaigning to fix Oregon’s homeless, crime and drug crises, and bring much-needed balance and competence to our state government.”
This is a big boost for Helt, who prominently featured the two new endorsements in her voters pamphlet statement. However, Stephenson still may still have an advantage in endorsements (see Stephenson’s here and Helt’s here)—and she definitely has an advantage with money (at least so far). Helt has just over $55,000 on hand heading into the final two months of campaigning, compared to Stephenson’s $162,000.
4. Christina Stephenson joins The Bridge podcast to discuss BOLI hot topics and her vision for the agency
Christina Stephenson is an attorney, small business owner, and candidate for Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). She is in a run-off election with former Republican state rep. Cheri Helt (check out our episode with Helt here).
Stephenson, a registered Democrat, nearly won the election outright in the primary. She ran for the state legislature in 2020, narrowly coming up short. In this episode, we talk about workforce development, higher education, the famous LTBTQ+ rights case involving “Sweet Cakes” bakery, and the politics of running statewide for a nonpartisan office.
5. Portland Highlights: disability activists sue city, the inside scoop on MacKenzie Scott’s $44 million gift, wildfire fears, and charter reform
There was a lot of big news out of Portland last week. Let’s dive into some of the most interesting stories.
First: a group of disabled Portland residents are suing the city over homeless tents that block access on various sidewalks. The class action suit claims that the city is failing to adhere to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) by refusing to remove the tents. OPB has the full story.
Next, Tom Hallman over at The O has the inside scoop of how Portland-based Friends of the Children (FOC) landed a monster $44 million gift from MacKenzie Scott. How it all started? A cryptic email to FOC’s CEO claiming that a donor was interested in the organization. Scott, who is the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has committed to donating the vast majority of her fortune.
Smoke is plaguing Portland again and the air quality is taking a turn for the worst, according to an analysis by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Portland General Electric (PGE) has also come into the spotlight as more than 30,000 Oregonians were without power at some point due to the Cedar Creek Fire.
The political action committee supporting Portland’s charter reform ballot measure has already raised $200,000.
6. An Oregon legend passes away
From Metro: “Robert E. Stacey, a lion of Oregon’s groundbreaking land use principles who served for nearly 9 years on the Metro Council, died Sept. 8 at his home in Southeast Portland. He was 72.
Stacey’s fingerprints can be seen all over Oregon, from the wheat fields of Wasco County to the transit lines of downtown Portland. He grew up in East Portland, graduated from Reed College, lived for years in inner southeast’s Richmond neighborhood, and served twice as Rep. Earl Blumenauer’s chief of staff in Washington.”
Blumenauer released a statement, including this line: “Oregon just lost the most important person that most people never heard of.”
Stacey famously battled the Rajneeshee cult over land use and development issues; the group once sent him a box of poisoned chocolates.
7. Why do Oregonians believe its hard to fill jobs?
Thank you, as always, to our friends at the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center for their research and graphics. This week, a case study in the partisan divide: why Oregonians believe it’s so hard to fill jobs.
8. News Roundup: New U.S. attorney, new legislator, new TV ads, and a new job!
The U.S. Senate gave its official approval to Natalie Wight who will become the next U.S. Attorney of Oregon.
State Rep. Rachel Prusak will join the faculty at the OHSU School of Nursing. She wrote: “I’ve spent countless hours leading discussions on Oregon's nursing shortage & possible solutions. Knowing faculty shortages at nursing schools are a major contributing factor to this crisis, I’m excited to mentor the next generation of nurse practitioners.”
Meanwhile, in House District 52, Lori Kuechler of Sandy has been appointed to serve as State Representative. She will serve in the interim in the seat formerly held by Anna Williams, who resigned to take a job in state government.
Two major health care stories you should read:
From The O: “Oregon journalist’s criminal charges dismissed as unconstitutional; she was reporting on police activity”
This week in new TV ads: Mike Erickson’s biographical spot in CD6 and Betsy Johnson’s “Both”, where she starts with: “our screwed up political system doesn’t offer any good choices”.
From OPB: “Why schools are struggling to fill positions, from educational assistants to custodians to coaches”
Major wildfires in Oregon continue to drive the news and plague communities all across the state.
Whoops: An audit shows that the state may have misspent more than $10 million in federal funds.
Thank you for reading.
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About the Authors
Ben Bowman is the chair of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board and the Democratic nominee for Oregon House District 25 (Tigard and Beaverton). In his day job, he works for the Oregon Department of Education. 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. He also co-hosts The Oregon Bridge podcast.