The Liftoff: New candidates in big races
The Liftoff: New candidates in big races
PLUS: Pro-Israel lobby contemplates spending in CD3; Gonzalez is in, Ryan is out for PDX Mayor; The O Editorial Board weighs in on re-criminalization; AG Rosenblum wins another election; and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff! We are your go-to place each week for all of the political news (good and bad) around Oregon.
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Now, onto the news!
1. The race to replace Rep. Blumenauer, and how Israel plays into Oregon politics
Democratic State Rep. Maxine Dexter, the two-term state representative from Northwest Portland, announced Tuesday that she’s running for Congress. She is joining an increasingly crowded Democratic field to replace retiring Congressman Earl Blumenauer.
From Willamette Week: “Dexter, who announced her candidacy on her 51st birthday, joins two other candidates in the race who have held elected office: former Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal and Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales.”
Nik Blosser, former Chief of Staff to Gov. Kate Brown and former Biden Administration official, has been the subject of speculation as another potential entrant.
And, this primary election in solidly blue Portland could get competitive for the first time in decades—and bring in national money. It is already starting to draw attention:
Willamette Week headline: ”Pro-Israel Lobby Could Oppose Susheela Jayapal in CD3 Race, Report Says.” The publication Jewish Insider says the former Multnomah County commissioner’s “congressional candidacy is alarming Portland Jewish leaders.”
Meanwhile, Beaverton City Councilor Nadia Hasan wrote an op-ed in response to articles she says “misinterpreted [her] values and views” about the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
2. Who will be Portland’s next mayor? Is it a new beginning between Portland & Multnomah County?
Big changes are coming to Portland politics. The next mayor of Portland (who will be elected in November 2024 alongside 12 new city councilors) will oversee an entirely new form of government that’s managed by a professional city administrator. The mayor will hold the tie-breaking vote (but will have no veto power).
We’ll start with who isn’t running for Portland Mayor:
Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan announced Monday he is not running for mayor next year. There had been rumors that Ryan had strongly been considering a run—but like current Mayor Ted Wheeler, he’s out.
Now, who is running:
First term Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez announced last week that he is running. Gonzalez launched his campaign Thursday at an event in downtown Portland near the blighted Washington Center, also known as Portland’s “open air drug market”
Gonzalez will join City Commission colleague Mingus Mapps in the contest to be Portland’s next mayor. Commissioner Carmen Rubio has yet to publicly declare. But, others are speculated to be considering a run.
One thing we know for sure: the next mayor, at least in their first term, will not have veto power, as commissioners walked back their plan to send a proposal to voters.
On Wednesday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called the city’s relationship with Multnomah County “a new beginning”. The comments came during a press conference where Portland and Multnomah County announced a continuation of the joint city-county office of homeless services for another three years, reports The Oregonian.
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4. What happened in Newberg? A conversation with Ron Mock
Ron Mock is Director of the George Fox University Civility Project and Professor Emeritus of Politics and Peace Studies. He is also a former Newberg School Board Member, serving for nearly. His loss in 2021 triggered a conservative board majority that made international headlines for attempting to ban pride flags and BLM symbols—and ultimately for firing their superintendent. In this episode, Ron explains exactly what happened and why it happened. We talk about political polarization and divisiveness--and how it impacts communities.
He shares what lessons other communities can learn from Newberg—and provides some specific examples of proactive steps community leaders can take to build a more productive political culture locally. We also discuss the occasional tension between being an advocate and being a convener—and whether "civility" is always the right framework for politics, or if today's political environment requires something different. You can learn more about the Civility Project here.
5. Kotek wraps up tour, M110 committee testimony, and more statewide news
Gov. Tina Kotek, Senate President Rob Wagner and House Speaker Dan Rayfield said on Monday they would give $19 million to the Oregon Department of Transportation for new snow plows and winter road-safety improvements. The Oregonian writes, “the stopgap funding aims to prevent the transportation department from running out of cash before the end of the 2023-2025 biennium and delay sweeping service and maintenance cuts.”
Specifically they said ODOT will use the funds for:
$8 million for winter maintenance such as purchasing de-icer and salt, and for removing overtime restrictions for workers
$4.5 million to patch pavement and fix potholes each spring to mitigate the impact of winter freezes on roads
$2.5 million to retrace edge lines on less-traveled highways
$4 million to replace 10 snow plow trucks
Measure 110’s future was the topic of a 4-hour legislative committee meeting last week, where proponents supported the law and opponents called for at least a partial repeal.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler testified, asking lawmakers to criminalize public drug use, make it easier to prosecute drug dealing and increase the number of beds for substance abuse treatment, reports The Oregonian.
Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair asked lawmakers to make drug possession a misdemeanor crime and to fund drug courts.
The Oregonian profiled Gov. Kotek on her almost last stop of her “One Listening Oregon” tour. Kotek had pledged to visit every county in Oregon during her first term in office. The article includes quotes from Senator Wyden and others.
From the article: “The governor and her wife have stopped at city halls, schools, nonprofits, health facilities, businesses and other sites, meeting with elected officials, community leaders and residents.”
Other headlines around the state:
The executive director of the Oregon School Boards Association, Jim Green, is on paid administrative leave, after internal tensions erupted over the group’s handling of a whistleblower complaint reports The Oregonian.
From the Capital Chronicle: “Oregon Sens. Sollman, Thatcher to revive veteran income tax break proposal”
Oregon DHS canceled its contract with the religious nonprofit that placed foster care kids in unlicensed short term rentals, but only after OPB’s bombshell report showing the nonprofit was paid up to $2,916 per day for every child in their care.
Oregon’s labor bureau failed to collect $5M in wage theft claims since 2015, according to an InvestigateWest report.
Former State Rep. Lily Morgan has a new job—read the story from the Rogue Valley Times.
Sign of the Times headline from OPB: “With youth overdose death rates soaring, Oregon offers free opioid reversal medication to schools”
Meanwhile, in Portland Public Schools, from OPB: “Portland Public Schools students can miss days added during winter break without penalty”
6. The Way: Hope and Labor Strikes
We have two great pieces for you this week from Adam Davis and Mark Hester. Davis has a piece on how government works best when we try to work together and Hester has a piece on the success of recent labor strikes and how strikes will impact workers going forward.
7. News Roundup: Traffic fees forgiven, emergency in Tillamook, and The O’s re-crim editorial
Gov. Tina Kotek issued an executive order Tuesday forgiving unpaid traffic fees and court fines for about 10,000 people so they can get their driver’s license reinstated.
From The O: The University of Oregon and Oregon State University have agreed to continue their rivalry football game.
The Oregonian Editorial Board published an editorial calling for the re-criminalization of some drugs as the state continues to face an addiction crisis.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum was elected President of the National Association of Attorneys General on Tuesday night.
Rain, Rain, Go Away: It’s not just you — it’s been raining, a lot. Axios has a run down for you on this historic rain fall.
Rest in Peace to an Oregon legend: “Former Oregon Chief Justice Edwin J. Peterson died on Saturday in Salem, leaving behind a legacy of modernizing the courts system. He was 93.” Courtesy of the Capital Chronicle.
The Tillamook County Board of Commissioners declared a state of emergency Wednesday due to flooding. The county will seek assistance from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.
A national group trying to block former President Donald Trump from appearing on primary ballots filed a lawsuit with the Oregon Supreme Court on behalf of five Oregon voters on Wednesday, reports the Oregon Capital Chronicle.
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.