The Liftoff: Party infighting, newspaper endorsements, and a billion-dollar verdict
PLUS: Greg Walden back on the scene; Wyden criticizes Brown over clemency; Drazan vs. Pulliam in a TV debate; Salinas joins the pod; Gov. candidates weigh in on abortion, and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff! As we head into the final two weeks of the 2022 primary, it was another jam-packed week in Oregon politics. Below are the stories you should know about!
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1. Johnson breaks $8 million fundraising threshold (and gets attacked); Drazan breaks with GOP contenders; Kotek picks up endorsements
Democrats and Independents
With a new $750,000 check from Phil Knight and a new $500,000 from The Pape Group, Betsy Johnson has now raised over $8 million. She has over $6.5 million on hand.
Oregonians for Ethics, a group paid for by the Democratic Governors Association and progressive organizations, has already launched a website to attack Johnson’s record as “extreme.”
Notable endorsements for Tina Kotek: Gabby Giffords, Willamette Week, The Oregonian, and Eugene Weekly have all endorsed the former speaker. Over the weekend, Kotek also won an unofficial straw poll at a Democratic Party gathering.
Republicans
Abortion access may be one of the top issues in the gubernatorial general election. Willamette Week asked all major candidates this question: “Do you support a law banning abortions and providing a private right of legal action to enforce the law, as passed in Texas?”
The surprise? Christine Drazan joined Betsy Johnson, Tina Kotek, and Treasurer Tobias Read in opposing the law.
Christine Drazan won the endorsement of Willamette Week and The Oregonian.
Bridget Barton is out with a campaign ad where she attacks her Republican rivals as “the same tired faces” and “weak career politicians” (she includes black and white images of Dr. Bud Pierce, Bob Tiernan, and Christine Drazan).
GOP gubernatorial candidate and Baker City Mayor Kerry McQuisten joined the Steve Bannon War Room podcast.
Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam and campaign supporters held a small rally in downtown Portland and were allegedly harassed by members of Antifa.
At the KOIN GOP debate, verbal jabs were exchanged between Pulliam and Drazan about GOP legislative walkouts. Here is an excerpt:
Pulliam: “Are we leading the caucus, or is the caucus leading us, Christine? Which one is it?”
Drazan: “Either way, I can guarantee that Mr. Pulliam has led no one anywhere.”
2. Newspapers make their congressional endorsements (and other congressional news)
CD6
According to Matt West’s internal campaign poll, Carrick Flynn leads in the Democratic primary in CD6 with 18% (all of his opponents have 6% or less).
Important note: the poll was conducted over a month ago, but it’s the best (public) indicator available.
Carrick Flynn’s comments on The Oregon Bridge about the spotted owl and timber unity have created a stir, with coverage in Willamette Week. Get caught up and watch the episode on YouTube!
OPB offers the clearest answer yet to the big question this election cycle (about candidate Carrick Flynn and billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried): “What does a crypto tycoon want with Oregon’s new congressional district?”
Congressional Hispanic Caucus goes in big: $1 million to support Rep. Andrea Salinas in CD6. Is it too little too late? Or will it help lift Salinas over SuperPAC-backed Carrick Flynn? Stay tuned!
CD5
OPB has everything you need to know about both 5th Congressional District primaries.
Jimmy Crumpacker has been endorsed by Susan B. Anthony List’s Candidate Fund PAC, a national pro-life group.
Newspaper Endorsements
WW has endorsed Jimmy Crumpacker (R) and Jamie McLeod Skinner (D) in CD5 and Rep. Andrea Salinas (D) and Rep. Ron Noble (R) in CD6.
The Source Weekly (in Bend) has also picked Jamie McLeod Skinner and Jimmy Crumpacker in CD5.
The Bend Bulletin endorsed Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Jamie McLeod-Skinner in CD5.
Eugene Weekly has endorsed Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle in CD4.
The Oregonian endorsed Hoyle, Salinas, Noble, Crumpacker, and Schrader.
3. Sen. Wyden takes on Gov. Brown (and other federal news)
According to Morning Consult, since Joe Biden was elected, Sen. Ron Wyden’s approval rating is down one point and Sen. Jeff Merkley’s dipped three points. Sen. Joe Manchin’s approval rating is up a whopping 16 points, driven mostly by new GOP supporters in West Virginia.
Sen. Ron Wyden attacked Gov. Kate Brown’s decision to commute the sentence of a convicted murderer using remarkably strong language, calling it “wrong on every level, starting with its callousness toward the crime victim’s family and extending to all Oregonians counting on public officials to make decisions with public safety in mind”. In response, Brown’s office criticized Wyden.
In a widely shared clip on Twitter, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin took to Fox News to blast Governor Brown over her clemency of Kyle Hedquist.
Sen. Ron Wyden has raised over $11 million in the last two years—22 times more than all of his GOP opponents combined.
In other Wyden news, the senator tested positive for COVID-19 but is experiencing only mild symptoms.
Sen. Jeff Merkley supports allowing the United States Postal Service to ship alcohol—his move is supported by postal unions and opposed by alcohol watchdogs.
Whoops: Merkley also got some laughs on Twitter after he blasted Elon’s Musk takeover of Twitter while his federal website has a highly-placed photo of him shaking hands with Musk.
4. Rep. Andrea Salinas joins The Bridge and talks overcoming Super PAC spending, working across the aisle, and the China challenge
Rep. Andrea Salinas is a Democratic candidate for Oregon's new 6th Congressional District. She has served in the state legislature since being appointed to serve House District 38 in 2017. Previously, she worked as a legislative advocate for progressive causes. Earlier in her career, she worked as a congressional staffer for Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Pete Stark, and Congresswoman Darlene Hooley.
Salinas is a top-tier candidate in one of the most competitive congressional primaries in the country. Of all the candidates, she has by far the most support among progressive groups and elected officials. In a normal election, she would be considered the frontrunner—but, because of unprecedented SuperPAC spending, this is anything but a normal election. In this episode we talk about abortion access, health care policy, climate change, and foreign policy (including China and Ukraine/Russia). We also talk about the politics of the race: what it's like to be running against huge SuperPAC spending (including a PAC aligned with Speaker Nancy Pelosi) and how she believes she can win the race.
5. Walden helps OR GOP caucuses raise cash (and other legislative news)
Oregon House and Senate Republicans are paying former congressman Greg Walden to help them fundraise—and it appears to be paying off. Phil Knight just donated $1 million to their joint PAC to help elect Republican lawmakers.
Sen. Brian Boquist’s federal lawsuit against Senate President Peter Courtney, stemming from Boquist's controversial remarks in 2019 when he threatened state troopers, is still alive after an appellate court review.
Speaker Dan Rayfield has hired Jenn Baker to be his new chief of staff, replacing Lindsey O’Brien.
Earlier this year, Sen. Janeen Sollman was appointed to the legislature. Now, the Chair of the Washington County Commission Kathryn Harrington, who is embroiled in a workplace misconduct controversy in the midst of a competitive re-election campaign, says her biggest regret was not choosing Sollman’s opponent, Lamar Wise.
6. A $1.1 billion verdict overturned—and other things to keep your eyes on
The cost of medical care is growing faster in Oregon than the rest of the country, with a debilitating impact on the household budgets of working families, according to OPB: “In 2019, nearly a quarter of the average Oregon family’s spending was going towards health care costs.”
“Take Action or Resign” — that was the theme of a rally organized by Oregon Recovers in response to the Oregon Health Authority’s implementation of Measure 110 (drug decriminalization), passed in 2020. From the Capitol Chronicle: “two years later little of the nearly $300 million allocated has been spent while Oregon’s addiction crisis continues.“
The Oregon Court of Appeals has sided with the state government in determining that the state is not obligated to maximize timber harvests in state forests, overturning a $1.1 billion verdict. The decision will be appealed to the Supreme Court.
7. Would limiting the scope of law enforcement to violent crime reduce racial disparities?
Thanks to our friends at the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center for this week’s graphic, which shows the differences in how age cohorts view disparate racial outcomes in policing.
8. Notable endorsements for Portland City Council
A PAC associated with People for Portland hauled in $320,000 in its first week, mostly from developers.
Willamette Week is sticking with the incumbents, endorsing both Jo Ann Hardesty and Dan Ryan for reelection. The Oregonian also picked Ryan, but they endorsed Rene Gonzalez in the other race. The Portland Police Association is also supporting Gonzalez, and Commissioner Mingus Mapps has endorsed Mozyrsky.
WW describes Hardesty’s race, against Vadim Mozyrsky and Rene Gonzalez, as a “bellwether for policing in Portland”.
9. Sports, Fish, and Polls: News Round-up
Sports!: The Oregon State Beavers baseball team is on an absolute tear and is “knocking on the door” for the top spot in the nation.
In contrast to state universities, Oregon community colleges are proposing little to no increases in tuition.
Ouch: Governor Kate Brown has the lowest approval rating of governor in the nation according to a recent poll from Morning Consult.
In a 4-3 vote, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to end a steelhead hatchery program on the North Umpqua River in an attempt to restore wild salmon.
Oregon political campaigns spent $11.3 million in April.
The NW Labor Press is out with a “Union Guide” for the primary.
Thank you for reading.
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About the Authors
Ben Bowman is the chair of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board and a Democratic candidate 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.