The Liftoff: Changes to the Oregon State Senate
PLUS: More candidates file to run; special session imminent?; Portland gun violence rages while advocates push for safety measures; tech biz in the news; Knopp on the pod; one fun thing to go
Welcome back to The Liftoff!
We’ve got a lot of coverage on campaign season, as more folks announce their intentions. We will keep a laser focus on tracking these developments in the coming weeks!
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1. The changing faces of the Oregon State Senate
The Oregon Senate Republicans have elected a new leader, and it’s a familiar face to most Oregon Capitol observers: Sen. Tim Knopp of Central Oregon. OPB has a great overview of the story. Knopp inherits a tiny caucus of just ten members (Sens. Art Robinson and Brian Boquist, two conservative senators, are part of their own “independent” caucus) from previous leader Sen. Fred Girod. Democrats have 18 caucus members (including Sen. Betsy Johnson, who will be leaving the Democratic Party to run for Governor).
Knopp says the growing the GOP caucus is a top priority for the 2022 election. So what does the senate map look like heading into 2022?
Rep. Mark Meek (D) is running for the Clackamas County senate seat (District 20) currently held by Republican Sen. Bill Kennemer (who has appointed to replace Republican Sen. Alan Olsen). Post-redistricting, The Oregonian’s analysis says this district has a 7.2 point advantage for Democrats. Willamette Week reported that Kennemer is running again “despite the odds.”
Charles Gallia is running to replace Meek in the house.
In the new Senate District 13 (Tigard, King City, Sherwood, and Wilsonville), two Democrats have stepped forward to run: West Linn-Wilsonville School Board Chair Chelsea King and Clackamas Community College Board Member Aaron Wood. This district is now D+12.8.
Senate District 15, another blue district in Washington County, is currently held by Sen. Chuck Riley, but he’s stepping down at the end of the year. Rep. Janeen Sollman is seeking the seat has the most endorsements, plus there are at least three others are running, too (and we just heard rumors of a fourth!). It’s D+15.6 and likely to stay blue.
As mentioned last week, Rep. Suzanne Weber is running for the seat that will be vacated by Sen. Betsy Johnson. The district is redder than before but still razor close at R+0.9. This is among the best pick-up opportunities for the GOP, if not the best.
At least two senate districts have no incumbent and no declared candidates yet (as far as we are aware). There are rumors of current state reps running, but nothing confirmed or reported yet (stay tuned).
Important: Senate President Peter Courtney, the longest-tenured legislative leader in Oregon history, is up for re-election in 2022. He has not yet announced whether he will run again or retire.
2. Who else is running for other offices?
Congressional District 6 Watch: You probably already heard about the potential candidacies of Rep. Andrea Salinas, Former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith, and Rep. Brian Clem. This week, new rumors surfaced that Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon (D-Woodburn) and Rep. Ron Noble (R-Yamhill County) were considering entering the race.
Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal is running for re-election (listen to her interview on The Oregon Bridge).
Shannon Singleton, a policy advisor to Governor Kate Brown who is running for Multnomah County Chair, was featured prominently in a non-campaign-related ad, to the displeasure of her three opponents.
Duncan Hwang, the interim co-executive director of APANO, is seeking the appointment to the Metro Council seat currently held by Bob Stacey (who is stepping down). Hwang has Stacey’s support and several other Portland leaders.
Alek Skarlatos is facing a campaign finance complaint over a $65,000 transfer from a nonprofit he founded. Skarlatos is expected to run for Congress, but it’s unclear which district he will be running in.
Not an election, but still interesting: the names of seven finalists for the next U.S. Attorney for Oregon have been released. President Biden will appoint someone following a committee process led by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
3. Special session imminent? Speaker Kotek supports it; Gov. Brown open to it
A massive advocacy campaign is asking legislative leaders and Gov. Brown to convene a special legislative session to prevent evictions for those who can’t afford to pay rent (and who haven’t been able to access relief). Speaker Tina Kotek supports the session. Gov. Brown said she is open to it—if the votes are there.
The calls comes on the heels of a letter signed by the two housing committee chairs, Senator Kayse Jama and Representative Julie Fahey, asking Gov. Brown to protect renters. The Governor’s office essentially said she doesn’t have the authority without further legislative action.
Excellent reporting from OPB gives more background information and context. According to the story, Jama outlined the potential scope of the session in three areas:
The first is fixing the application system to ensure that requests for help are being processed as quickly as possible and checks are being cut in a timely manner.
The second is identifying additional funding sources to replenish the money being spent as applications are processed; nearly 1,600 new applications representing $10 million in requests are filed each week.
Finally, lawmakers could enact new protections to ensure that those waiting for their applications to be processed aren’t evicted while the state has money in hand that could help keep them housed.
Expect more developments in the coming days.
4. Portland officially sets record for homicides in a single year; faith leaders push for gun safety measures
Portland recently surpassed the highest number of recorded homicides in a single year, according to statistics released by the city. Sara Cline with the Associated Press has the story. Some highlights are below:
At least 67 homicides have been recorded. The last record was set nearly 30 years ago in 1987.
Portland has nearly double the number of homicides recorded this year in Seattle, and more than San Francisco.
The situation has gotten so severe that in June, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced that Portland police would no longer stop drivers for low-level traffic violations to focus resources elsewhere.
Not Just Portland: Murder rates are spiking all over the country.
Advocacy groups are stepping up their push for gun safety measures in hopes to reduce violence and bring more stability to communities. The Better Portland Campaign and Lift Every Voice Oregon held a press conference to address rising violence in the city and gun violence in particular.
So far, a group of faith leaders have gathered over 2,000 signatures for measures that would prohibit the purchase of certain firearms and shrink gun magazine sizes. Mia Villanueva at FOX 12 has the story.
5. Oregon tech companies back in the headlines
Expensify, a company that helps businesses manage their expenses, is preparing for a large IPO which would mark Oregon’s first tech IPO since 2004, according to Mike Rogoway who has the story for The Oregonian.
The company produced over $60 million in revenue and is aiming to raise over $100 million from the IPO.
Expensify is one of Portland’s growing number of technology success stories as the city seeks to become a hub for larger and start-up technology firms.
Blast From The Past: You may recognize Expensify founder David Barrett as the CEO who sent a plea to over 10 million customers last October asking them to vote for Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the 2020 election. The letter sparked a national conversation on business’ role in politics.
Meanwhile, Intel took a *big* hit in the stock market. Here’s an excerpt from another piece by Rogoway:
Intel shares plunged 11.7% Friday as investors added up the cost of the chipmaker’s turnaround plan. The company lost $26 billion in market value as its share price dipped under $50 for the first time since January.
New CEO Pat Gelsinger surprised investors during the company’s quarterly earnings call by laying out the price tag for his comeback strategy, warning that profit margins will shrink for a few years as spending soars.
While investors knew there would be a high cost, they hadn’t anticipated it would be quite so steep – and didn’t expect the announcement Thursday.
6. Oregon political consultant Reagan Knopp joins The Oregon Bridge podcast
Last week, GOP political consultant Reagan Knopp joined the pod for a wide-ranging conversation, including what really happened with redistricting, the future of the Oregon Republican Party, and what Oregon Republicans could learn from Stacey Abrams and Georgia Democrats.
Knopp brings a unique perspective as the former political director of one of the largest conservative interest groups in Oregon (Oregon Right to Life), editor of the state’s largest conservative publication (The Oregon Catalyst), and as the member of a family with deep roots in Oregon politics (he is the son of new Senate GOP Leader Tim Knopp). If you listen closely, you also might hear from Reagan's daughter in this episode!
Listen on Apple, Spotify, Audible, or YouTube.
7. One fun thing to go (and the news roundup)
Enjoy the (amazing) above video from Travel Oregon. Click the tweet to see and read more.
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin lobbies in D.C. with Paris Hilton and a survivor of the “troubled teen industry”
For a deeper dive, listen to our interview with Sen. Gelser Bluin here (this is one of our most popular episodes to date)
Fascinating reporting from WW: “Portland Police’s “Human Trafficking” Arrests Aren’t What They Seem”
A deeper dive with more context on the circumstances of former State Rep. Dave Hunt’s arrest and some skepticism on the Portland Police Bureau’s tactics from elected leaders
Wild story from OPB: “Oregon state Senate president Courtney calls for National Guard help with illegal cannabis farms”
The Governor’s office said she is not considering deploying more resources this year, but will re-examine next year.
State agency accidentally releases tens of thousands of confidential vaccination status (The O)
Koin 6: “It’s official: Oregon’s fire season is over”.
We sure hope so.
FOX 12: “550 unaccounted COVID deaths in Oregon due to ‘computer error’”
Some fun news: “Guy Fieri featuring 3 Bend restaurants on Food Network’s ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’”
Fun Fact: Former Rep. Cheri Helt (who is considering a run for congress in the 5th Congressional District) owns Zydeco.
Portland Tribune: “Study: 270 Native students died at Oregon boarding schools”
The O: “Portland releases names, ID numbers of protest cops after judge’s scathing court decision”
OPB on the struggle to keep Oregon’s students in school. “Oregon wants test-to-stay in schools, but supply chain shortage getting in the way”
Correction: In the previous Liftoff, we inadvertently wrote that Sen. Betsy Johnson took office in 2021. The second “2” should have been a “0” — she took office as a state representative in 2001, and joined the state senate in 2005.
Thank you for reading.
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