The Liftoff: Who will be Oregon's next congressperson?
The Liftoff: Who will be Oregon's next congressperson?
PLUS: Elected official infighting spills into the public; Portland teachers strike for the first time in history; Oregon’s legislative staff the first in the nation to unionize; and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff! It’s officially November.
We are your go-to source for all the latest Oregon political, government and election related news. We want to hear from you as we get closer to the 2024 election cycle! What content are we missing?
1. Major shake up in Oregon politics: Blumenauer to retire
The biggest political news last week was the announcement that U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland) is not running for reelection. He has been in Congress since 1996, so this is a big change for Oregon’s relatively small federal delegation.
Who will replace him in the deep-blue district?
From Willamette Week: “He says he will not endorse anyone in what he expects to be a crowded Democratic primary to replace him.”
An interesting perspective from the Oregon Capital Chronicle: “Oregon has lost most of its seniority in the House in the past few years, starting when Republican Rep. Greg Walden stepped down in 2021 after 22 years in office. The state’s longest-serving representative, Democrat Peter DeFazio, retired in January after 36 years, and seven-term incumbent Democrat Kurt Schrader lost his primary last spring. That leaves Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, elected in 2012, as the de facto dean of Oregon’s delegation in the U.S. House.”
Two Democrats have already announced they are running. Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal was the first to announce, with an announcement Wednesday morning that included a slate of endorsements.
OPB reports that “Jayapal’s sister, Pramila Jayapal, is a member of the U.S. House from Washington state and chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Political observers believe those ties will give the county commissioner a leg up in raising funds and making connections.”
Willamette Week had been the first to report that Jayapal resigned from the Multnomah County board November 1.
By Wednesday afternoon, Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales had also filed to run. Morales is in his second term on the Gresham City Council. He is also the treasurer of Democratic Party of Oregon.
State Representative Maxine Dexter (D-Portland) says she is “strongly considering” entering the what could be a crowded primary. Dexter told Willamette Week she is meeting with consultants and will make a decision “soon.”
Former Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury says she’s out, and state Rep. Travis Nelson (D-Portland) says he is considering a run.
Willamette Week reports people definitely not running include:
Former Gov. Kate Brown
State Treasurer Tobias Read
Former Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick
2. Portland teachers launch historic strike (and more metro area news)
Even with Governor Kotek pressuring teachers and PPS early in the week to stay at the bargaining table, it wasn’t enough to avert a strike. On Halloween night, Portland teachers announced they would strike the next morning, sending more than 40,000 students home.
By late in the week, Democratic lawmakers told the two sides not to expect Salem to send a bailout. Democratic legislators (many of whom receive campaign money from teachers unions) also say they’ve done what they can. Two key legislative budget writers told OPB’s Dirk Vanderhart:
“I’ve gotten several calls from people, from teachers and administrators saying, ‘Is there any way we can get some money?’” said state Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland and co-chair of the budget subcommittee on education. “I have to say, ‘Not that I know of.’”
“I’m very frustrated,” said state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, D-Portland, one of the state’s lead budget writers. Steiner said Wednesday there were no plans to pass an emergency funding package through the Legislature’s emergency board when lawmakers convene in Salem next week. “I’m not swooping.”
In a letter to the PPS board, 16 Portland-area Democratic legislators, wrote they were “surprised to hear accusations that the Oregon Legislature did not adequately fund schools this past legislative session,” citing a $15.3 billion total schools budget.
How long will the strike last? According to The Oregonian, “Sources say it could last anywhere from three days to two weeks. If teachers do not return to school by mid-November, they will lose their health coverage for the month of December.”
After the 3rd meeting of the Portland Central City Task Force, Governor Kotek told reporters she will ask the Legislature to help Portland, reports the Oregon Capital Chronicle.
According to the article, “Kotek said she also asked the Oregon Department of Transportation to look at what it can do to clean up trash and remove tents on state right-of-way in the city, adding that the agency’s budget is strained.”
A new profile of Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson is out from The Oregonian titled: “It’s been a bruising year for Multnomah County’s new chair. Jessica Vega Pederson says she’s ‘just getting started’”
Check out this excerpt:
Others are eager to assign blame to Kafoury, who supporters and critics alike say exacted near total control during her tenure, showed little patience for opposing views and kept government operations under wraps.
“The state that she left the county in was verging on criminal,” said Commissioner Sharon Meieran, an outspoken critic of Kafoury… “The Titanic was driven into the iceberg by Deborah,” Meieran said. “It’s now sinking with Jessica at the helm.”
Teams of Portland police officers will provide extra walking patrols of downtown during the winter holiday season, reports The Oregonian.
From the article: “The teams of two to four officers will start patrolling downtown between Nov. 17 and Jan. 3, a period that coincides with the first few weeks of Portland’s enforcement of its daytime camping ban and that follows the completion of the Block 216 luxury project, home to the new Ritz-Carlton hotel, condos, penthouses and restaurant.”
The Oregonian was the first to report that the WNBA shelved plans to bring an expansion team to Portland after discussions with local entrepreneur Kirk Brown broke down. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert confirmed the news in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, saying plans had been “deferred” despite Portland being identified as “an ideal destination for a WNBA franchise.”
3. Sponsored Message from Harrang Long P.C.: Harrang Long’s Political Law Practice
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4. Why Eric Zimmerman is betting on Portland
Eric Zimmerman is a chief of staff for a Multnomah County Commissioner and a Major in the Oregon National Guard. Previously, he worked as a senior advisor to the Mayor of Portland and as an assistant city manager. He's also thinking about running for Portland City Council.
In this episode, we cover Eric's background in the military, his experience running for office, and why he has hope for Portland's future—but wants a more action-oriented set of leaders in charge. We also talk about the time that he punched a man in the face (following an attack on his then-boyfriend)—and what it was like when the story hit the newspapers a year later. Finally, we touch on how the conflict in the Middle East has impacted state and local politics.
5. Southern Oregon GOP showdown, pumpkin patches, and more statewide news
October might be over, but this poll from the Oregon Values and Belief Center caught our attention. They looked at the demographics of Oregonians who go to the pumpkin patch, a farm, or another farm-related activity.
State Rep. Christine Goodwin is running for Oregon Senate, setting up a southern Oregon GOP primary with either current Sen. Art Robinson or his son, should the Supreme Court uphold Robinson’s disqualification, reports the Capital Chronicle. Goodwin said in a statement she was running to ensure southern Oregon has experienced, conservative leaders pushing back against Portland Democrats.
Meanwhile, former state senator Bruce Starr is launching a legislative comeback attempt. He will run for the senate seat currently held by Sen. Brian Boquist, pending his disqualification.
From the Oregon Capital Chronicle: “Oregon Republicans are calling for the only state lawmaker of Middle Eastern descent, Rep. Farrah Chaichi, D-Beaverton, to be removed from legislative committees and face an expulsion vote because she called for a ceasefire and criticized the Israel-Hamas war as ‘ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.’”
6. The Way: Portland government and GOP partisanship
We have two great pieces for you this week in the Oregon Way from editors Gary Conkling and Mark Hester. Conkling argues that the current split of Republicans in the House of Representatives has made Congress ungovernable and Hester gives a rundown on how Portlanders will have to cough up more funds to run their new government structure. Have thoughts on either piece? Sound off in the comments! Want to write for us? Reach out!
7. Come see us live!
Next week, Ben and Reagan will be speaking at George Fox University as part of the school’s Civility Project. The event is free and open to the public—swing by and say hello! We’d love to see you there.
Details: Monday, November 13 at 7:15pm in Hoover 105 on the George Fox campus.
8. News Roundup: legislative aides unionize, public defender crisis rears its head, and more
Former Congressional candidate Alek Skarlatos has his sights on a state legislative seat in Southern Oregon.
More than 600 Kaiser technicians who do imaging, including X-rays, mammograms, MRIs, and ultrasounds, joined already-striking Kaiser pharmacy workers on the picket lines.
Legislative aides to Oregon’s 90 lawmakers are the first legislative staff in the nation to unionize. About 80% of those who cast ballots voted to accept management’s offer, reports Willamette Week.
Three Oregon ports (Newport, Coquille Tribe’s Ko’Kwel Wharf, and Astoria) will receive $36,489,508 in federal investments, reports the Lincoln City News Guard.
Nearly two dozen organizations, including Schnitzer Steel, the City of Portland and BNSF Railway, have agreed to pay $33.2 million to settle federal litigation alleging that they polluted the Willamette River, reports Willamette Week.
Oregon’s severe public defender shortage is allowing those alleged of crimes to be released according to a new ruling from a federal judge.
An Idaho mother and son were charged after crossing the Oregon border to get an abortion.
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.