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Proposal to decriminalize sex work won’t appear on Oregon ballots
Oregonians won’t get the chance to vote on whether to decriminalize sex work this year after backers of a ballot initiative ended their campaign Thursday. The proposed initiative would have made it legal to buy and sell sex in Oregon and would have treated sex work like other occupations, subject to employment law and state […]
Poll: Drazan leads crowded Republican field for Oregon governor
The former House Republican leader has moved to the top of a crowded field of GOP candidates for Oregon governor with less than two weeks left before the May 17 primary election, according to a new independent poll. About 19% of the 514 likely Republican voters who responded to the poll chose Christine Drazan, who […]
Abortion rights protected in Oregon regardless of Supreme Court ruling
If the U.S. Supreme Court’s final decision on abortion rights resembles a draft opinion leaked Monday night, women in more than half the country could lose access to a right they’ve had for 50 years. In Oregon, women seeking abortions would not see immediate consequences. Over several decades, and even more during the past five […]
Next Oregon governor could change state’s approach to abortion after Supreme Court decision
In recent years, Oregon has established itself as a haven for abortion rights, providing access at no cost to Oregonians and creating a fund for out-of-state patients who can’t obtain care in their own states. That could all change after the 2022 election. Monday night’s leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion that would […]
Independent redistricting advocates look to 2024 after Oregon Supreme Court ruling
A group of Oregonians who don’t want politicians to draw Oregon’s electoral maps are giving up on their attempts to reach the ballot this year to change that. Petitioners sought to amend the Oregon Constitution to create an independent redistricting commission that would draw new legislative and congressional districts beginning in 2023. Before voters can […]
How to find fundraising and spending in Oregon politics
Vast information about who gives money to people running for office and how those candidates spend the money is available for free online. But the state and federal websites that compile campaign finance information can be clunky and far from intuitive. For people who aren’t candidates, campaign treasurers or political journalists who use ORESTAR or […]
Oregon Appeals Court reverses $1.1 billion verdict over state forest management
The Oregon Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed a $1.1 billion verdict against the state for how it manages forests, ruling that the state wasn’t obligated to maximize logging and profits. Linn County sued the state and the Oregon Forestry Department in 2016, accusing the state of shortchanging 14 rural counties that transferred management of […]
Local party officials tell DC Dems to stay out of Oregon primaries
Days before President Joe Biden endorsed Rep. Kurt Schrader for re-election, local Democratic officials sent national Democrats a very different message. Biden, in a statement last weekend announcing his endorsement, said he didn’t always agree with Schrader, but that the seven-term congressman was there for him when it mattered and helped pass much of Biden’s […]
Oregon Democrats end candidate forum over racial slurs, graphic images
Democrats in Yamhill and Polk counties ended a candidate forum on Saturday after attendees began spamming the virtual meeting with graphic sexual images and racial slurs. The county parties hosted a Zoom forum Saturday night with state Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, and Newberg City Councilor Elise Yarnell Hollamon. Neron is running unopposed in the primary […]
Time running out to register to vote in Oregon primary election
Tuesday is the last day to register to vote or choose a political party in time to vote in the May primary election. Oregon has closed primaries, meaning only registered Democrats or Republicans get to vote in primary elections for most races, including governor, Congress, the U.S. Senate and the Legislature. The more than 1.2 […]
Biden touts $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan at Portland International Airport
PORTLAND— New federal infrastructure spending will create millions of high-paying jobs in Oregon and across the country and modernize infrastructure, President Joe Biden said at the Portland International Airport on Thursday. Biden landed at the Air National Guard base Thursday afternoon and toured the ongoing terminal expansion site before addressing a small crowd of local […]
President Joe Biden arrives in Portland on first visit to the state
For the first time in his presidency, Joe Biden arrived in Oregon on a short visit at midday Thursday. He is addressing the media in an airport hangar after 2 p.m. and then will hold a closed fundraiser at the nearby Portland Yacht Club, which has views of the Columbia River. With rising inflation, Biden […]