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Oregon primary election: Progressive women win big, Republican races remain tight
Progressive women won big in Oregon’s Democratic primaries Tuesday, while contested Republican races remained close with many ballots left to count. Former House Speaker Tina Kotek won the Democratic primary for governor. Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle, state Rep. Andrea Salinas and attorney Jamie McLeod-Skinner are winning their congressional primaries. McLeod-Skinner was on her way to […]
Many Oregon candidates breeze to victory with no primary opponents
Before any election results are announced Tuesday, many Oregon candidates will have already won their primary elections. And a few have already won their general election, by virtue of being the only candidate on the ballot for their position. Come January, six current legislators will return to their seats in the House or Senate after […]
Oregon Gov. Brown, fire officials warn of challenging 2022 wildfire season
A rainy late spring is delaying the start of fire season in Oregon, but state officials said Monday they still anticipate a challenging summer and fall. Large fires are already blazing in New Mexico, and fire risk in the Northwest is expected to worsen as summer continues. During a press conference Monday, Gov. Kate Brown […]
Questions about Oregon-Idaho boundary, taxes, tobacco and guns on local ballots
Voters in three more Oregon counties will indicate next week whether they want to become Idaho residents without leaving their homes. Questions about the “Greater Idaho” movement are on ballots in Douglas, Josephine and Klamath counties, following approval in eight rural counties, mostly in the southeast part of the state, to push toward redrawing the […]
Oregon Secretary of State: Election results can be trusted, might take longer
Oregonians might not know who won close races until several days after the Tuesday election, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan cautioned Wednesday. Voters have been slower returning their ballots this year than in past primaries, and a new law means ballots that arrive within a week after Election Day but were mailed and postmarked by […]
One week before election, Oregon voter turnout lags past primaries
Oregon voters are holding onto their ballots longer this year than they have in recent primary elections. A week before the May 17 election, just over 288,000 of the state’s more than 2.9 million registered voters have cast their ballots, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. That’s a turnout rate of 9.8%. Both […]
State, Bend real estate group reach settlement on Oregon ‘love letter’ ban
The state of Oregon won’t keep fighting to enforce a first-in-the-nation ban on real estate “love letters” and will pay a Bend real estate group more than $60,000, according to a draft settlement filed in a federal court in Portland. Chief U.S. District Judge Marco Hernández in March temporarily blocked the enforcement of Oregon’s 2021 […]
Oregon, Washington detect first cases of bird flu in backyard flocks
Oregon and Washington officials on Friday confirmed that both states have had their first cases of a highly pathogenic bird flu and about 150 backyard chickens, turkeys and geese were destroyed this week. The disease has been present in North America since at least December and has primarily been spread by migrating waterfowl or scavengers […]
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 […]