Politics
In final State of the State address, Brown touts victories, pushes spending plan
Gov. Kate Brown’s final State of the State address on Thursday served largely as a victory lap, while she challenged legislators to approve her plans to spend $700 million on job training, housing and child care. As she did last year, Brown gave her 30-minute speech virtually from her office instead of standing before a […]
Legislators accustomed to short sessions should not shy from big ambitions – for Oregon’s good
No legislative session can compete with the excitement of a Super Bowl. But does the Oregon Legislature have to run another short, low-scoring event this year? In a practice approved by Oregon voters in 2010, lawmakers gathered this week for their sixth even-year session and expectations were, initially, modest – not just from observers in […]
Oregon Legislature gets to work with speeches, flowers and courtesy
Legislators returned to Salem on Tuesday to start the 2022 legislative session. The House elected a new speaker, Corvallis attorney Dan Rayfield, who was first elected in 2014. Rayfield urged his colleagues to work to understand each other’s motivations and recognize that they all want to do good for Oregon. Two new representatives – Democrats […]
Oregon legislators begin 2022 session with optimistic speeches, mask protests
The Oregon Legislature started its 2022 session on Tuesday with optimistic speeches about bipartisanship and warning shots over a farmworker overtime proposal as protesters rallied against vaccine mandates outside the Capitol in Salem. Leaders in the Senate and House gaveled shortly after 8 a.m., beginning a 35-day countdown to pass bills and spend about $1.5 […]
Oregon GOP frontrunner for governor embraces claims of election fraud
Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam, one of the leading Republican candidates for governor, called the 2020 election “fraudulent” over the weekend and told the Oregon Capital Chronicle on Monday that he had doubts about the integrity of Oregon’s vote-by-mail system. Pulliam shared on social media a short clip of himself speaking to the East Clackamas County […]
Governors attempt to bridge deep political divides in big D.C. meeting
WASHINGTON — Governors of both parties from throughout the United States met here over the weekend to try to speak on a unified front about what their states need from the federal government. But the waters were muddied by governors’ clearly divided political views about two major issues of the moment — voting laws and […]
Oregon 2022 legislative preview: What’s ahead that could affect your life as legislators gather
Oregon legislators will return to Salem on Tuesday morning with a long list of policies to change and pet projects to fund, and 35 days to do it all. Job training is top of mind for most lawmakers and Gov. Kate Brown as Oregon has more open jobs than workers to fill them. Illegal marijuana […]
Oregon Supreme Court closes arguments, now will settle if Kristof is on ballot for governor
SALEM – The legal arguing is done and now it’s up to the Oregon Supreme Court to settle whether Democrat Nick Kristof goes on the primary ballot for governor. The court set Friday as the deadline for filing legal submissions in a case brought by Kristof. He’s challenging the decision of Secretary of State Shemia […]
Jan. 6 congressional panel subpoenas bogus pro-Trump electors from 7 states
WASHINGTON —The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol subpoenaed on Friday 14 people from seven states who participated as fake electors following the 2020 presidential election. Groups from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin all allegedly sent in lists of so-called alternate electors to the National Archives. […]
Oregon Gov. Brown heading to D.C. to meet with Biden, governors
Gov. Kate Brown will meet with President Joe Biden and governors from around the country in Washington D.C. this weekend, her spokesman confirmed to the Oregon Capital Chronicle. The National Governors Association’s annual winter meeting is in the nation’s capital from Friday, Jan. 28, to Monday, Jan. 31, but that’s not the main reason for […]
Most money, media attention flows to few candidates, but many are running for governor
When Oregon’s registered Democrats and Republicans receive their primary ballots this spring, they’ll likely see about a dozen candidates for governor. Chances are, they’ll only recognize a few of the names. With nearly four months to go before the primary election, candidates have already fallen into two groups. There are the frontrunners, those with high-profile […]
Multnomah County taps registered nurse Travis Nelson to finish Kotek’s House term
Multnomah County Commissioners on Thursday unanimously picked registered nurse Travis Nelson to finish the term of former House Speaker Tina Kotek, who resigned to run for governor. Nelson, who was already running for election in the 44th House district in north Portland, will officially take office at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, just ahead of the start […]