Politics
Bend attorney seeks rematch with Zika in Redmond-area House district
Bend attorney Emerson Levy is planning a rematch with state Rep. Jack Zika, R-Redmond, in a redrawn House district that now favors Democrats. Levy, 36, announced her campaign for the 53rd House District on Thursday. She was the Democratic nominee in the district in 2020, when she lost to Zika by 12 points. But after […]
Tillamook Rep. Suzanne Weber seeks to move up to Senate
State Rep. Suzanne Weber is running for Senate in the rural northwest Oregon district long represented by state Sen. Betsy Johnson, who announced her independent campaign for governor last week. Weber, R-Tillamook, announced her plans shortly after Johnson informed supporters she would run for governor. While Johnson was a Democrat until late last week and […]
Federal judge rejects last-ditch effort to block Oregon Covid vaccine mandate
A federal judge on Monday struck down a last-minute attempt to block Oregon’s vaccination mandate for teachers, health care workers and state employees, while another heard arguments in a similar case. Most people working in health care or education and executive branch employees had until the end of the day Monday to prove they’ve been […]
Clackamas County Rep. Mark Meek announces run for Oregon Senate
State Rep. Mark Meek plans to run for the state Senate in a newly-created district, he announced this week. Meek’s Gladstone home has been in a Republican Senate district represented by former state Sen. Alan Olsen or his appointed successor, state Sen. Bill Kennemer, for the past decade. New legislative boundaries give Democrats an advantage […]
Oregon state Sen. Betsy Johnson to launch independent campaign for governor
Moderate Democratic state Sen. Betsy Johnson will leave her party and run for governor as an independent, she told supporters Thursday afternoon. In an email obtained by the Oregon Capital Chronicle, Johnson described herself as offering a sensible alternative instead of forcing Oregon voters to choose between “another left-wing liberal promising more of the same […]
Kristof quits New York Times, moves closer to declaring campaign for Oregon governor
Longtime columnist Nicholas Kristof resigned from the New York Times Thursday morning, moving closer to announcing his campaign to be Oregon’s next governor. Kristof, who lives on a farm outside Yamhill, has been on leave since June as he explored a potential race. Earlier this week, he set up a fundraising committee with the Oregon […]
Oregon Rep. Bill Post will resign two months after moving to Nevada
State Rep. Bill Post, who thought he could continue in the Oregon Legislature despite moving to Nevada, found out otherwise and said in a statement Tuesday that he will resign his seat by Nov. 30. The Keizer Republican and former broadcaster revised his plans and will resign more than two months after he announced in […]
Oregon Republicans sue over new congressional districts
Four former Republican officials in Oregon sued over newly drawn congressional boundaries, alleging that legislative Democrats created a “clear, egregious partisan gerrymander.” The suit, filed in Marion County Circuit Court late Monday, claims that Democrats ignored required criteria for redistricting to ensure Democratic dominance in congressional elections as Oregon gets a sixth seat in the […]
Oregon tenants risk expiration of eviction safe harbor before they can get rent help
Three months ago, most legislators agreed to let the state’s eviction moratorium expire but provide a 60-day grace period as landlords and tenants waited on bureaucrats to process rental assistance claims. There were hundreds of millions of dollars in federal rent assistance available, Covid cases were decreasing and more than 2 million Oregonians had already […]
Tigard-Tualatin school board chair to run for Oregon House
Ben Bowman, Tigard-Tualatin School Board chair, will run for state House in a newly drawn Tigard-based legislative district, he announced this week. Rep. Dacia Grayber, D-Portland, has represented the Tigard area in the House since 2020, but she doesn’t live in the redrawn 25th House District that contains most of the Portland suburb. Bowman, 29, […]
With lines still uncertain, congressional hopefuls slow to announce campaigns
In the week since the Oregon Legislature eked out new congressional maps, would-be candidates have largely stayed mum about their potential campaigns. A handful of candidates have already announced their campaigns, but no one can officially file to run for Congress or the state Legislature until after the new maps take effect. Candidates for other […]
Oregon legislators join calls to audit 2020 election
Two Oregon legislators signed onto a national letter calling to “audit” the 2020 election in all 50 states and scrub voter rolls “to ensure future integrity of our elections.” State Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, and state Rep. Lily Morgan, R-Grants Pass, are among nearly 100 state lawmakers from around the country who signed the […]