Nov. 16, 2012_NWLP 10/10/17 10:52 AM Page 5
...Election results: In Oregon, labor wins across the state
(From Page 1)
Obama carried Oregon 54 percent
to 42.5 percent, and Washington 55.9
percent to 41.7 percent. Voter turnout
in Oregon reached 81 percent. In
Washington, 73.7 percent of registered
voters cast ballots.
“This election was about a choice
between two very different visions for
our nation,” Trumka told a Nov. 7 post-
election press conference. “One vision
rewards hard work and the people who
do it, while the other benefits only
those at the top. Voters rejected Rom-
ney economics.
“They made clear they want solu-
tions that respect hard work, strengthen
the middle class, invest in America and
build upon working together instead of
driving people apart.”
U.S. SENATE
In several U.S. Senate races where
Republican, corporate, and Super PAC
cash looked like it would make the dif-
ference, union members’ get-out-the-
vote activism and votes helped push
union-endorsed candidates to victory.
The election left the new Senate with
53 Democrats, a gain of two; plus two
independents who are expected to cau-
cus with the Democrats.
“We said we’d defend all of our
seats and would put half of their seats
in play,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-
WA), chairwoman of the Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Committee. “No
one believed me, but we did just that.”
Major victories included Elizabeth
Warren’s defeat of Sen. Scott Brown,
who had won a partial term in Massa-
Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer (second from right) celebrates a victorious election night with members of
Iron Workers Local 29. From left they are Jose Alvarez, Emmanual Sanchez, John Larrison, Robert Camarillo. The
men volunteered to phone bank and leaflet job sites for union-endorsed candidates and ballot measures throughout
the election campaign. “It feels great,” Larrison said, knowing that their volunteer efforts helped make a difference.
chusetts after the death of Sen. Edward cratic senators-elect are filibuster re-
U.S. HOUSE
Kennedy. Tim Kaine beat George formers. “I have great hope that we
And though Democrats strength-
Allen in Virginia; Rep. Tammy Bald- took a great step toward reforming the ened their hold on the Senate, they
win overcame Tommy Thompson in filibuster,” Merkley said. “Thanks to failed to recapture the majority in the
Wisconsin; Sen. Jon Tester defeated your huge effort, we have a stronger House of Representatives, which they
challenger Rep. Denny Rehberg in team fighting for a more fair, inclusive, lost two years ago. Seven races were
Montana; Sen. Sherrod Brown won tolerant, forward-looking society, still undecided at press time, with De-
over Josh Mandel in Ohio; and Maria where everyone has a shot to go as far mocrats leading in six. If those hold,
as their talents and hard work take Democrats will pick up 11 seats, put-
Cantwell won easily in Washington.
Oregon U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, them.”
ting the House total for next term at
whose term expires in two years,
201 Democrats and 234 Republicans.
pointed out that seven of the Demo-
Oregon returned all its incumbent
Democrats by wide margins. They are
Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer,
Kurt Schrader, and Peter DeFazio. Re-
publican Greg Walden, who was en-
dorsed by the Oregon State Building
and Construction Trades Council, also
was re-elected.
Washington State Labor Council
(WSLC) President Jeff Johnson said
his state’s Congressional delegation
got stronger with the addition of three
new “labor champions”: Suzan Del-
Bene, Derek Kilmer, and Denny Heck.
“Labor’s good friends Jim McDermott,
Rick Larsen, and Adam Smith also
won handily,” he said.
OREGON
In Oregon, all AFL-CIO-endorsed
candidates in statewide races won by
wide margins, including incumbent la-
bor commissioner Brad Avakian, treas-
urer Ted Wheeler, secretary of state
Kate Brown, and attorney general
Ellen Rosenblum. Jim Egan was
elected to the Court of Appeals and
Richard Baldwin defeated Nena Cook
for Oregon Supreme Court.
On statewide ballot measures, la-
bor-backed Measure 85, a reform of
Oregon’s corporate kicker tax, passed
by a wide margin. Labor also helped
reject Measure 84, an attempt by Re-
publicans to phase out inheritance
taxes on large estates, and all taxes on
intra-family property transfers. Less
than 3 percent of estates are affected by
NOVEMBER 16, 2012
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
the estate tax, which applies only to es-
tates worth more than $1 million.
Democrats held onto their 16-14
majority in the Oregon Senate, with
all of the AFL-CIO’s endorsed candi-
dates — several of them union mem-
bers — victorious. Winners were Arnie
Roblan in Dist. 5; Mark Hass in Dist.
14; Elizabeth Stemer Hayward in
Dist.17, Diane Rosenbaum in Dist. 21;
Chip Shields in Dist. 22; Jackie
Dingfelder in Dist. 23; and Laurie
Monnes Anderson in Dist. 25. Rosen-
baum has been a longtime active mem-
ber of Communications Workers of
America Local 7901; Roblan is a for-
mer teacher and member of the Oregon
Education Association (OEA); Hass
was a long-time member of the Amer-
ican Federation of Television & Radio
Artists; Monnes Anderson is a retired
member of the Oregon Nurses Associ-
ation; and Shields is a member of the
American Federation of Teachers
(AFT).
In the Oregon House, AFL-CIO-
backed candidates won 87 percent of
the races in unofficial results. If all the
numbers hold, Democrats will carry a
34-26 majority into the 2013 legisla-
tive session. (In the last session the
House was split 30-30.)
Winners were Peter Buckley in
Dist. 5; union Carpenter Paul Holvey
in Dist. 8; Caddy McKeown in Dist. 9;
David Gomberg in Dist. 10; Phil Barn-
hart in Dist. 11; John Lively in Dist.
12; former Service Employees Interna-
tional Union member Nancy
Nathanson in Dist. 13; Val Hoyle in
Dist. 14; Sara Gelser in Dist. 16; Brian
Clem in Dist. 21; former OEA member
Betty Komp in Dist. 22; Tobias Read
in Dist. 27; former Portland Police As-
sociation (PPA) president Jeff Barker
in Dist. 28; Ben Unger in Dist. 29; Joe
Gallegos in Dist. 30; United Food and
Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local
555 rep Brad Witt in Dist. 31; Chris
Harker in Dist. 34 ; former OEA mem-
ber Margaret Doherty in Dist. 35; Jen-
nifer Wil-liamson in Dist. 36; Chris
Garrett in Dist. 38; Brent Barton in
Dist. 40; Carolyn Tomei, a one-time
member of AFT, in Dist. 41; Jules Bai-
ley in Dist. 42; Lew Frederick in Dist.
43; Tina Kotek in Dist. 44; former AFT
Local 2277 president Michael Dem-
brow in Dist. 45; Alissa Keny-Guyer
in Dist. 46; Jessica Vega Pederson in
Dist. 47; retired OEA member Jeff
Reardon in Dist. 48; Chris Gorsek, a
member of the OEA and a past mem-
ber of the PPA and UFCW Local 555,
in Dist. 49; Fire Fighters union mem-
ber Greg Matthews in Dist. 50; Shemia
Fagan in Dist. 51; and Bob Jenson in
Dist. 58.
The Oregon AFL-CIO’s election
program turned out union members to
knock on over 115,000 doors, make
over 315,000 phone calls, and hand out
thousands of fliers to co-workers at
jobsites. Additionally, thousands of
water cooler conversations helped
spread information about candidates’
records on the economy, and over
(Turn to Page 8)
PAGE 5