NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS |
POLITICS
Oregon primary: Labor wins and losses
By Don McIntosh
Oregon’s May 2020 primary
proved to be a moderately good
election for organized labor.
Early results showed labor
champion Shemia Fagan com-
ing in second in the Democratic
primary for secretary of state,
but she pulled ahead and won
when all votes were counted. La-
bor’s biggest loss was incum-
bent Clackamas County Chair
Jim Bernard, who was ousted by
sometime labor foe Tootie
Smith. But at least nine new pro-
union legislative candidates won
their Democratic primary races
and have a good shot at winning
in November, including active
union members Dacia Grayber
and Debbie Boothe-Schmidt.
STATEWIDE
SECRETARY OF STATE
For secretary of state—the office
that’s next in line to governor—
the state’s six biggest public em-
ployee unions backed Shemia
Fagan heavily, and she narrowly
outpolled Mark Hass, a state
senator who voted to cut PERS
and is blamed for killing several
pieces of union-backed legisla-
tion in closed-door Senate cau-
cuses. Jamie McCloud-Skinner,
a former candidate for Congress
in Oregon's Second District,
placed third. Fagan will face
Kim Thatcher, a frequent union
adversary, in the November gen-
eral election.
CONGRESS
In Oregon’s Fifth Congressional
District, incumbent Kurt
Schrader easily won the pri-
mary with 71% of the vote.
Schrader is one of the most dif-
ficult Democrats in the U.S.
House for organized labor, and
one of only seven who voted
against a bill to make it easier for
workers to unionize. Unions did-
n’t support Schrader in the pri-
mary, but most didn’t really get
behind challenger, Milwaukie
Mayor Mark Gamba, either. As
the results came in, Gamba’s
campaign made an announce-
ment: He intends to challenge
Schrader again in two years.
In Oregon’s Second Congres-
sional District, Klamath Falls
activist Alex Spenser won a
six-way Democratic contest and
will face Republican Cliff Bentz
in the race to succeed Republi-
can Greg Walden, who chose
not to run for re-election. No
union made an endorsement in
the race.
bent Clackamas County Chair
Jim Bernard, who was strongly
backed by labor. Smith, who
was formerly part of a three-
member conservative majority
on the Commission, will this
time likely be in the minority
along with fellow Republican
Paul Savas: Of the other union-
endorsed incumbents, Commis-
sioner Martha Schrader won
outright, and Ken Humberston
(49%) will face runner-up Mark
Shull (27%).
COLUMBIA COUNTY
FOUR MORE YEARS? Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, pictured here at a union-
sponsored Feb. 18 city candidates forum dipped below 50% on Day Two of
the count. Wheeler’s campaign for a second term was backed by five unions,
the central labor council and the local building trades council. If he fails to
top 50%, he’ll face second-place finisher Sarah Iannarone in November.
OREGON LEGISLATURE
In state legislative races, the only
two incumbent Democrats who
faced primary challengers after
voting to cut PERS easily de-
feated their challengers. State
Sen. Ginny Burdick won 70% of
the primary vote against union-
backed challenger Ben Bow-
man. And State Rep. Rob Nosse
outpolled Paige Kreisman, who
had the support of four public
sector unions, by a two to one
margin.
In contested Democratic pri-
maries for open legislative seats,
nine union-backed candidates
won by large margins:
■ Union home care provider Deb
Patterson in Senate District 10 (Salem)
■ PCC criminal justice instructor Kate
Lieber in Senate District 14 (Beaverton)
■ Salem City Council member and former
Graduate Employees union activist Jackie
Leung in House District 19 (Salem)
■ Former Oregon Nurses Association political
organizer WLnsvey Campos in House
District 28 (Aloha/Beaverton)
■ Former AFSCME Local 2746 president
Debbie Boothe-Schmidt in House
District 32 (Astoria)
■ Tualatin Valley Firefighter union activist
Dacia Grayber in House District 35
(Tigard)
■ Clackamas River Water Commissioner
Tessah Danel in House District 39
(Canby/Estacada)
■ Environmental justice organizer Khanh
Pham in House District 46 (Portland)
■ Reynolds School Board member Ricki
Ruiz in House District 50 (Gresham)
But in two other races, candi-
dates who had little or no union
support prevailed when unions
split their support among two or
more other candidates.
■ One example of that was in House District
33 (Portland) in the race to succeed
longtime state rep Mitch Greenlick.
Greenlick, in poor health, didn’t run for re-
election, and died four days before the
primary. Union support was divided
among four candidates. The candidate with
the least union support won, garnering
40% of the vote — physician and former
Kaiser Permanente board member
Maxine Dexter, backed by the
Teamsters and the health care union
OFNHP.
■ And in House District 36 (Portland), where
incumbent Democrat Jennifer Williamson
declined to run for re-election, union-
backed candidates Laurie Wimmer and Rob
Fullmer came in second and third place,
losing to pediatrician Lisa Reynolds.
The Oregon Labor Candidate
School, which trains union
members to run for office, had
mixed results in the primary.
Graduates Deb Patterson, Jackie
Leung, and Dacia Grayber won
their Democratic primary races
in campaigns for the state Legis-
lature. But Serin Bussell and
Andy Saultz came in third and
fourth in the four-way race in
House District 33, and Rob
Fullmer came in third in House
District 36. AFSCME Local
1085 member Vanessa Nordyke
won her race for Salem City
Council.
METRO
Union-backed incumbent Bob
Stacey won re-election outright
with 71% of the vote.
Union-backed former Oregon
House Majority Leader Mary
Nolan won the most votes in a
five-way race and will face com-
munity activist Chris Smith in
November.
Incumbent Margaret Ma-
gruder won the most votes for
Columbia County Commission
Position 1 and will face chal-
lenger Brandee Dudzic again in
a November runoff.
LANE COUNTY
Union-backed community ac-
tivist Laurie Trieger was the
top vote-getter and will face Joel
Iboa in November. But incum-
bent Pat Farr easily outpolled
union-backed challenger An-
drew Ross.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY
In the race for Multnomah
County District Attorney, re-
former Mike Schmidt, who had
most of the union endorsements,
beat federal prosecutor Ethan
Knight by more than three to one.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
In races for County Commission,
labor-supported public health ad-
vocate Nafisa Fai was the top
vote-getter and will face off
against Jeffrey Hindley in No-
vember, and incumbent Roy
Rogers won outright with 63%
against challenger Ben Marcotte;
both had some union support.
CITY RACES
BEAVERTON
Beaverton mayor Denny Doyle
was the top vote-getter but will
face Lacey Beaty in November;
both have some unions in their
corner. Union-backed neighbor-
hood activist John Dugger lost
his challenge to incumbent City
Councilor Mark Fagin, who
was endorsed by Fire Fighters.
EUGENE
COUNTY RACES
Incumbent Mayor Lucy Vinis
was re-elected, as was City
Council member Claire Syrett,
both with the support of local la-
bor organizations. Union-backed
candidates Matt Keating and
Randy Groves also won their
races for City Council, but Tim
Morris placed third, garnering
16% in a six-way race.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY
PORTLAND
Conservative Republican and
sometime union antagonist
Tootie Smith defeated incum-
Four out of five spots leading
Oregon’s biggest city were up for
June 5, 2020 | PAGE 7
grabs. One race was clinched on
Election Night; the other three
will be decided in November.
▪ Unions lined up heavily behind incumbent
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who on
election night appeared to win outright
against 18 challengers with just over the
necessary 50% of the vote. But he dipped
below 50% on Day Two of the count. His
strongest opponent proved to be Sarah
Iannarone, a fierce critic of Wheeler who
garnered 23% of the vote. The two will
face off in November.
▪ Carmen Rubio cruised to an easy victory
in City Council Position 1, earning 67% of
the vote in a nine-way race.
▪ For City Council Position 2 (succeeding
Amanda Fritz), former Multnomah County
Commissioner Loretta Smith and
former Portland School Board member
Dan Ryan got the most votes and will face
each other in the November general
election. That was a bit of a win for UFCW.
Fritz had been a close UFCW ally, and
UFCW was the only union to back Smith in
this race. Julia DeGraw, who had the most
union support, had a disappointing fourth-
place finish with 13% of the vote.
▪ Incumbent Commissioner Chloe Eudaly
won the most votes (31%) for City Council
Position 3, but she’ll face challenger
Mingus Mapps (29%) in November;
both had a few union endorsements.
SALEM
Union-backed City Council can-
didates Virginia Stapleton,
Trevor Philips and Vanessa
Nordyke all won their races,
beating business-backed candi-
dates. In Phillips’ case that
meant ousting a longtime in-
cumbent. And Nordyke, backed
strongly by AFSCME, won de-
spite being outspent more than
two-to-one.
SPRINGFIELD
Mike Eyster came up short in a
union-backed challenge to the
incumbent mayor, winning
about 42% of the vote. Labor-
endorsed City Council candidate
Kori Rodley was the top vote-
getter and will face Johanis
Tadeo in November.
BALLOT MEASURES
▪ Metro voters approved homeless services
Measure 26-210 by 58%. The measure is
aimed at homelessness, and will raise an
estimated $250 million a year from a tax
on high-income individuals and businesses
to invest in housing, drug treatment, and
mental health services.
▪ Portland voters approved a 10¢ a gallon
gas tax renewal by more than three-to-
one margin; it pays for street maintenance
and repair and safety improvements.
▪ Centennial School District bond measure
26-208 for school security and facility
improvements passed with 52% support.