A6
OREGON
East Oregonian
ELECTION
Election heats up as ballots go out
By GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Many Orego-
nians will have a possible
attention grabber in the mail-
box within days: their ballot.
Wednesday, April 27, is
when the fi rst ballots go in the
mail for the May 17 primary
election, a process that must
be completed no later than
May 3. Ballots cast could be
coming back to county clerks
as early as this weekend.
“Things are heating up
— it’s exciting that after so
many months, people will get
to vote,” said Jessica LaVi-
gne, campaign manager for
Tobias Read, the state trea-
surer running for governor in
the Democratic primary.
The open governor’s seat
is one of the top ballot battle-
grounds. The 19 Republi-
cans and 15 Democrats on
the ballot will be reduced to
one per party after votes are
counted on May 17.
Par t y nominees for
two hotly contested open
congressional seats will be
decided, while a third seat in
the U.S. House has drawn a
strong challenge.
All 60 state House seats
and more than half of 30
senate seats will be on the
ballot. Only a handful have
close primary fights, with
the real impact coming in
November when voters will
decide if Democrats’ super-
majorities in both chambers
go up or down.
With closed primaries,
only registered Democrats
and Republicans can vote in
each party’s ballot for parti-
san races.
The commissioner of
the Bureau of Labor and
Industries is on all ballots,
because the offi ce is offi cially
non-partisan.
Websites and television
stations are already becom-
ing saturated with political
ads in some areas.
Former House Speaker
Tina Kotek, D-Portland, is
the highest ranking Demo-
crat running against Read in
the race for governor.
Kotek ads pop up in
East Oregonian, File
Bundles of ballots sit in trays waiting to be opened prior to the
November 2019 election at the Umatilla County Elections Of-
fi ce in Pendleton. Ballots for the primary on May 17, 2022, are
heading to voters’ mailboxes as soon as Wednesday, April 27.
between most YouTube
videos accessed in Demo-
cratic-heavy Eugene.
While less ubiquitous, the
biggest fundraisers in the
Republican race for governor
are also hitting screens big
and small around the state.
Ads from former Oregon
Republican Party chair
Bob Tiernan, former House
Minority Leader Christin
Drazan, R-Canby, and Sandy
Mayor Stan Pulliam cast state
government as out-of-touch
or inept and stake their claim
to be the fi rst GOP candidate
to win a governor’s race since
1982.
A common theme with
variations of intensity and
sharp language is put forward
in a more gentle manner
by 2016 GOP nominee for
governor Bud Pierce, whose
ads promise that he will make
Oregon “sane, secure and
stable” again
In Sunriver this week-
end, Democrats will meet
for the Oregon Summit, the
top gathering of the parti-
san troops. It comes one
week after Republicans met
in Clackamas County, near
Mount Hood.
The conference had been
postponed earlier in the
year because of COVID-
19 concerns. With reports
Tuesday that Vice-Presi-
dent Kamala Harris and U.S.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon,
have separately tested posi-
tive for the virus, the Demo-
crats’ political messaging
will compete with pandemic
news involving two of their
top nationally known leaders.
Attempts to lead a daily
news cycle with an orderly
roll out of a political agenda
at a conference can be inter-
rupted by the unexpected.
Take it from Republicans.
Last Saturday, the key day
of the Dorchester Conference
in Clackamas County, state
political news was crowded
by President Joe Biden
endorsing the re-election bid
of U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader,
D-Canby.
“We don’t always agree,
but when it has mattered
most, Kurt has been there
for me,” Biden said in a state-
ment Saturday.
The endorsement put
Biden at odds with four
of the five county Demo-
cratic committees in the 5th
Congressional District.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner of
Terrebonne won the endorse-
ment of the Deschutes,
Clackamas, Marion and Linn
county Democratic party
groups. The fi fth — Mult-
nomah County — has not
endorsed in the 5th Congres-
sional District race.
McLeod-Skinner has said
a major reason for her insur-
gent bid was what she and
other Democratic progres-
sives have called out as
Schrader’s inconsistent and
tepid support for Biden’s
“Build Back Better” plan.
De mo c r at s ba ck i ng
McLeod-Skinner dismissed
the endorsement as a neces-
sary nod to party cohesion in
the closely-divided House.
But Biden’s endorsement
is sure to be rolled out when
Schrader makes a scheduled
appearance in Sunriver with
the other three Democrats in
the Oregon delegation to the
U.S. House.
Another race forcing
Democrats to choose sides
is the new 6th congressional
district. Political newcomer
Carrick Flynn has received
$7 million from billionaire
Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO
of a Bahamas-based crypto-
currency exchange.
Democratic party infi ght-
ing really took off when
Flynn received $1 million
from a political action
committee tied to House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca-
lif., to Flynn’s campaign.
The crowded Democrat
fi eld includes Rep. Andrea
Salinas, D-Lake Oswego,
and Rep. Teresa Alonso
Leon, D-Woodburn, two of
the highest ranking Latina
officeholders in the state.
Former Multnomah County
Com missioner Loret t a
Smith, who is Black, is also
in the race.
The sudden support by the
Pelosi-backed PAC for Flynn
drew the ire of U.S. Sen. Jeff
Merkley, D-Oregon, who
broke his neutral position to
call out Flynn’s fundraising.
“I haven’t endorsed in this
race, but it’s fl at-out wrong
for House Majority PAC to
be weighing in when we have
multiple strong candidates
vying for the nomination,”
Merkley wrote on Twitter.
Progressive Democrats
have also groused about the
late departure of incumbent
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio,
D-Springfield, in the 4th
Congressional District.
DeFazio waited until redis-
tricting maps had passed all
legal hurdles in the Oregon
Supreme Cour t before
announcing he wouldn’t
run in 2022.
GOP wraps up summit, Dems plan their own
By GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — There’s polit-
ical movement in the moun-
tains this week. Republicans
are heading out from the
shadow of Mount Hood,
while Democrats make the
trek east of the Cascades.
As Republicans concluded
the Dorchester Confer-
ence in Welches in Clacka-
mas County last weekend,
Democrats are heading to the
Oregon Summit in Sunriver
Resort Friday, April 29.
The meetings are meant
to rally the partisan troops as
the primary election moves
towards the finish line on
May 27 — now just three
weeks away.
GOP picks from full
fi eld of candidates
Informal straw polls
taken of GOP attendees at
the Dorchester Conference
showed they favor former
Happy Valley Mayor Lori
Chavez-DeRemer in the 5th
Congressional District that
runs from Portland to Bend.
Rep. Ron Noble, R-McMin-
nville, came out on top of a
large slate of Republicans
in the new 6th Congressio-
nal District. Both candidates
put out the results on social
media over the weekend.
Less was released about
the straw poll to choose
among the 19 Republicans
running for governor. Former
Alsea school superintendent
Marc Thielman came out on
top after multiple rounds,
with Portland consultant
Bridget Barton placing
second.
The straw poll winners
were not included in two
high-profile debates last
week and later this week.
The fi rst, held April 21, was
co-sponsored by the Bend
Bulletin and limited the stage
to four candidates who had
raised signifi cant funds and
also placed well in larger
public opinion polls: former
House Minority Leader
Christine Drazan, R-Canby;
2016 GOP governor nominee
Bud Pierce of Salem; former
Oregon GOP chair Bob Tier-
nan of Lake Oswego; and
Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam.
The same four are set for a
debate April 28, co-spon-
sored by Pamplin Media and
KOIN-TV.
Meanwhile, conservative
radio personality Lars Larson
used the weekend to weigh-in
with his own endorsement of
Barton for governor. He also
told listeners they should
support Chavez-DeRemer
in the 5th district race, and
Amy Ryan Courser in the
6th district.
Democrats maneuver
into spotlight
Now it’s the Democrats’
turn for strategizing and
intrigue at Sunriver Resort
south of Bend. The agenda
of the Democratic party’s
Oregon Summit also includes
a reception for Gov. Kate
Brown, who will leave offi ce
in January. Attorney General
Ellen Rosenblum, Secretary
of State Shemia Fagan and
Treasurer Tobias Read will
speak.
Straw polls are also
expected following the
governor’s candidate forum
on May 1.
The Democratic fi eld is
just slightly smaller — 15
candidates. Treasurer Read
and former House Majority
Leader Tina Kotek, D-Port-
land, are the top fundraisers
so far in bids to move into
Mahonia Hall, the governor’s
mansion in Salem.
But insurgent candidates
such as 2018 Independent
Party governor nominee
Patrick Starnes of Browns-
ville — running in 2020
as a Democrat — are call-
ing for equal footing in any
party-sponsored debates.
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Parents, addiction
recovery advocates
call for action
By LYNNE TERRY
Oregon Capital Chronicle
PORTLAND — Moms
and others concerned about
addiction rallied in Portland
on Saturday, April 23, call-
ing for the Oregon Health
Authority to take effec-
tive and immediate action
against substance use.
They included a father
who lost his son two years
ago after he consumed a
counterfeit opioid pill he
bought online that was laced
with fentanyl.
They included a mom
with a 35-year-old son who
recently relapsed with a
drug addiction.
And they included at
least three moms whose
children are struggling with
addiction on the streets of
Portland.
They gathered outside
the northeast Portland
offi ce of the Oregon Health
Authority.
The rally was organized
by Mike Marshall, exec-
utive director of Oregon
Recovers, an advocacy
group. He has frequently
criticized the state agency’s
handling of Measure 110.
The ballot measure, passed
in November 2020, decrim-
inalized the possession of
personal amounts of drugs
and was supposed to build
recovery facilities through-
out the state, pay for harm
reduction and point addicts
toward treatment. But two
years later little of the nearly
$300 million allocated has
been spent while Oregon’s
addiction crisis continues.
Since the start of the
pandemic in March 2020,
alcohol-related deaths
have jumped more than
70% and drug overdose
fatalities have risen nearly
40%, according to state
data. Residential treatment
capacity for adults and
adolescents has also fallen,
and the state has shelved a
public education campaign
on drinking, Marshall said.
He said the Oregon
Health Authority has failed
to help an advisory group
that is overseeing the distri-
bution of Measure 110
funds. They have a lot of
experience with addiction
but little experience allo-
cating taxpayer dollars.
“Take action — or
resign,” those attending the
rally repeatedly chanted,
while speakers addressed
the need for addiction
and recovery services in
Oregon.
In recent years, the state
OREGON
RECOVERS
12-STEP PLAN
• Create a coordinated
response.
• Make one person
accountable.
• Stop poisonings.
• Warn public.
• Rapidly build work-
force.
• Release funds.
• Create immediate
access to detox.
• Create seven-day
respite centers.
• Create immediate
access to treatment.
• Create immediate
access to recovery
housing.
• Aggressively promote
recovery.
• Invest in prevention.
consistently has ranked near
the top in the prevalence of
addiction and at or near the
bottom in access to treat-
ment in nationwide surveys
by the federal government
and mental health groups.
“We need to just find
the beds,” Marshall told the
group, referring to residen-
tial treatment facilities.
One mother, who asked
to remain anonymous to
protect the identity of her
29-year-old son, told the
Capital Chronicle that her
son is living on the streets
of Portland. He’s been on
a waiting list for residen-
tial treatment twice — one
was a two-month wait and
the other for more than six
months — but he never
entered treatment because
he lost the desire.
O n t he plat for m ,
Marshall stood in between
two signs with cell-
phone numbers: one of an
unnamed Oregon Health
Authority official with
responsibility for addic-
tion services and a top
health adviser to Gov. Kate
Brown. He told the crowd to
text those individuals — “be
nice,” he said — to ask for
immediate action.
Almost immediately,
people whipped out their
cellphones, punched in
the numbers and fi red off
messages.
Another speaker, Tony
Vezina, executive director
of 4th Dimension Recovery,
a Portland-based recovery
group, said the government
doesn’t need to create more
advisory groups. They are
not eff ective in managing
the crisis, he said.
COVID-19
Sen. Ron Wyden tests positive for COVID-19
BY LYNNE TERRY
Oregon Capital Chronicle
WA SH I N GT ON —
Oregon’s senior U.S. senator,
Ron Wyden, tested positive
for COVID-19 on Tuesday,
April 26.
On Twitter and in a news
release, he said the infection
was caught during routine
testing. He’s experienc-
ing “minor symptoms” and
is working from his resi-
dence in Washington, D.C.,
the statements said. He will
quarantine according to
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention guidelines. It
recommends people isolate
themselves for fi ve days.
Wyden is 72. He was in
Eastern Oregon last week for
virtual town halls and met
President Joe Biden when
he arrived in Portland on
April 21.
A spokesperson, Hank
Stern, said Wyden is fully
vaccinated and has received
two booster shots.
Vice President Kamala
Harris, 57, also tested positive
for COVID-19 on April 19.
Dozens of Republicans
and Democrats in Congress
have tested positive for the
virus over the past two years.
They include House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, who tested
positive earlier this month
and reported no symptoms.
She tested positive a day
after appearing at a White
House event with President
Joe Biden. The California
Democrat, 82, also is fully
vaccinated.
Members of Congress
— Republicans and Demo-
crats — also have become
infected with the virus. So
have Commerce Secre-
tary Gina Raimondo and
Attorney General Merrick
Garland. The president’s
sister, Valerie Biden Owens,
has been infected.
Wyden’s infection coin-
cides with a wave of infec-
tions caused by a new variant,
B.A. 2, which appears to be
the most infectious to date.
The variant has become the
dominant strain in Oregon,
according to Oregon Health
Authority data.
COVID-19 infections
have risen in Oregon during
the past two weeks, with a
seven-day daily average of
about 760 known cases. The
state only can track reported
tests; many people test at
home and don’t report the
results.
Hospitalizations in Oregon
remain low — 135 people are
hospitalized with COVID-19.
State data show 84% of adults
in Oregon have received at
least one dose of a vaccine
and 45% have received at
least one booster dose. A
second booster is approved for
those aged 50 and over four
months after they received the
fi rst booster shot.
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