Blue Mountain Eagle
A8
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
ELECTION 2022
Bentz, Wyden coast to victory
Kotek wins governor’s race;
gun control, health care
measures still tight
EO Media Group
EO Media Group file photo
While Democrats will still control the Oregon Legislature, they have lost their supermajority status
in both chambers.
Democrats poised to keep
majorities in Oregon Legislature
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Democrats will
remain in charge of both cham-
bers of the Oregon Legislature
when the new session opens
Jan. 9, but will lack the 60%
majorities required to pass rev-
enue-raising measures on their
own.
Results are incomplete, but
Republicans managed to reduce
the Democrats’ 18-12 majority
in the Senate and 37-23 major-
ity in the House.
Whichever party has a
majority usually names the
House speaker and Senate pres-
ident. They appoint the mem-
bers and leaders of committees
— where most of the work of
the Oregon Legislature is done
— and assign bills to the com-
mittees. The majority party
usually sets the agenda for the
chambers.
Democrats have held major-
ities in both chambers for a
decade, and supermajorities —
60%, the requirement for reve-
nue-raising measures —
since 2019.
Republicans
were aided by the
Bring Balance to
Salem political
action committee,
founded by for-
mer U.S. Rep. Greg
Walden — himself a
former Oregon House major-
ity leader and Oregon state sen-
ator — and helped by a $2 mil-
lion contribution from Nike
co-founder Phil Knight.
Republicans mounted a
strong bid to win their first
majority in the Senate, or at
least force a 15-15 tie, in two
decades. They lost their major-
ity in 2002, when Democrats
gained a tie, and then Demo-
crats won three seats for an out-
right majority in 2004.
Oregon House
Democrats are likely to
retain their majority over
Republicans in the House. But
that majority will be smaller
than in the past four years.
Results are incomplete, but
Republicans apparently gained
a net two or three seats, enough
to reduce Democrats below
the supermajority mark of 36.
There will be at least 20 new
members — 13 Democrats and
seven Republicans are vacat-
ing their seats — and if all six
appointees on the ballot win
their elections (most were lead-
ing), almost half the House will
be serving their first 160-day
long session in 2023.
Rep. Greg Smith, R-Hep-
pner, said the election outcome
was something of a mixed bag.
“It wasn’t as big a wave as
internally we were being told,”
he said. “And so there was
really an expectation that we
would get to 28, maybe 29 in
the House.”
Smith said while he is grate-
ful and even excited about the
Democrats losing their super-
majority, he is a bit disap-
pointed his party didn’t gain
more seats.
Overall, he said, the elec-
tion reflected a generational
shift. The longest-serving Sen-
ate president, Peter Court-
ney, retired. The longest-serv-
ing House speaker, Tina Kotek,
now is the governor-elect. And
more than 70% of the Legisla-
ture has never served in a pub-
lic setting.
The change makes Smith
not just the most senior mem-
ber of the House, but of the
whole legislative assembly.
Democrat Dan Rayfield of
Corvallis, who succeeded Tina
Kotek as speaker at the start of
the 2022 short session, is likely
to be his party’s nominee for a
full two-year term as presid-
ing officer. The speaker is cho-
sen by the full House, but the
majority party’s choice usually
prevails.
Smith said he had a recent
conversation with Rayfield, and
he seems to be taking a
different approach to
the role from past
speakers of the
House.
“He’s very
collaborative,
and I really think
he is trying to be a
speaker of all Orego-
nians,” Smith said. “For me,
while I’m not going to compro-
mise my basic principles, I look
forward to working with him.”
The House had 25 new
members in 1999 after Ore-
gon’s term limits kicked in,
and 24 new members in 2001.
Those totals exclude two mem-
bers with prior legislative ser-
vice in 1999, and one in 2001.
The Supreme Court tossed out
term limits in 2002.
Smith said the change in the
Legislature could bode well.
“Hopefully, it’s a new era
in Oregon,” Smith said, “to
where there can be broader
collaboration and broader
problem-solving.”
Republicans were in the
majority most recently in 2006.
They managed to force a first-
ever 30-30 tie with Democrats
after the 2010 election, but
Republicans lost — and Dem-
ocrats gained — four seats in
2012, which enabled Dem-
ocratic leader Tina Kotek to
become speaker.
Oregon Senate
Republicans were mount-
ing a strong bid to win their
first majority in the Senate, or
at least force a 15-15 tie, in two
decades. They lost their major-
ity in 2002, when Democrats
gained a tie, and then Demo-
crats won three seats for an out-
right majority in 2004. Dem-
ocrats have kept it since then,
although there were 16-14
splits between the parties from
2011 through 2014.
The Senate Leadership
Fund raised more than $2 mil-
lion to aid Republican candi-
dates and attack Democrats.
The new lineup appar-
ently will be 16 Democrats,
13 Republicans and one inde-
pendent, Brian Boquist of Dal-
las, who left the Republican
Party. This excludes the unde-
cided District 20 seat, where
Democratic Rep. Mark Meek
of Gladstone held a slim lead
in his challenge of Republican
Sen. Bill Kennemer of Ore-
gon City. Most of the district
is in Clackamas County, where
about half the ballots were yet
to be counted.
Meek is a three-term state
representative; Kennemer was
seeking a full term to the seat
he was appointed to in 2021
after Republican Alan Olsen of
Canby moved out of state. Ken-
nemer was first elected a sena-
tor in 1986, then as a Clacka-
mas County commissioner in
1996, then as a state represen-
tative in 2008 before he left in
2018.
“These results should give
renewed optimism to every
person in our state fighting for
the well-being of hard-work-
ing Oregonians,” said Sen-
ate Majority Leader Rob Wag-
ner, D-Lake Oswego, who is
expected to be a candidate for
the Senate presidency. “Soon,
we will turn our attention to
the 2023 legislative session and
continue our work to support a
brighter future for every com-
munity in our state.”
Sixteen of the 30 Senate
seats were up for election on
Tuesday, Nov. 8, one for a two-
year term in a redrawn District
18, which is now entirely within
Washington County. Demo-
cratic Rep. Wlnsvey Campos of
Aloha was elected; she will be
up again in 2024 for a full term.
Ten Democratic incum-
bents appear headed for reelec-
tion, plus Aaron Woods of Wil-
sonville, who won the redrawn
District 13 seat.
Three Republicans will
move from the House to open
seats in the Senate: Daniel Bon-
ham of The Dalles, succeeding
Republican Chuck Thomsen of
Hood River; Cedric Hayden of
Fall Creek, succeeding Demo-
crat Lee Beyer of Springfield;
and Suzanne Weber of Tilla-
mook, succeeding Democratic
appointee Rachel Armitage of
Warren in the seat that Dem-
ocrat Betsy Johnson of Scap-
poose vacated in her losing
nonaffiliated bid for governor.
Sen. Kim Thatcher of
Keizer lost her District 13 seat
in redistricting, but appeared
to be winning her bid for the
open District 11 seat vacated
by Democrat Peter Courtney of
Salem, the longest-serving leg-
islator at 38 years and Senate
president for a record 20 years.
— East Oregonian news
editor Phil Wright contributed
to this report.
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A vendor at the Crosshair Customs booth at
the 2018 Pendleton Gun Show at the Pendle-
ton Convention Center talks to prospective
customers.
ple voting to keep the language, unofficial
returns indicated that the measure was pass-
ing by a clear margin.
As of 10 a.m. Nov. 9, the measure had
received more than 759,000 votes and held a
nine-point lead, 54%-45%.
“Talking with some voters, there was
confusion about the measure and whether
that language was needed for there to be
accountability for people who had commit-
ted crimes,” said Sandy Chung, executive
director of ACLU of Oregon, which sup-
ported Measure 112.
Oregon’s senior U.S. senator, Democrat
Ron Wyden, won reelection easily Tues-
day, Nov. 8, defeating Jo Rae Perkins from
Health care measure trails
Albany, a Republican opponent who has
Measure 111, which would guarantee
never held elected office.
access to health care as a right in
Wyden, who was first elected to
the Oregon Constitution, remains
the Senate in 1996, chairs the pow-
erful U.S. Senate Finance Com-
too close to call after early-morning
mittee and also sits on the Energy
returns on Nov. 9.
As of 10 a.m. the measure was
and Natural Resources, Budget and
failing with 703,479 — 50.4% —
Intelligence Committees.
opposed and 690,313 or 49.5% in
As legislative accomplishments,
favor.
he points to his work on clean energy
If it passes, Measure 111 would
tax credits — including a key role in Stephenson
make Oregon the first state in the
the passage of the Inflation Reduc-
tion Act — prescription drug price
nation with a constitutional obliga-
tion to provide access to affordable
reduction measures, tax reform and
health care to all its residents, simi-
boosting the semiconductor manu-
facturing industry.
lar to the constitutional guarantee of
Wyden, 73, is known for hold-
a public K-12 education.
ing town halls in each of Oregon’s
The language of the measure
36 counties, with thousands of those
states: “It is the obligation of the
Kotek
gatherings taking place over the
state to ensure that every resident of
years.
Oregon has access to cost-effective,
clinically appropriate and affordable health
Kotek elected governor
care as a fundamental right.”
Democrat Tina Kotek emerged the win-
But Measure 111 does not spell out what
ner in a tight race for governor, edging out the state would have to do to meet its new
constitutional obligation, were the mea-
Republican Christine Drazan.
Two media organizations, The Oregonian sure to pass, or define what access to afford-
newspaper and Oregon Public Broadcasting, able health care means. Were the measure
called the race in Kotek’s favor by midday to pass, it would be up to the Legislature to
on Wednesday, Nov. 9, but the race was still shape what health care access for all looks
so close that Drazan refused to concede until like and how to pay for it. The Legislature
will be back in session starting in January.
Friday, Nov. 11.
As of late Wednesday night, Kotek was
Measure 113 passes, punishing
leading Drazan by 46.7% to 43.8%, with
lawmakers who walk out
more than 1.59 million ballots cast.
Oregon voters appear to have impaired
Unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson
the ability of state lawmakers in the minority
received just over 9% of the vote.
Johnson, a former Democratic state sena- party to block contentious bills by fleeing the
tor from Columbia County left the party and Capitol, a maneuver Republicans employed
her Senate post to run for governor and was in 2019 and 2020.
Measure 113, pushed by public employee
widely seen as a spoiler in the race.
Kotek, the former speaker of the House, unions and supported by top Democrats,
and Drazan, the former House minority was headed for passage by a wide margin
leader, both gave up their legislative seats to after early returns.
Voters backed the concept 67%-32% in
seek the governor’s office.
partial returns tallied as of 10 a.m. Nov. 9.
Measure 114 remains too close to call
The measure adds language to the Ore-
SALEM — Oregon Measure 114, which gon Constitution preventing any lawmaker
would regulate firearms, remained too close from running for reelection if they have 10
on Nov. 9, with 50.3% of voters approving or more unexcused absences in a single leg-
the measure and 49.6% voting “no” accord- islative session. It also prevents such law-
ing to preliminary unofficial results.
makers from winning office in the other leg-
Measure 114 qualified for the ballot islative chamber.
Measure 113 was conceived as a way
through a petition drive by a coalition of
religious and other organizations. It would to get around Oregon’s constitutional quo-
require people to complete firearms training rum requirement, which requires two-thirds
before they can obtain permits to purchase of lawmakers in a chamber to be present in
guns, and limit ammunition magazines to 10 order to conduct business. That’s a higher
bar than exists in many states, which often
rounds each.
It is the first gun regulation initiative on require a mere majority of lawmakers pres-
the ballot in 22 years, although the Legisla- ent to achieve a quorum.
ture has passed several measures of its own
Stephenson easily wins Oregon labor
commissioner
over the past seven years.
Labor attorney Christina Stephenson
Measure 114 drew the most attention of
the four that qualified for the ballot, two by handily won the race to be Oregon’s next
legislative referral, and two others by initia- labor commissioner Tuesday, Nov. 8, with
tive petition.
early returns showing her securing 60% of
the vote. Rival Cheri Helt was far behind in
Measure 112 passes, removing
the two-person race, with 39%, and fewer
slavery language from Oregon
than 1% of the votes going to write-in
candidates.
Constitution
Oregon voters passed a measure that
“Oregon should be the best place to live
strips language from the state’s constitution and work in this country, and I’m going to do
allowing for slavery and involuntary servi- everything within my power at the Bureau
tude when used as a punishment for a crime. of Labor & Industries to make that a real-
Notwithstanding more than 637,000 peo- ity,” Stephenson said in a statement.
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SALEM — U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz eas-
ily won a second term to represent Oregon’s
2nd Congressional District.
As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, Bentz
had 66% of the votes, easily defeating chal-
lenger Joe Yetter, who had just 33%.
Bentz, a Republican from Ontario, is cur-
rently Oregon’s only Republican representa-
tive at the federal level.
Yetter, who retired as a colonel in the
U.S. Army after serving 36 years, faced an
uphill battle to unseat the incumbent. Only
two Democrats have held the office in its
history — Walter M. Pierce from 1933 to
1943 and Al Ullman from 1957 to 1981.
Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District
includes all or part of 20 counties across
Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern
Oregon.
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