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On this day, September 1, 1836, Protestant missionary Dr. Marcus Whitman led a party to Oregon. His wife, Narcissa, was one of the first white women to travel the Oregon Trail.
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OREGON STATE FAIR |
Monday, September 2, 2024 at 5:00 pm |
STATE FAIR IS RUNNING NOW UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2.
Make sure and visit the Americans for Faithful Election booth. |
Salem, Oregon |
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2024 Gathering of Eagles |
Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 10:00 am |
Click for more info
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Ames Ranch, Turner |
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OHA agrees with audit on Measure 110
Oregon’s Democrat lead legislature wants to avoid a Special Session on Measure 110 by creating a bipartisan Measure 110 review committee. Legislative leaders are putting themselves in charge of the large-scale decriminalization of some drug usage, its oversight and solutions to Oregon's drug and addiction crisis.
The Joint Committee’s aim for the 2024 session is to seek urgent public health and public safety solutions and provide oversight, says Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego). But the bipartisan committee is in name only according to Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville). "On the issue of Measure 110, the Legislature made a special committee controlled by them via a majority of members on the committee (it is not bipartisan when they have a 3-vote majority on a committee). This committee will have hearings to basically hear from special interest groups bent on keeping drugs legal in Oregon so nonprofits can reap millions in solving a problem in which only 20% of drug users even want."
Oregon voter approval of Ballot Measure 110 led to a first-in-the-nation law coupling decriminalization of drug possession with new services to expand drug treatment availability. Controversial from the start, Measure 110 attracted more scrutiny amid a delay in funding services and decriminalization took effect contributing to the fentanyl trafficking explosion. Critics are planning to seek reforms in 2024 by legislation or possible ballot measure.
ORS 430.392, required the Secretary of State to audit the use of funds from Drug Treatment and Recovery Services Fund by grantees in new Behavioral Health Resource Networks (BHRNs). The Audits Division released an audit report titled
Funding and Delivery of Measure 110 Substance Use Disorder Services Shows Progress, but Significant Risks Remain.
From the program’s inception through June 2023, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reports collecting $284 million in Measure 110 revenues, including $275 million in cannabis tax revenues. The agency expended $265 million of Measure 110 revenues in that period, leaving an estimated carryover balance of $19 million at the end of the 2021-23 biennium. The audit reports Oregon has handed out an estimated $261 million in grants for drug treatment and recovery services under Measure 110 — a fraction of the amount brought in. The agency expects to award another $150 million to BHRN providers through June 2025.
Perhaps the most important ongoing detail for OHA to monitor is administrative costs reported by BHRN providers, which varies from an average of 7% in administrative costs through the first year of the grant period, ranging to more than 20%. OHA administrative costs through June 2023 totaled $15.3 million, or 5.4% of Measure 110 revenues. They paid for OHA staff to manage the program, contractors used for the program, data reporting, and funding for the OAC. In the 2021-23 biennium OHA used $6.1 million of General Fund dollars outside Measure 110 revenues to cover the portion of administrative costs beyond a 4% statutory cap on administrative spending from drug treatment fund revenues. In the 2023 legislative session, the Legislature added more responsibilities for OHA and eliminated this cap.
The Oregon Health Authority issued a written response in agreement with the audit findings. (Located at the end of the audit report.) The audit made six recommendations to OHA and the Oversight and Accountability Council (OAC) to improve the program.
- Develop a strategic plan with specific M110 outcome metrics and timelines and
present it in the 2024 legislative session. Consider working with outside researchers
for outcome evaluation if needed.
- Work with providers to better track and report:
a. Specifics on staffing, service expansion, and capital projects;
b. Youth services and virtual services; and
c. The availability of culturally and linguistically specific services.
- Work with providers to improve the consistency and reliability of service expenditures
and client data.
- To improve the application and review process moving forward: Work with
communities and providers to identify the most critical service gaps by county and
barriers to increasing services.
- To improve the application and review process moving forward: Make the application
clear and direct and improve review process transparency and consistency.
- To improve the application and review process moving forward: Require providers to
clearly detail what they plan to do with M110 funds and their experience, capability, and plans for providing services to clients from linguistically diverse or culturally specific backgrounds.
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Since 2021, Oregon continues to rank high nationally in rates of substance use disorders and low in access to treatment. Fentanyl use has exploded increasing the urgency to expand effective treatment services. The number of fentanyl pills seized in Oregon and Idaho’s high-intensity drug trafficking areas rose from 690 in 2018 to 3,020,802 in 2022. Can legislated OAC oversight really solve the out-of-control trafficking, addictions and excessive costs to taxpayers?
--Donna BleilerPost Date: 2023-12-27 11:33:18 | Last Update: 2023-12-27 02:06:36 |
U.S. Census trending towards a loss of one House seat
Oregon’s new Congressional District may be short lived. The apportionment based on 2023 population estimates forecast Oregon will lose one representative in the next reapportionment scheduled for 2030.
This assessment of the redistricting of congressional seats, which involves presidential electoral votes, comes straight from an extrapolation of current population trends as measured by the new 2023 population count by the U.S. Census Bureau. If these trends continue, and that’s a big ‘if’, the next map would shift 13 seats to more red states according to an analysis by the
Census Bureau.
Congress has a cap of 435 House seats so as population moves seats are adjusted. Several blue states are losing their population. California is projected to lose four seats, New York will lose three, and Illinois two seats. Oregon, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island are on schedule to lose one seat. On the reverse, Texas will pick up the most adding four, Florida three, and one each in Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.
The
U.S. Census Bureau released population estimates this week. "Population trends are returning to pre-pandemic norms as the number of annual deaths decreased last year and migration reverted to patterns not seen since before 2020.”
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The
national gain is reported as 1.6 million people in 2023, a 0.5% gain, up from 0.4% in 2022 and 0.2% in 2021. More states experienced population growth in 2023 than in any year since the start of the pandemic.
The West Coast states of Alaska and New Mexico gained population after losing population in 2022. However, California, Oregon and Hawaii continued to lose population in 2023 but at a more modest pace than the prior year. Oregon’s population continued to drop by 6,021 in 2023, somewhat less than the 16,000 lost in 2022.
What is Oregon doing to reverse this trend? Governor Kotek has welcomed AI manufacturing that may replace workers lost, but may also set up a paradigm shift for competition with population growth.
--Donna BleilerPost Date: 2023-12-23 08:39:25 | Last Update: 2023-12-22 01:38:44 |
New Oregon Transparency Website provides details on state spending and performance
Enterprise Information Services has launched a new Oregon Transparency Website, which went live on Dec. 13, 2023. The transparency website features information and resources on public meetings , public records , state salaries , revenue , budgets and more.
In 2009, through the approval of
HB 2500, Oregon state government enacted the Oregon Transparency Program and website legislation. The program created an open resource where website visitors can access details on how the state is spending tax dollars and information on programs and services that provide investments back into Oregon’s economy. The only remaining chief sponsor of the bill is Senator Kim Thatcher.
The
Transparency Oregon Advisory Commission was created to advise on website content and information. The Commission consists of state senators, state representatives, Legislative Fiscal Office staff, as well as state agency and public members.
Enterprise Information Services’ Data Governance and Transparency Program focused efforts in 2023 to redesign the website to include updated content, more user-friendly navigation, and a new design to promote greater interactivity and transparency for the public. The process included insight from current users, agencies, committees and site analytics to improve the user's experience.
Chief Data Officer Kathryn Darnall Helms, the director of Data Governance and Transparency, says the new site is “a significant improvement in how we get valuable information and data out to our constituents, and is but one part of how we are pushing for greater transparency and more open data within Oregon state government.”
A release from the Department of Administrative Services provided several links.
--Staff ReportsPost Date: 2023-12-22 19:27:05 | Last Update: 2023-12-21 20:27:38 |
“Sweeping policy change should be the result of legislation, not executive decree”
The Oregon Court of Appeals has declared that Oregon's Climate Protection Program is invalid. Judge Jacqueline Kamins, in an
opinion issued by the Oregon Court of Appeals, said,
The Legislative Assembly has recognized that global warming “poses a serious threat to the economic wellbeing, public health, natural resources and environment of Oregon.” ORS 468A.200(3). Greenhouse gases (GHG) are gasses which “contribute[ ] to anthropogenic global warming.” ORS 468A.210(2).
In 2020, recognizing the danger posed to Oregonians by GHG, then Governor Brown issued Executive Order 20-04, in which she directed EQC and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to develop rules establishing a sector specific GHG “cap and reduce program.” Specifically, Governor Brown directed EQC and DEQ to “take actions necessary” to “cap and reduce” GHG emissions from large stationary sources, from transportation fuels, and from all other liquid and gaseous fuels.
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At issue was a technical point about the DEQ not including "a written explanation of the commission’s scientific, economic, technological, administrative or other reasons for exceeding applicable federal requirements and any alternatives the commission considered and the reasons that the alternatives were not pursued.”
According to the Appeals Court, "...we agree that the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC), in adopting the CPP rules, did not comply with the heightened disclosure requirements applicable to it when it adopts rules that apply to entities required to obtain Title V permits
under the federal Clean Air Act (Title V sources). ORS 468A.327(1).
Because EQC, when adopting the CPP rules, did not comply -- or even substantially comply --with the heightened disclosure requirements applicable to it when adopting rules that apply to Title V sources, we conclude that the CPP rules are invalid.
The remaining question is the appropriate remedy; that is, which rules are we are required to hold invalid in this rule challenge pursuant to ORS 183.400(4)(c). In a footnote, EQC contends that if we agree with petitioners’ argument that it failed to provide the disclosure required under ORS 468A.327(1), the correct remedy would be to invalidate only those rules that regulate large stationary sources. In
response, petitioners who challenge EQC’s compliance with ORS 468A.327(1), contend that at least one Title V source is a “fuel supplier” under the rules creating the cap-and reduce system. In their view, because the rules creating the cap-and-reduce system apply to a Title V source and were adopted without compliance with ORS 468A.327, those rules, too, are invalid.
We agree with petitioners. As noted, the heightened disclosure requirements in ORS 468A.327(1) are applicable when EQC adopts any rule “that applies to any facility required to pay fees under ORS 468A.315,” i.e., any facility with a Title V operating permit. Because the rules creating the cap-and-reduce system do apply to at least one Title V 668 N.W. Natural Gas Co. v. Environ. Quality Comm. source and were adopted without compliance with ORS 468A.315(1), those rules are invalid.
In sum, for the reasons above, we conclude that the CPP rules are invalid.
Republican leadership in both chambers of the Oregon Legislature issued statements.
“Most Oregonians, regardless of party affiliation, believe in the rule of law. I think a state agency rushing to implement a draconian regulatory scheme without following the law is irresponsible and bad governing,” said Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend). “This week’s ruling highlights the importance of our nation’s system of checks and balances, which limit absolute power of unelected bureaucrats and politicians who abuse their power. I hope the courts continue to hold lawlessness accountable.”
“Sweeping policy change should be the result of legislation, not executive decree. The court recognized that fact and ruled correctly. Oregon will have a brighter future when the governor and ruling party recognize that building consensus within the legislature will yield better – and legal – results than their top-down approach,” said House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River).
--Staff ReportsPost Date: 2023-12-22 12:48:48 | Last Update: 2023-12-22 14:10:43 |
Schmidt has been criticized for being soft on drug crime
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt has announced that the Multnomah County DA’s Office has received $300,000 in supplemental grant dollars to fund a dedicated bias crimes investigator. Funding was awarded to MCDA by the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program. MCDA previously received a $400,000 grant to partially fund a bias crimes prosecutor, bringing the total amount awarded to $700,000.
The DA’s bias crimes investigator will work with the bias crimes prosecutor, Deputy DA Charlie Weiss, on increased investigations, community outreach, education, and overall efforts to overcome barriers to reporting and identifying bias crimes. MCDA has filled the position, and the start date was December 18, 2023.
“Addressing bias crimes and helping repair the damage of these crimes to victims and communities is a top priority for me and my office,” said DA Mike Schmidt. “This funding will allow us to increase and improve our investigations, which will ultimately result in more prosecution, accountability for perpetrators, and justice for victims of bias crimes.” Schmidt is currently
running for re-election as Multnomah County District Attorney.
“Hate and discrimination have no place in our communities,” said DA Schmidt. “I am pleased that this grant award will allow us to dedicate a prosecutor to effectively address bias crimes, which have a disproportionate ripple effect on our communities. The grant allows for a more proactive approach to address community concerns and advocate for people who have been victims of bias crimes to come forward so that we can hold perpetrators accountable.” Schmidt has
been criticized by some for being soft on drug crime -- a concern cited by the Portland Central City Task Force in their
recent report.
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“It’s no secret that there’s been a surge in bias crimes and incidents across the country, and Multnomah County is not immune to that,” said Deputy DA Weiss. “It’s important that we meet people where they are, that we work with community partners to address bias issues head on, and that we stand together in saying that hate is not part of who we are as Oregonians.”
To report bias incidents to a confidential advocate, contact the Oregon DOJ Bias Response Hotline at StandAgainstHate.Oregon.gov or 1-844-924-BIAS (2427). Community members can report in any language, and the hotline accepts all Relay calls. Emergencies should be reported to 911.
--Staff ReportsPost Date: 2023-12-21 16:00:26 | |
Weight mile tax unconstitutional disparity increases
Oregon Representative Anna Scharf (R-Amity) and Senator Brian Boquist (R-Dallas) have filed a request for a one-day Special Legislative Session next month to rebalance the weight mile tax. They say Democrats have ignored an unconstitutional disparity in how heavy trucks are being taxed.
Article IX 3a of the Oregon Constitution requires the State Highway Fund to be fair and equitable to light and heavy users alike to ensure that cars and trucks pay their fair share of the usage of the road. Cars pay the gas tax, while diesel trucks pay their portion through the weight mile tax. Both pay registration fees.
The biennial Highway Cost Allocation Study (HCAS) is used to understand the cost responsibility of each class of vehicle. The 2021-2023 report showed that heavy vehicles were overpaying by 16%, while the 2023-25 report shows heavy vehicles are overpaying by 31%. During the 2023 session, the Majority party knew of this imbalance and refused to address it and have no plans to address it in the upcoming 35-day session in 2024. This leaves a Special Session to address this constitutional violation.
Based on the 2023-2025 HCAS, the Department of Transportation has estimated that trucks will overpay by approximately $193 million per year. That is over $500,000 in taxes being collected every day in violation of the State Constitution. While the weight mile tax is paid by trucks, the cost is passed onto Oregonians as increased prices on goods and services they use every day. The real people overpaying are the working class, seniors on fixed incomes, and families.
“Without trucks, families and communities in Oregon would not have access to the products they rely on. Yet, the State is knowingly overtaxing them in violation of the constitution,” Rep. Scharf said about her effort to call a Special Session. “It is more expensive to operate a truck in Oregon than any other state in the nation. We simply cannot force trucking companies and independent truckers to shoulder the burden of Oregon’s transportation taxes and continue to knowingly violate Oregon’s Constitution. A one-day special session can remedy this situation now.”
Under Article IV Section 10a of the Oregon Constitution, as outlined in
ORS 171.015, a member from each chamber may submit a formal request for a Special Session. Each member of the Legislature will be sent a ballot this week, and a majority of both chambers will need to vote in favor of the Special Session for it to take place. They have 14 days to return their ballot. The estimated date that a Special Session could take place would be the week of January 8th, which coincides with preplanned Legislative Days, a week in which lawmakers are already planning to be in Salem to prepare for the February Short 35-day Legislative Session.
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Can an imbalance be resolved in such a short period of time? If you squeeze the balloon for large trucks cutting costs on the transportation budget, where will the bulge be absorbed? Scharf suggested Democrats should find money to make up any resulting budget shortfall for ODOT in other places.
Oregonians pay the eighth highest gas tax in the nation, which contributes to one of the highest prices at the pump. There is already a money problem with the attempt to ban new gas vehicles by 2035. The Oregon Department of Transportation relies on the gas tax and weight mile tax for revenue to maintain roads, bridges and for other projects. Since 2001, Oregon has piloted
OReGO where drivers voluntarily sign up to pay-per-mile driven. Currently the rate is under 2-cents per mile. A bill to make the program mandatory for everyone passed out of committee last session.
If rebalancing highway usage taxes becomes a reality, watch for pay-per-mile legislation to be pushed even though it presents a heavier burden on rural areas, creating another imbalance.
--Donna BleilerPost Date: 2023-12-20 11:23:38 | Last Update: 2023-12-19 22:04:58 |
Bridge replacement will require a diverse range of revenue sources
Replacing the aging Interstate Bridge with a modern, earthquake resilient, multimodal structure is a high priority for Oregon and Washington. The
Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) Program was awarded $600 million federal grant to move the project forward. As of March 2022, both states have dedicated a combined $90 million for initial Interstate Bridge replacement planning work and have pledged $1 billion from each state. Replacing the bridge is expected to cost around $6 billion, and planners are hoping to see $2.5 billion of that come from federal grants.
A bistate legislative committee, composed of 16 Oregon and Washington lawmakers, provides additional guidance and oversight for the program. A recently passed Move Ahead Washington transportation revenue package allocated $1 billion to fund Washington’s share of the anticipated costs needed to complete the IBR program. Given the funding reality for large transportation projects nationwide, it is assumed that construction of a bridge replacement will require revenue from a diverse range of sources, including federal funds, state funds from both Oregon and Washington, and tolling.
I-5 is the only continuous north-south freeway between Canada and Mexico that makes the Interstate Bridge a critical trade route for regional, national, and international commerce. It is projected that a major earthquake would likely damage, potentially beyond repair, and bring the west coast commerce to a standstill. A new bridge would meet seismic standards and built tall enough so river trade will not disrupt bridge traffic.
The IBR is working toward replacing the I-5 bridge with a plan that would solve congestion for some 143,000 vehicles each day with improved merging lanes, adding light rail and an auxiliary lane for walking and biking to optimize traffic flow.
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Planning priority is on equity to help shape program work and realize economic and transportation benefits. An Equity Advisory Group provides a framework that outlines the program’s approach to equity and the resources it will use to advance equity, including equitable tolling and pricing strategies.
The public is invited to
share their thoughts and sign up to receive updates.
--Donna BleilerPost Date: 2023-12-19 13:25:43 | Last Update: 2023-12-19 17:38:12 |
Coalition asks for investigation of NW Natural
A coalition of environmental and social justice groups sent a
letter to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum asking her to investigate NW Natural for spreading misinformation about the health and climate risks of gas-burning stoves. They are asking Rosenblum to use her powers under Oregon’s Unlawful Trade Practices Act to investigate and sue NW Natural.
The coalition wants NW Natural to inform customers via mail, email and the company’s website the health risks of gas appliances and the role natural gas and methane play in global climate change.
Representative Mark Gamba (D-Milwaukie) said in a news conference, “Gas companies have a moral and legal obligation to accurately represent the risks their products pose to consumers. Unfortunately, they have continuously and egregiously failed to do so.”
Does this not apply to all public utilities? The coalition uses reports from 1970s stating nitrogen dioxide emitted when natural gas is burned is not healthy. That also applies to an
EPA report of electric power plants as being the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions burning fossil fuels for electricity? Electric power plants are also the largest source of airborne emissions of mercury, a potent neurotoxin which affects the nervous system and brain functions, particularly in children. EPA reports that “Among the 188 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), or air toxics, that are emitted by power plants, mercury has been a principal HAP of concern.”
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That same report states, “Electric power generation is the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide pollution, contributing to climate change, which is threatening public health and affecting ecosystems at multiple levels, from the biological communities that make up ecosystems to the services they provide to communities, economies, and people.”
EIA Annual Natural Gas Deliveries For Electric Power, 2021 shows that Oregon electric utilities rely on about as much natural gas for power generation as all the natural gas utilities in the state deliver to customers.
--Donna BleilerPost Date: 2023-12-18 11:30:27 | Last Update: 2023-12-18 14:11:35 |
Oops
--Staff ReportsPost Date: 2023-12-15 01:19:58 | |
“We affirm our strong support for Israel”
As calls for a ceasefire mount in the conflict in Israel and Gaza, Oregon State Representatives are making it clear that they support Israel and stand against the genocidal terrorist group Hamas.
Representatives Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany), Cyrus Javadi (R-Tillamook), and Boomer Wright (R-Florence) issued the following statement:
“After meeting with the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, we affirm our strong support for Israel and Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that perpetrated a horrific attack resulting in the murder of more than 1,200 Israelis and abduction of over 240.
“While we support more humanitarian aid for non-combatant civilians in Gaza, even a humanitarian pause, we oppose calls for a premature ceasefire, which would leave Hamas’s oppressive regime in power and capable of perpetrating more terrorism against Israel. We also stand firm against antisemitism, which has risen by over 300 percent since the October 7 attack and has made members of our Jewish community feel unsafe. That is unacceptable, and we urge all Oregonians to speak out against this vile form of hate.”
--Staff ReportsPost Date: 2023-12-14 20:04:24 | |
“Priorities lie with appeasing radical special interest groups”
Oregon Legislature's House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) has released a blistering statement after Multnomah County prosecutors allowed suspected drug kingpin Luis Funez to walk out of jail and into the wind.
The
Willamette Week reported that Funez had been caught selling drugs in an open-air drug market in Portland in January. Weeks later, he was caught again with 100 fentanyl tablets during a traffic stop. He was booked on 10 felonies and allowed to leave jail.
In December, law enforcement raided an Airbnb rented by Funez that held 52 pounds of fentanyl, or 11 million doses. Again, Funez was allowed to walk free from jail, and he skipped his court appearance.
“A suspected drug dealer – caught selling drugs in an open-air drug market and later caught again in possession of 11 million doses of fentanyl – is walking free today because of the outrageous detention practices of the Multnomah County district attorney’s office. There seems to be no will whatsoever in the prosecutor’s office to keep drugs and the criminals who traffic them off the streets. Releasing drug dealers, vilifying law enforcement, and coddling criminals is a recipe for continued decline. It is clear to me that the district attorney’s priorities lie with appeasing radical, soft-on-crime special interest groups, not with public safety. The people deserve better,” said Helfrich.
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Synthetic opioid overdoses have spiked in recent years,
according to the National Institute of Health. In 2021, more than 106,000 people in the United States died from drug overdoses with fentanyl being the leading cause of such deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control found that Oregon had the highest rate of increase,
67 percent, in fentanyl poisoning fatalities and drug overdoses in 2023 compared to the previous year.
--Ben FisherPost Date: 2023-12-13 21:11:56 | Last Update: 2023-12-13 21:23:32 |
Earl Blumenauer sees a future in Portland
When Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer announced his retirement, he was apprehensive stating, “It is a difficult decision especially after the amazing success of the last several years. The stakes are still very high, and Democrats are positioned to reclaim the House of Representatives.”
Blumenauer describes his decision in this way, “it is time to continue my life's mission without the burden of day-to-day politics. I will not seek re-election for any office in 2024. I have dedicated my career to creating livable communities where people are safe, healthy, and economically secure. This mission guided my involvement in Congress on a wide range of issues that have been very rewarding for me and productive for our community.”
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There is no lack of interest in running on Blumenauer’s coat tails. Two Democrats have filed their candidacy.
Nolan Bylenga wants to reform the criminal justice system, fix the education system, give back to veterans and lower the cost of living. Rachel Lydia Rand, a software engineer and jazz trombonist for the U.S. Navy, has also filed.
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Three Democrats have expressed their intent to run. Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal resigned her position to run for Congressional District 3. Jayapal was an advocate on the board to house and shelter thousands of families and individuals, support victims of domestic violence, and recently secured a federal grant to help form a tech partnership to improve housing coordination and move more people experiencing homelessness into long-term housing.
Blumenauer has similar goals that includes, “being a champion of making our community more livable. Portland is broken and I want to help fix it. Most of all it means my being able to spend more time here with my wonderful life partner, Margaret, who shares my zeal and commitment to solving problems here in Oregon. And my children and grandchildren whose future is invested here. But I'm not done with Congress yet.”
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Most recently, State Representative Maxine Dexter, a physician, expressed her life-long goal to run for Congress by joining the growing field of Democrats wanting to replace U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer. She said in an interview with the Capital Chronicle she will focus on building trust in D.C. “I believe that attitude of just wanting to get the right policies passed and helping people do that will help me gain influence over time. The fact of the matter is I listen, I lead and I’m effective, and people will give me opportunities over time."
A fifth candidate expressing interest is Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales who has the backing of major national figures. Another name speculated as number six is former Chief of Staff to Governor Kate Brown and former Biden Administration official Nik Blosser.
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In the heart of solid blue Portland a storm is brewing with American Israel Public Affairs Committee evaluating congressional races.
Willamette Week reported that the Jewish Insider nodded to the possibility of national money coming here. “The Portland contest is among a few House races in the Pacific Northwest that Democratic strategists and Jewish activists in the region expect to draw spending from leading pro-Israel groups, even as they have yet to disclose their plans.”
--Donna BleilerPost Date: 2023-12-13 12:16:03 | Last Update: 2023-12-13 13:45:22 |
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