Omicron and election cloud upcoming session of Legislature

Published 12:40 pm Monday, January 3, 2022

Omicron

Kotek

Drazan

redistricting

Governor candidate in or out, booze ballot measue on or off, a new senator on to replace one running for governor, and a flock of campaign filings mark the first days of the 2022 election year.

Kristof in or out

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan will announce late this week whether New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof meets residency requirement to run for governor. The much debated question won’t be answered this week, with Kristof expected to go to court to appeal if he’s kept off the ballot and his opponents seeking to have the decision overturned if Fagan rules he can run.

Legislative moves

January 1 marked the first day that candidates for the Legislature could file to run in 2022 following redistricting required after the 2020 U.S. Census. All 60 House seats and more than half of the 30 Senate seats will be on the ballot. 

The Secretary of State recorded just under 19 candidates filing in the first four days – including 10 current lawmakers. Most were running for re-election to redistricted seats. Rep. Raquel Moore-Green, R-Salem, filed to run for the Senate.

The relative trickle will turn into a steady stream between now and March 8, the last day to file for office. While Jan. 1 was the first day to file for office, campaign finance committees have been created earlier in the year. The Secretary of State reports 53 finance committees for House seats and 18 Senate seats.

Omicron issue hangs over upcoming session

The Oregon Health & Science University has forecast the omicron spike will peak Jan. 31. That’s the day before the 2022 session of the legislature is due to begin. House and Senate leaders have said the current wave of the pandemic is under discussion, but no action has yet been taken to change plans. Committee hearings and votes can be done remotely, but lawmakers must meet in the Capitol to begin the session and for any floor votes on final passage of legislation.

Walk talk

If the session does begin, there’s a question of how long it will last. The 2020 session crashed near the start when Republicans walked out over a carbon cap bill. An explicit agreement to keep the GOP in Salem is unlikely. Republicans are still angry over the in-your-face about-face by House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, on a deal with then-House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, to have party parity on the House Redistricting Committee. With Kotek and Drazan both running for governor, the chances of getting legislation moved through both chambers and to Gov. Brown in a little over a month is a large task.

Democrats pick three finalists for Senate seat

Melissa Busch, Rachel Armitage, and Nadia Gardner have been nominated to the open Senate District 16 seat in the northwest corner of Oregon around Astoria. Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scapoose, announced Dec. 14 that she was resigning to focus on her unaffiliated bid for governor in 2022. Under the constitution, a replacement for a lawmaker must be from the same party. The appointee will fill out the remainder of Johnson’s term, which ends in January 2023. Candidates can run for a four-year term next year in a realigned Senate district that has more Republican voters than the current district.

Precinct Captains from the district met Monday in Seaside to choose three finalist from among eight candidates. The final selection will be made Jan. 14 by commisioners from counties in the district: Clatsop, Columbia, Multnomah, Tillamook, Washington, and Yamhill. 

Busch is a traveling home nurse from Warren in Columbia County. She’s already announced she’ll seek the Senate seat next year. She is active with the Oregon Nurses Association, which has endorsed her candidacy. She’s also endorsed by Rep. Rachel Prusak, D-West Linn, chair of the House Health Care Committee. 

Armitage, who also lives in Warren, is a former legislative assistant in Salem.

Gardner is the chair of the Clatsop County Planning Commission. She lives in an unincorporated part of the county.

Former State Rep. Deborah Boone of Clatsop County was among the five people who were not named as finalists.  

Levy back for second run

Bend attorney Emerson Levy formally filed for another bid to win House District 53. Levy, a Democrats, lost the 2020 race to incumbent Rep. Jack Zika, R-Redmond. Growth led to the district being split-up during reapportionment. The remaining portion runs from Bend to Redmond has a about a five-point Democratic voter lean.  Zika has announced he won’t seek another term. Republican re-election in 2022, following the 2020 redistricting that has Democrats as a majority in the district. give Democrats a majority of voters , has said he won’t run for another term. Zika defeated Levy in 2020, but the district has been realigned from a significant Republican tilt to a more even partisan split. Redistricting created a district where Democrats make up more than 50% of voters. 

Fight for the 4th

Val Hoyle, the Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner, said Monday that her campaign for the 4th Congressional District seat had reported raising $210,000 to the Federal Elections Commission. Candidates had to file a 4th quarter fundraising report for the period from Oct.1 to the end of the year. The reporting deadline for the end-of-year report is Jan. 31. Hoyle dropped a re-election bid to see the seat after incumbent U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, said he wouldn’t seek another term. Rep. Marty Wilde, D-Eugene, was seen widely seen as a possible candidate after his moderate stances in the Legislature led to his district being radically altered under redistricting. But Wilde said he will not try to make the jump to Congress. Roseburg Republican Alek Skarlatos had filed in an expected re-run of the 2020 race that was a relative close call for DeFazio. Though the district has been reshaped to be more Democrat friendly, Skarlatos has remained in the race.

Liquor initiative

http://egov.sos.state.or.us/elec/web_irr_search.record_detail?p_reference=20220035..LSCYYY.