Posts Tagged ‘Oregon’

RSLC Political Director, Ben Cannatti, co-authors the fourth piece in the series “RSLC State Race Spotlight” on Townhall.com:

At the federal level, many Republicans view Oregon—with two Democratic Senators and four out of five Democratic U.S. Representatives—a far-left leaning liberal bastion with anachronistic fiscal and social policies. At the state level, though, the Beaver State is a swing state with elections that could go either way.

Yes, the Democrats hold roughly a 10 percentage-point advantage over Republicans in voter registrations, but with more than a quarter of the electorate registered as unaffiliated or with third-parties, the Democratic advantage is far from locked in. No, the Republicans are not going to magically flip the Congressional delegation this year, but they do have a shot at breaking the Democrats’ current stranglehold in Salem. A few key victories could curtail the Dem’s redistricting advantage and lay the groundwork for future GOP success in the Beaver State.

In the race for governor, Republican nominee and former NBA player Chris Dudley currently leads his Democratic opponent. Republicans can take control of the 30-member Oregon State Senate if they are able to net four seats in the midterm elections. Even if they don’t win the upper chamber, getting closer to parity with the Democrats in the senate would give the Republicans a strong negotiating position with a friendly Governor.

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From OregonLive.com:

Oregon business lobbyists, still stinging from their defeat in the Measures 66 and 67 tax fight on the ballot this year, are trying to build a sophisticated campaign operation they hope will have a big impact on this year’s legislative races.

Lobbyists from a broad array of business groups have been meeting regularly throughout the year to put together a targeted list of legislative races they can pour their money into this fall. The aim, participants say, is to reduce the size of the big Democratic majorities in the Senate and House while trying to empower moderate legislators more sympathetic to business interests.

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From OregonLive.com:

Republican lawmakers and at least one Democrat are calling for a special session of the Oregon Legislature to deal with a sudden $563 million budget shortfall, a move that would pre-empt Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s order for across-the-board cuts in all state agencies.

Senate Republicans issued a news release Wednesday saying they want to “mitigate cuts to education” and had called for a vote of all legislative members on whether to go against the wishes of the governor and Democratic leaders and hold a special session.

The move was dismissed by Kulongoski’s office as a political move from lawmakers looking for an advantage in the upcoming general election. But it could throw a wrench into the governor’s plans for what he called “swift and decisive action” to balance the budget.

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