By State Representative Rob Nosse
It might be risky for me to opine on the primary that was in theory concluded on Tuesday, May 17. Ballots that were mailed and postmarked on the day of the election are counted for the first time in our mail-in voting history and because of the screw-ups with ballot printing and counting in nearby Clackamas County, results might change. As you might guess, this column is submitted more than a week before it appears in print. But I cannot resist offering a few observations. Hopefully, nothing changes too dramatically.
First, how exciting that we are likely to have three women running for Governor in November? I am genuinely excited about this. The candidate I endorsed in the Democratic Primary, Tina Kotek, won handily. Given the crowded field, if the results hold, she will have a credible Republican challenger in former state representative Christine Drazen. That is not sarcasm on my part. I have worked with her in the legislature and respect her mind and her abilities. Former State Senator Betsy Johnson, who used to be a Democrat but is running as an independent, unaffiliated candidate, will also be a formidable candidate. This three-way race is going to be very interesting.
Regarding congressional races, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici easily won their Democratic primaries and probably do not face significant Republican opposition in the fall.
Depending on what happens with Clackamas County we could witness a big upset and see Kurt Schrader, the long-time incumbent, lose to Jamie McLeod-Skinner. It may be that with the district lines redrawn, Schrader, who barely votes like a Democrat and is overly aligned with the pharmaceutical industry, is finally done. It will be interesting to watch McLeod-Skinner take on the Republican in the November election, likely to be the former mayor of Happy Valley, Lorey Chavez-Deremer.
Before moving on to the city and the county, can I just say how happy I am that my former colleague and friend Andrea Salinas won her primary? There were lots of good candidates in this race but the attempt by an out of state millionaire to buy the race for Carrick Flynn, who might be a nice guy but has no experience or political resume to speak of, shows that voters were able to discern and make a good choice and not just go with a candidate who had the most advertising.
As for the city and a county, given the grouchiness and the mood that we hear about the results are a bit mixed. Dan Ryan easily won re-election. His main opponent’s campaign, in my opinion did not reflect the mood of voters in 2022. No surprise there.
As I am writing this, Jo Ann Hardesty is in the lead but will likely face a run-off in the November election against either Rene Gonzalez or Vadim Mozyrsky. Can Jo Ann prevail or does either Gonzalez or Mozyrsky grab the other’s voters over to their campaign and prevail over Hardesty? It probably depends on which candidate wins and the state of the city in the fall.
I was really hoping Jessica Vega Pedersen would win the position of county chair outright. She was the candidate I endorsed in this very important race for many reasons. It will be interesting to see if Vega Pedersen can grab voters that went for other candidates or if Sharon Meieran, who came in second and is likely to be the other candidate in the November election, grabs the votes that went for Sharia Mayfield in particular and makes this a close race.
For the first time ever, our county Sheriff will be a woman. Nicolle Morrisey O’Donnell won handily in this race.
The newest Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang retained his position handily given how new he was to the role. He was recently appointed to the role to fill the remainder of Bob Stacy’s term after a resignation due to health concerns. This is interesting to me given that Hwang was a first-time candidate and his opponent was a credible candidate who gave herself a significant cash infusion late in the race.
Also speaking of Metro, it looks like Lynn Peterson retains the role of being the Metro Council President with likely no runoff. I am glad.
Lastly, I will just close by saying how gratifying it was to review results in my own race where I was uncontested and see that there were more people that voted in House District 42 than practically any other house district in the state. It means you are a group of engaged voters! It is part of why I like serving in the legislature for this part of Portland.
