Political junkies often consider Oregon a liberal utopia, evidenced by how many people move here for the “liberal atmosphere” and the Democratic supermajority in the Legislature. But what if I told you that the idea that Oregon’s current representation in state government isn’t entirely accurate? You might think I was crazy or, dare I say, biased. Let me give a little context.
I was born in Portland and spent half of my childhood in Hubbard. After I spent the other half of my childhood in Seattle, I came back to Oregon and called Eugene home for the next 10 years. I was not someone who moved here for the politics or any other fantastical idea I had of the state. That said, I’ve had a lot of time to soak up the sentiment of people from all over the state. What I’ve found isn’t what you’ll see portrayed by the media.
Most Oregon voters aren’t Democrats
Perhaps the biggest shock to many is how only 34.99 percent of Oregon’s registered voters are actually Democrats. 32.9 percent of voters here are actually Non-Affiliated Voters (“Independent” is a party in Oregon). Only 25.33 percent of Oregon’s voters are registered Republicans. Though Democrats might have the largest number of voters, a plurality is still a plurality.
People often move here for the liberal atmosphere, but they’re met with disappointment. I’ve worked with someone who was from one of the blue basins of Texas and she said that Eugene was the most conservative city she’s ever lived in. In case you didn’t know, Eugene is known for its history of hippies, the University of Oregon (Animal House, of course), and extreme liberalism that is only outdone by Portland. Not exactly a place most would consider conservative.
There’s also a lot of voters that are tired of what Democrats have been up to. The 2018 General Election in Oregon only saw a 67.8 percent turnout, the lowest since 2000, which saw 79.8 percent voter turnout. Needless to say, people have been excited for Democrats as President George W Bush’s wars, hope and change Barack Obama, and the infamous Donald Trump all gained steam.
Why, then, were voters so discouraged and fatigued in 2018? Do they now believe that it doesn’t matter what happens because the same people will win in Oregon?
Why Democrats always seem to win in Oregon
If Oregonians are so damn tired of Democrats, why do they keep winning elections and gaining ground? I’m not sure how many other states allow this, but I would say that it’s largely related to Oregon’s “fusion” candidates. Oregon’s state elections don’t typically have just a Republican or Democratic candidate. This allows races to have the Democratic and Working Families candidate for Governor or the Republican, Independent, and Libertarian candidate for State Representative.
In other words, Oregon’s election laws allow for candidates with more resources to get elected. This isn’t just because we have the loosest campaign finance laws in the country. It’s mainly because fusion candidates have a strong write-in campaign. Here’s an article about write-in campaigns.
In case you didn’t read my article on write-in campaigns, Democrats in the Legislature often don’t want any serious competition. The easiest way for them to achieve this is to ensure that no Republicans can run against their highest profile races. This is especially true in districts represented by House leadership. Speaker Pro Tempore Paul Holvey got fewer than 10 write-in votes and “earned” the Republican nomination. House Speaker Tina Kotek also got the Republican nomination. Did they actually run these little write-in campaigns? I’m not sure, but any serious Republican sure wasn’t coordinated enough to get those votes.
Oregon needs more candidates
Perhaps the reason why Oregon is so blue is because those running tend to be mostly Democrats. During the 2018 election cycle, Promote Oregon (Oregon House Republicans) had a hard time recruiting candidates to run. Mainly, people don’t want to run against someone with seemingly endless resources. Politically speaking, taking on Portland Democrats would be like taking on Mike Tyson in his prime — nobody in their right mind would do that without experience.
No matter who you are or what party you’re registered as, Oregon needs you to step up. The status quo we’ve had for decades is deteriorating the state. Though I would prefer them to be Libertarian, I would be okay with more Republicans and even Independents stepping up to the plate. Only then will we start to see that government is truly misrepresentative of our state’s makeup.