By NFIB Oregon State Director Anthony K. Smith
The “Blue Wave” hit Oregon dead-on. Republican Knute Buehler lost the governor’s race to Kate Brown by six percentage points, and Democrats in Oregon won big in state legislative races.
When lawmakers return to Salem in January, Democrats will have an 18-12 majority in the Senate and a 38-22 majority in the House for a pickup of one seat in the Senate and three in the House.
Democrats only need 18 in the Senate and 36 in the House to pass any tax increase on a party-line vote. That includes proposals like Cap & Trade and/or Paid Family & Medical Leave. It also means that our Small Business Tax Cut (the pass-through entity tax rates) will once again be on the chopping block.
In the same way that Democrats in the U.S. House will need to decide whether they want to “Legislate or Investigate” (meaning work with the president and the Republican Senate or spend their time investigating the administration and obstructing the president’s agenda), Oregon Democrats in the Legislature will need to decide whether they put the pedal to the metal on their more-progressive policy goals, or if they show some restraint and at least attempt to reach some bipartisan compromises, in order to prevent themselves from overplaying their hand.
Ballot Measures
Measure 102 (the affordable housing bonding issue) passed, but all the other statewide ballot measures failed, including Measure 104 – which would have made it harder for the state Legislature to pass tax increases without a three-fifths supermajority.
NFIB Endorsement Record
An impressive 100 percent of NFIB Oregon PAC’s endorsed Senate candidates won, as did 70 percent of endorsed House candidates. On the other side of the ledger, the PAC’s endorsed gubernatorial candidate lost, as did Measure 104.
Thank you so much for your continued support of NFIB – please know that we are 100 percent committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for our members regardless of who holds power in Washington, D.C. and in Salem.
We’ve weathered a lot during NFIB’s 75-year history, and we’ll continue to fight, each and every day.
