After months of speculation and predictions, it appears, according to multiple sources, that former Governor John Kitzhaber (D), creator of the Oregon Health Plan, will run for a third-term as Oregon governor in 2010 (The Constitution bars anyone from running for more than two CONSECUTIVE terms, legendary governor Tom McCall (R) tried to run for a third-term in a similar fashion but lost the 1978 Republican primary to future Governor Vic Atiyeh (the last Republican to hold the office).
Needless to say, this announcement has fundamentally changed the race for Oregon governor and instantly upped the ante. My analysis is below.
According to census estimates, both Washington and Oregon are on the cusp of gaining another district. Hopefully both states will gain a district because they will be Democratic districts.
My goals are:
- Make the new districts Democratic.
- Make Dave Reichert's district too Democratic.
- Cross the Cascades only once per state.
- Make the districts look compact and look fair.
The state maps are thumbnails. Click on it to link to a full-size map.
10 District Washington:
This, Episode 8 of my never-ending redistricting series, is a diary of firsts. It is the first time I have covered three states instead of the customary two (the reason being that I was pairing a larger state with a smaller one, and this diary covers three mid-sized states), and the first time I have covered a state not expected to either gain or lose seats in the next reapportionment (Indiana, which should hold even at 9 seats).
I lived in Oregon from 2006 to 2007 and still have ties to the state. I've been wanting to do an Oregon redistricting post for some time, but never quite got around to it. As there's been a lot of call for one around these parts lately, though, I decided to try my hand. Here's what I came up with:
Oregon will celebrate its 150th anniversary of achieving statehood on Valentine's Day this Saturday. In honor of my beloved state's 150th birthday, I present this short piece highlighting some of the achievements of the state's progressive movement. As our state motto says, "She Flies With Her Own Wings."
In the latest example of the dying GOP, at least out here in Oregon, Brainstorm NW, the leading magazine of the conservative movement in the state, is closing its doors. Its February issue will be the last it ever publishes.
The Oregonian is reporting that Senator Ron Wyden (D) is a candidate to be the next HHS Secretary. I'll discuss the rumors, who Wyden is and what this would mean for the US Senate if he were to be nominated.
Today marks the first day of the 75th Legislative Assembly (the state celebrates its 150th birthday on Valentine's Day) and so I thought it would be appropriate to preview the leadership on both sides of the aisle in the Oregon Legislature.
FYI, "She flies with her own wings" is the official motto of the state of Oregon and so I thought it would be an appropriate title for this post.
The following is an update of yesterday's diary about Bill Sizemore's arrest for contempt of court (his fourth such citation and the first time he's been arrested for it). It contains some more details on why Sizemore was arrested and what comes next.
In what can only be described as something that is a long time coming, longtime Oregon conservative activist (and complete A-hole) Bill Sizemore was jailed today after being found in contempt of court for the fourth time. The specific incident this time was Sizemore's failure to file federal and state reporting forms required for organizations he controls to maintain their tax exempt status.
