It was one of the strange little mysteries of the 2010 election cycle. Jim Huffman, the law professor and GOP opponent of Senator Ron Wyden, disclosed in his quarterly reports that he'd loaned a total of $1.35 million to his campaign. The

What’s today’s story? Two weeks ago the staff and consultants for the CRC highway mega-project made their third presentation at a hearing of the CRC legislative oversight committee. Unlike previous hearings, this one was electric – and

By Scott Moore of Portland, Oregon. Scott is the Communications Director for Our Oregon and was a political reporter and news editor for the Portland Mercury. Previously, he contributed Trivial Pursuit: Tha

Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian announced today that he's running again for another term. Avakian's tenure in the job has been a marked success so far. His term has seen a reinvigorated use of Commissioner Complaints. One was used to pursue a civil case against

Over the last six weeks, three polls were released to the public in the OR-1 race. We now have election results data to compare them to. In mid-December, Pub

It's official. Suzanne Bonamici has been elected to represent Oregon's 1st Congressional District. Congratulations to the Congresswoman-elect, her family, and her entire team. The AP reports that Bonamici leads

Well, in just a few short hours, the polls will close in Oregon's First Congressional District - and in a matter of minutes, we'll know who has won. That's right, out-of-state observers, because of Oregon's unique vote-by-mail system, we often know the results very, very quickly. Voters have been voting for nearl

By Steve Pedery of Portland, Oregon. Steve is the Conservation Director for Oregon Wild, based in Portland. Since 1974, Oregon Wild has worked to protect the wildlands, wildlife, and waters that make Oregon a special place. The organization recently

We all understand the game the Republicans are playing: blocking Obama's agenda, and then asking why he's not accomplishing much. It's politics, and not unique. What is unique is the level of obstructionism by the Republicans on Obama's judicial nominees. In his State of the Union address, Obama called fo

OK, I'll give credit where credit is due. This is a little funny. A little weird and creepy, too, but that's clearly part of the gag. I won't describe the video in detail. You just have to watch it. Go ahead, I'll wait. ... Here's what I don't get: There's all kinds of mentions here

James O'Keefe is the right-wing activist that uses selectively-edited hidden-camera video to punk organizations like National Public Radio, Planned Parenthood, and ACORN. He likes to claim that he's a journalist, but nothing could be further from the truth. What he does is more like Ashton Kutcher's Pu

I've already posted here about the reports of Washington County Chair Andy Duyck's efforts to blackball local citizens from boards & committees if they don't subscribe to Duyck's political and policy agenda. Unsurprisingly, Duyck's got so

By Carla "KC" Hanson of Portland, Oregon. KC is the Chair of the Multnomah County Democratic Party. It seems on the left we usually have more difficulty putting our zeal in check and focusing in on the task at hand - electing the good folk that will cast votes for the people rath

I imagine it is hard seeing other states and our neighboring state of Washington pass marriage equity laws while our liberal bastion of Portland still treats our LGBTQ community as separate. Actually, I know it’s hard. I watch dear friends committed and in love, wanting to be married. They can’t get ma

By Scott Moore of Portland, Oregon. Scott is the Communications Director for Our Oregon and was a political reporter and news editor for the Portland Mercury. Previously, he contributed "Trivial Pursuit: Tha

Big news tonight in Portland city races: AFSCME Local 189, the largest city employee union with 940 members, has endorsed Jefferson Smith for mayor and Mary Nolan for city commissioner. From the

By Scott Moore of Portland, Oregon. Scott is the Communications Director for Our Oregon and was a political reporter and news editor for the Portland Mercury. Previously, he contributed Sorry, PolitiFact Oregon, but you ne

The sleepy media presence in Washington County may be waking up. From today's Hillsboro Argus: I couldn't f

By Jennifer Williamson of Portland, Oregon. Jennifer is an attorney and public safety reform leader running in the Democratic primary for HD 36 in West Portland. For more information, visit JenniferForOregon

Big news today: the 25th Washington state senator announced her support of a marriage equality law, meaning they have the votes to pass a bill, and a probable ballot fight. While six states have marriage equality laws, our friends to the north could become the first state to pass equality at the ballot.

My heart goes out to everyone in the Pacific Northwest who is being adversely affected by the current rains. In the Pacific Northwest we're used to heavy rain and all that it entails. But the recent rains have led to a level of flooding and hardship that people are calling a "100 Year Event". I most recently hear

Calling Senator Ron Wyden "The biggest SOPA/PIPA hero", Markos Moulitsas gives credit where it's due: Late last year, it was nearly a given that SOPA/PIPA would pass to law, with the support

Just last month, a group of labor leaders - including IBEW 48's Joe Esmonde - held a press conference to announce that they would not be supporting any of the announced candidates for mayor. Yesterday, IB

Yesterday, State Treasurer Ted Wheeler called on the Obama Administration to create new rules that would require corporations to disclose to their shareholders what political donations they make - including to the new largely-anonymous super-PACs. After the Citizens United ruling opened the flood gates, w

The Oregon Conservation Network (OCN) is an amalgam of environmental organizations from around Oregon that identify priorities they'd like to see the legislature tackle. Based on these priorities, the group helps the Oregon League of Conservation Voters calculate their

Racial equity and inclusion are critical to Oregon’s future prosperity. This week, Oregon’s Legislature got very low grades on laying the groundwork for that future. The now widely publicized Oregon Legislat

By Russ Casler of Portland, Oregon. Russ is an aide to Rep. Chris Garrett. Last summer, he worked for Eileen Brady's campaign for Mayor. He speaks only for himself. In an article titled "Extra Seasoning: Records Raise Questions About Eileen Brady's New Seasons Résumé,"

Looks like we've got ourselves a little Nixonian fiefdom brewing out here in Washington County. Dana Tims, The Oregonian: Washington County Commission Chairman Andy Duyck is cleaning h

Editor's note: This open letter to, well, everyone on the internet was released this afternoon by Senator Ron Wyden. January 18, 2012 Innovators, Speakers, Thinkers, and Agents for Change The World Wide Web Dear Friends: Today thousands of websites have chose

A few minutes ago, Congressman Kurt Schrader posted a tweet announcing his opposition to SOPA: Current laws 2 protect US jobs and consumers from illegal internet activity r insufficient. But #SOPA is not the answer & I wont