PORTLAND, Ore. — It was another crazy year for national politics, capped by an impeachment in the last days of December. And right here in Oregon, the stories you read most involved a boycott over a local tie to that impeachment, a weeklong lawmaker walkout, and a coalition of faith leaders coming together for gun control.
Oregon’s Republican senators walked out of the Capitol and went into hiding in other states to prevent a vote on House Bill 2020, a sweeping climate change bill approved by the Oregon House.
They returned to Salem a week later, but only after Gov. Kate Brown and Senate President Peter Courtney guaranteed that the bill would not pass.
"Our mission after walking out of this building was to kill cap and trade," Senate Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger, Jr. said. "And that’s what we did.”
During the walkout, Gov. Brown was prepared to mobilize the state police to find the senators and bring them back to the Capitol. She did not. But one senator upon hearing that said she better "send bachelors and come heavily armed."
State Senator Brian Boquist added, "I'm not going to be a political prisoner in the state of Oregon."
MORE:
- 'We need to get this done': Gov. Brown says cap and trade still a priority
- Democrats won’t fine Oregon Senate Republicans for walkout over climate change bill
- PAC helps Oregon senators pay fines for walkout that killed climate change bill
- GOP senator sues Democrats over fines, access to Capitol
- Oregon state senator under fire for threats to colleagues, police
Portland hotelier and ambassador to Europe Gordon Sondland was pulled in to the impeachment inquiry in October due to his involvement in the Ukraine conversation, and Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer urged anyone "who cares about America" to steer clear of Sondland's Provenance Hotels.
He went a step further, calling for a boycott and sharing a link to the Provenance website and a list of its hotels.
In response, Provenance spokeswoman Ellen Carmichael said a boycott "would put the livelihoods of thousands of his own constituents in peril."
Sondland's personal attorney Jim McDermott also shot back, saying, "Congressman Blumenauer would do well to learn and understand the laws that Congress has passed before he makes reckless and destructive threats that would only economically injure hardworking Oregon employees."
The company filed an ethics complaint, several people protested at Sondland's Portland hotels, and then Sondland's critics backed off after Sondland finally testifed.
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Another attempt at gun control legislation curbing assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines was announced in early December by Lift Every Voice Oregon, a coalition of Oregon faith leaders.
The group managed to get several bills drafted and into an omnibus bill in the last legislative session, but the effort died as the Democratic supermajority shelved the effort and focused its efforts on reducing greenhouse gases.
With this renewed effort, the group will embark on a two-pronged initiative effort, targeting the sale of assault-style rifles and magazine sizes. If successful, they would be on the November 2020 ballot.
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One more story that got a lot of attention this year involved two groups loosely associated with political movements, but throughout this year had little to do with actual policy: Patriot Prayer clashes with Antifa group following Portland May Day protests
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