In contrast to the national scene, Democrats in Oregon have moved into a powerful position. Oregon’s government has returned to something you might call super-control, beyond even what’s often called a trifecta: control of the two legislative chambers and the governor’s office.
They dominate all three and even have a supermajority by holding 60% of the seats in the Legislature. That means they can adopt new taxes or raise taxes without Republican support. The Democrats in the Legislature and Gov. Tina Kotek, a former House speaker, are also likely to be aligned on most of the major issues, which could give them broad ability to do as they wish.
Their supermajority this year also comes at a time when the Republican ability to stage long-term walkouts to block legislation has been curtailed: A still-new constitutional provision penalizes legislators who have 10 or more unexcused absences by banning them from serving a subsequent term.
With few brakes on Democrats in Oregon and with frustrations over the national political scene, they may have an urge to try to fulfill long-standing wish lists.