Oregon

Oregon GOP senators barred from reelection over walkout seek statewide office instead

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2024

Oregon GOP senators barred from reelection over walkout seek statewide office instead

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Two Republican state senators in Oregon are seeking statewide office after being barred from reelection for staging a record-long walkout last year to stall bills on abortion, transgender health care and gun control.

Sen. Brian Boquist, who also made headlines for his threatening comments toward state police during GOP-led walkouts in 2019, is running for state treasurer. Sen. Dennis Linthicum is running for secretary of state, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

Both were among the 10 GOP senators whose boycott of the Legislature last year disqualified them from reelection under a ballot measure aimed at stopping walkouts. Measure 113, approved by voters in 2022, amended the constitution to bar lawmakers from reelection if they have more than 10 unexcused absences.

Their disqualification was affirmed by the Oregon Supreme Court last month.

Boquist was strongly criticized in 2019 as Republicans were on the verge of a walkout over climate legislation. As the governor considered sending state police to compel boycotting lawmakers to return to the Capitol in Salem, Boquist said authorities should “send bachelors and come heavily armed” if they attempted to bring him back.

A legislative committee sanctioned him over the comments, and voted to require Boquist to give 12 hours’ notice before coming to the Capitol. The measure was intended to give the state police time to bolster security in his presence. Boquist sued and won, arguing that his First Amendment right to free speech was violated, OPB reported.

The U.S. Army veteran has served in the Legislature since 2009, representing rural areas of the Willamette Valley and the Coast Range west and northwest of Salem.

He said that his time serving on the state revenue committee made him well qualified for the role of treasurer, OPB reported.

“I have honed the ability to speak bluntly and truthfully to Oregonians about where their hard-earned money is going and how the government machine spends it,” Boquist said in a statement.

The Oregon Capital Chronicle first reported Boquist’s bid. He’ll be facing Democratic state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, co-chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, and Jeff Gudman, a former city councilor from the affluent Portland suburb of Lake Oswego.

Linthicum, in office since 2017, hails from a vast district stretching south from Bend to Klamath Falls and the California state line. He describes himself as a rancher and businessman on his legislative website.

“I have a laser-focused interest in auditing Oregon’s currently lacking election and financial integrity standards,” he said in a statement reported by OPB.

Linthicum will run against Democrats Tobias Read, currently state treasurer, and state Sen. James Manning for the office of secretary of state. The race has drawn attention following last year’s ouster of secretary of state Shemia Fagan over an influence-peddling scandal related to her consultancy work with a marijuana business.

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Oregon

Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a

Published

5 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a

Auburn’s quarterback room gained another piece out of the transfer portal on Sunday, and is now up to four scholarship players.

The latest signee is Oregon State transfer Tristan Ti’a, a source confirmed to AL.com. He comes to Auburn after spending one season with the Beavers, and will likely fill the backup quarterback role at Auburn behind Byrum Brown.

Ti’a was a backup during his freshman season at Oregon State, playing in three games. In that time, he completed 37 of his 53 passes for 385 yards with three passing touchdowns and two interceptions.

He’s the third and likely final transfer quarterback to sign with Auburn since the portal opened on Jan. 2, joining Brown and former USF third-string quarterback Locklan Hewlett. Incoming freshman Rhys Brush will also be in the quarterback room next season.

With Ti’a signing, Auburn is now up to 22 incoming transfers. The portal will remain open until Jan. 16. Keep up with all of Auburn’s incoming and outgoing transfers here.

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Oregon

Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal

Published

17 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal

Oregon is losing a second edge defender to transfer.

Blake Purchase will enter the transfer portal, he announced via X. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

“I want to start by thanking God for this journey and everything that has come with it,” Purchase told DenverSportsMedia.com. “Thank you to my family for the continued love and support they have given me. I’m forever grateful for these past three seasons at the University of Oregon. The lessons l’ve learned here will stay with me for a lifetime. Thank you to all the coaches who poured into me and helped me grow as both a person and a player. And to my teammates – the bonds we built are forever. You are my brothers for life.”

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Purchase had 32 tackles (4.5 for loss) with two sacks, one interception and one pass breakup this season. His 352 snaps on defense ranked 14th for UO this season.

Purchase had two tackles while redshirting last season and five tackles as a true freshman in 2023.

A four-star recruit out of Cherry Creek (Colorado) High School, Purchase was the No. 294 overall prospect and No. 34 edge defender in the class of 2023 in the 247Sports Composite.

Purchase will be the sixteenth scholarship player to transfer from UO this offseason, joining defensive backs Jahlil Florence, Dakoda Fields, Solomon Davis, Sione Laulea, Kingston Lopa and Daylen Austin, receivers Justius Lowe and Kyler Kasper, quarterbacks Austin Novosad and Luke Moga, offensive lineman Lipe Moala and running backs Jay Harris, Makhi Hughes and Jayden Limar. Oregon has 79 projected scholarship players in 2026.

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Oregon

Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland

Despite a strong start and competitive effort for much of the night, Oregon State men’s basketball fell apart down the stretch of a 82-76 loss to University of Portland on Saturday night at Chiles Center.

A corner three-pointer by Mikah Ballew buried the Beavers (9-10, 2-4 WCC), putting Portland up 78-70 with just 1:10 remaining.

The Pilots (9-10, 2-4 WCC) had four players in double figures: Cameron Williams with 23, Jermaine Webb Balsinger and Joel Foxwell with 18 apiece, and Ballew with 16.

The Beavers were led by Olavi Suutela with 19 points and Johan Munch with 14. Dez White, Josiah Lake II and Yaak Yaak each had 10, and OSU out-shot the Pilots — 47% to 43% — but untimely turnovers and missed shots hurt them in the second half.

OSU came out hot, taking a 18-8 lead early in the first half including 12 points from Suutela. It got up to 24-15 before the Pilots mounted a response.

Turnovers and miscommunication by the Beavers on offense led to a 8-0 run by Portland. OSU clung to its lead for a while, but Portland took its first at 31-30 late in the first half.

The Pilots carried a 39-38 lead into the break.

Coming out of the half, after some back and forth, the Beavers went on an 11-1 run — fueled by the scoring and defensive effort of Suutela, and inside play of Noah Amenhauser — to take a 54-45 advantage at the 13:11 mark.

Turnovers reared their ugly head once again for the Beavers, though, and a pair of jumpers by Joel Foxwell cut the OSU lead down to 56-53.

Portland retook the lead, 57-56, with 10 minutes remaining. With an increased energy on both ends of the floor and OSU missing open shots, the Pilots led 66-63 with six minutes remaining and never relinquished it.

Portland’s defense smothered OSU in the halfcourt, and Wayne Tinkle’s side couldn’t find an easy basket, settling often for one-on-one opportunities rather than consistent and meaningful ball movement. Portland led, 71-68, with 3:19 to go.

Trailing by nine, Lake II hit a three-pointer to cut it to six with five seconds left. Too little, too late for the Beavers as they slipped back below .500.

Next game: Oregon State (9-10, 2-4 WCC) vs. LMU (11-7, 2-3 WCC)