Oregon

Republicans from eastern, southern Oregon choose different styles in Senate primaries • Oregon Capital Chronicle

Published

2 years ago

May 23, 2024

Republicans from eastern, southern Oregon choose different styles in Senate primaries • Oregon Capital Chronicle

Family members of two ousted Republican senators will take their place in the Oregon Senate next year after primary elections that saw hardline conservatives win in southern Oregon and more pragmatic Republicans prevail in eastern Oregon.

No Democrats running for the Senate faced primary challenges this year, but Republicans had several open seats because of retirements and a law that barred most sitting GOP senators from running for reelection because they participated in a six-week walkout in 2023.

Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, beat back claims that he wasn’t conservative enough to prevail in a four-way primary in the 1st Senate District, which includes the southern coast. Beatty Sen. Dennis Linthicum’s wife, Diane, and Cave Junction Sen. Art Robinson’s son Noah won their primaries in the adjacent 2nd and 28th districts in southern Oregon, and both are expected to continue their family members’ streaks of strident opposition to almost every bill in Salem.

Meanwhile, former House Republican Leader Mike McLane and Wallowa County rancher Todd Nash handily won primaries in sprawling districts in eastern Oregon. Both indicated they want to work with other legislators to pass laws and bring funding back to their districts, rather than starting from a place of opposing every bill.

Bryan Iverson, a political consultant from central Oregon who formerly served as head of the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm and worked on state Rep. Christine Goodwin’s campaign against Robinson, said it’s hard to extrapolate much from primaries where only a quarter of registered voters turned out, but that there seemed to be a different tone among Republican primary voters in southern Oregon who preferred “obstructionist” candidates to the more “mainstream Republicans” who dominate eastern Oregon.

“In the Republican primaries, at least in southern Oregon, you see victories by the same hard-right-leaning candidates and not the everyday Republicans,” he said.

The Republicans who won contested primaries on Tuesday night represent safe districts and are all but certain to serve in January in the Senate, where Democrats now have a four-seat majority. But Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, and Redmond school board member Michael Summers face tough general election races in the closely divided coastal 5th Senate District that Anderson now represents and the Democratic-leaning 27th Senate District in central Oregon that Summers is vying for, which is now represented by Sen Tim Knopp, R-Bend.

Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham of The Dalles said Republicans aren’t taking anything for granted in November.

“We clearly recognize, just going through numbers statewide, there are fewer Republicans than there are Democrats, period,” Bonham said. “Those districts certainly present challenges. I think our candidates are up for the challenge, but simultaneously, it’s going to take tremendous campaigns and spirited effort to get us across the finish line.”

Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, won his four-way Republican primary along the southern coast. (Jordan Gale/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

1st District along the southern coast

Brock Smith beat back three challengers in a race rampant with false claims about his record. He sent cease-and-desist letters to supporters of opponent Todd Vaughn early in the campaign after they began sending mail and bought a billboard falsely accusing him of connections to the Chinese Communist Party.

Hours before the ballot return deadline, Vaughn’s campaign sued Brock Smith over mailers that described Vaughn as “too extreme, dishonest and has no experience,” which the lawsuit maintained was false because Vaughn “is honest, he is not extreme and he has experience.” Brock Smith’s campaign ads also described Vaughn as connected to a misinformation group and said he had been kicked out of the Douglas County Republican Central Committee.

Brock Smith won with nearly 57% of the vote, compared to about 29% for Vaughn, 9% for Paul Romero and 6% for Ashley Hicks. As of Wednesday afternoon, he said none of his opponents had conceded.

“I don’t think anyone has ever seen a campaign such as this, where this blatant misinformation continued to flow even though it was unfounded and disproven,” Brock Smith said.

He said he intends to continue his work in the Capitol, including trying to get more resources for preventing and fighting wildfires that have led to sky-high home insurance rates for Oregonians living near forests.

2nd District in southern Oregon

Noah Robinson, son of departing Sen. Art Robinson, R-Cave Junction, easily dispatched state Rep. Christine Goodwin, R-Canyonville, in the 2nd Senate District.

Noah Robinson is a familiar face around the Capitol – he has worked with his father for years, and during the past two legislative sessions as the elder Robinson’s health failed, Noah has consistently been by Art’s side on the Senate floor and in committee hearings.

Art Robinson has reliably been one of the most reliable “no” votes in the Senate, even on bills that otherwise have wide bipartisan support. Noah Robinson said he expects to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“There’s all this bipartisan stuff because of the deals, and voters don’t like that,” Robinson said. “So when you tell them that you’re against that, you’re gonna vote entirely from principle – obviously, you talk to the other side, try to make the bad bills less bad – but if the final product is something you don’t want, you vote against it, and that really appeals to the voters because that’s what they want.”

While Art Robinson split from the Republican caucus to form an Independent Caucus with Sen. Brian Boquist, a Dallas Republican who was registered with the Independent Party of Oregon for several years, Noah Robinson said he plans to stick with the Republican Caucus. Boquist was barred from running for reelection and is now the Republican nominee for state treasurer.

The 2nd Senate District includes Josephine and parts of Douglas and Jackson counties. Robinson’s strong support in Josephine County, which represented the bulk of ballots cast in the primary, pushed him to winning more than 60% of the vote districtwide.

Goodwin said she was “bummed” that she didn’t prevail, and that it was clear voters in Josephine County wanted a different brand of Republican. But she cautioned against the approach Robinson expects to take in Salem.

“The results in this election are clear,” she said. “Yet, Republicans must remember we cannot expect to succeed by refusing to engage and participate in the legislative process in Salem. My campaign team and I wish our Republican nominee the best and hope he can be an effective legislator.”

Iverson said Josephine County – or at least the Republicans in the area who showed up to vote – made it clear they wanted a different style of candidate.

“They want that brand of Republicans that are just obstructionist, basically,” Iverson said. “I think that they were pushing for that from the get-go, and if that’s obviously how it turned out. That’s not what Chris wanted to represent, she wanted to represent those people and have a different way of going about it than I think Noah would, but that’s not what the people wanted.”

Diane Linthicum is set to follow in her husband’s footsteps as the senator from Klamath County. (Campaign photo)

28th District in southern Oregon

Dennis Linthicum of Beatty is now the Republican nominee for secretary of state, but his wife and chief of staff, Diane, plans to continue a seven-year tradition of Linthicums representing Klamath County in the state Senate.

Diane Linthicum, who beat Klamath County Commissioner Dave Henslee with nearly 60% of the vote, did not return a call Wednesday and has not responded to various requests for interviews throughout her campaign. Dennis Linthicum, likewise, has never responded to phone calls or emails from the Capital Chronicle.

Henslee, who will leave the commission in December, said he was disappointed but respects voters’ decision. He said he’s looking for a new way to serve his community, and that he doesn’t have high hopes that Linthicum will serve the district well.

“I think that the best predictor of the future is the past,” Henslee said. “She completely supports Dennis Linthicum’s voting record, and in my opinion, his voting record hasn’t benefited our district. I was running for people and for our district, and to try to move the needle and do some really positive things for District 28, and unfortunately, the voters didn’t see it the same way I did.”

29th District in northeast Oregon

Cattle rancher and Wallowa County Commissioner Todd Nash handily won a four-way primary to replace retiring Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, in the 29th Senate District that covers most of northeast Oregon.

He captured about 53% of the vote, compared to about 25% for former Morrow County Commissioner Jim Doherty and 20% for Hermiston Mayor Dave Drotzmann. Eastern Oregon University student Andy Huwe came in a distant fourth with less than 2% of the vote.

Nash also might make Oregon history as the first senator to hail from Wallowa County – he isn’t aware of any others, but he’s willing to be proven wrong if any historians know of a former senator from Oregon’s most remote county.

He said he plans to meet with Republican senators, with county commissioners in the district and with natural resource groups including the Oregon Farm Bureau and the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association – which he previously led as president – to decide on legislation for next year.

Former Judge Mike McLane is likely to replace retiring Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale. (Campaign photo)

30th District in eastern Oregon

Former House Republican Leader Mike McLane will head back to the Capitol after winning more than two-thirds of the vote in a three-way contest in the sprawling 30th Senate District. Retiring Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, endorsed McLane, who was House GOP leader when Findley was first appointed as a state representative in 2018.

McLane left the state House in 2019 after eight years, six as leader of the Republican caucus, to serve as a circuit court judge in Crook and Jefferson counties. He returned to private practice as a lawyer in 2021.

McLane described himself as a pragmatist when it comes to legislation. As a lawmaker, he said he plans to participate and contribute to policy decisions in every way he can, and he plans to speak soon with both Bonham and Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, about how he can help next year.

“Ultimately, the goal is to get something that works,” he said. “During my time as a judge, I saw in the courtroom the consequences of policy passed in Salem, and it just shaped in me a view that perfection is often the enemy of the good. I believe that voters in my district want their representatives in Salem to do their best and to work hard, but ultimately to advocate for their interests and for the betterment of our state.”

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Oregon

CFP Semifinals Preview, Picks: What to Expect in Oregon-Indiana, Ole Miss-Miami

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

CFP Semifinals Preview, Picks: What to Expect in Oregon-Indiana, Ole Miss-Miami

Two powerhouse matchups. One step away from the national championship.

After a longer wait between games in the first two rounds of the College Football Playoff, we should have two fantastic games in the semifinals, and Vegas thinks so, too.

Miami (Fla.) and Ole Miss go head-to-head fresh off their stunning upsets over Ohio State and Georgia, respectively, in the quarterfinals. Indiana and Oregon, meanwhile, will meet up in the Peach Bowl in a game that I’m really excited about.

So, let’s dive into what I think will happen in each game, and who I have winning to advance to the national championship game.

Fiesta Bowl: No. 10 Miami (Fla.) vs. No. 6 Ole Miss

When I first started watching film of this matchup, the first thing I thought of — and Miami fans are going to love this, because the last thing they want is me picking Miami after picking against the Hurricanes in the first two rounds — is that this Ole Miss team resembles the SMU team it lost to.

By the way, it’s an SMU team I just spent time around during the Holiday Bowl and I had a conversation with SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee about Miami. We both talked about how dominant Miami is on the offense and defensive lines — that defensive line is excellent. But one thing SMU was able to do was utilize tempo on offense. So, a quicker tempo to try and tire those pass rushers while getting the ball on the perimeter as much in the first half as possible. Once the pass rushers got tired in the second half, it was easier for SMU to play offense and and it took advantage of that.

Well, Ole Miss can do that. I think Trinidad Chambliss is a better quarterback than SMU’s Kevin Jennings. Ole Miss can run the ball with Kewan Lacy. The Rebels can get on the perimeter and Chambliss can create. He’s wonderful at creating. He was so good against Georgia, buying time, showing off his strong and accurate arm.

Miami takes on Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl 🔥

So, at first blush, I liked Ole Miss in this game and the question for me was whether it would be able to hold up at the line of scrimmage. But that’s not the main question for me with this game. The main question of this game is who is coaching for Ole Miss? I cannot believe we’re in this situation where the head coach of a team playing in the semifinal is saying, “Well, I don’t really know what’s going on with the offensive coaching staff.” Are we kidding? What in the world is going on? In what world are we operating?

This is what I find so frustrating about this situation. This moment is meant to be so special for the players. It should be about Chambliss, Lacy and all these players who’ve put themselves in a position to win the national championship. Yet, they’re not being given the best possible opportunity to do that. This is not a coach’s moment.

Now, we’re talking about whether Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. is back to game plan for the offense? I think Weis should’ve stayed at Ole Miss in the first place, but he followed Lane Kiffin to LSU and is still working with the Rebels through the CFP. Weis proved that he can call plays and that he doesn’t need to be under Kiffin in the win over Georgia. But now we’re sitting here and we don’t know what’s going on with Ole Miss’ offensive coaches. They should be there to build, implement, execute and call the game plan. It’s not just about who’s there on Thursday, it’s about who’s there the last seven or eight days. What should’ve happened in this situation was Kiffin allowing those coaches to remain in Oxford in a full capacity until the end of Ole Miss’ CFP run.

Miami takes down Ohio State, Indiana rolls Alabama, Georgia stunned by Ole Miss & Oregon advances

Because of that, it has made me rethink what I believe will take place in this game. What I know about this game is that Miami has something that it can rely on, and it’s at the line of scrimmage on both sides. The offensive line with tackle Francis Mauigoa and the run game with running back Mark Fletcher Jr. have allowed Miami to not put quarterback Carson Beck in a position where he needs to throw the ball on third-and-long. How many times was he able to pick up a first down on a first-and-manageable? He had huge pickups with his feet, and he hasn’t needed to throw the ball 150 yards so far in this playoff. If Miami can control the tempo and line of scrimmage in this game, it’ll have a great chance to win this game.

On the flip side, it’s about corralling Chambliss if you’re Miami’s defense. If he can create, who knows how many points Ole Miss can score? This is a very good Ole Miss offense and it’s led by a quarterback who can force a lot of problems.

What do I think is going to happen? The quickest way to be defeated is to be distracted, and Miami fans, I’m sorry to do this to you, but I’ve got to go with the Canes.

Pick: Miami (Fla.) 30, Ole Miss 24 (Miami -3.5)

Peach Bowl: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana

This is going to be one heck of a game, and we’ve already seen these two teams go head-to-head. We saw Indiana beat Oregon in Eugene in an incredible game that was tied in the fourth quarter before the Hoosiers pulled away with an incredible drive from Fernando Mendoza.

Let me talk a little bit about Indiana. You’re here because you love this sport like I do, but there are things that can be frustrating and there’s one thing that’s frustrating with this Indiana team. There’s an overlooking of Indiana that’s happening right now across the country. The reason I know that is that Indiana’s résumé is the best résumé in all of college football, without a doubt. Indiana’s the most tested team in the country. The Hoosiers are 14-0 and have handled everybody. They have only given up more than 15 offensive points one time this year, and that was in a game on the road against Penn State. Indiana has only given up more than one touchdown in two games. This is the team that’s so sound, mistake-free and just absolutely bludgeoned Alabama.

Oregon faces Indiana in a Big Ten CFP semifinal 🔥

If you listen to some of the loudest voices, you get a sense that they think anyone can win the national championship. But if this Indiana team had any other logo, we would all be talking about whether this is the best team we’ve ever seen in college football. Yes, I know I’ve been guilty of this as well with the way I talked about Ohio State earlier this season, but no team in the history of our sport has ever gone 16-0. Granted, that’s a scheduling thing, but Indiana has a chance to do that and it’s been one of the great defensive teams we’ve had in a long time.

So no, this isn’t a wide-open playoff. Indiana and Oregon are the odds-on favorites to win it all by a wide margin because of how tested they’ve been. That’s specifically the case for Indiana, which beat three teams that played in the CFP quarterfinals. No other team can say that. This team stands on business as the best team in college football.

To that end, there are four tight games Indiana has played this year. If you’re Oregon, you’ve got to mimic those tight games. Oregon understands that blueprint because it played in one of those games. The blueprint isn’t simple, but in every one of those games, a few things happen. One of them is attacking Indiana’s strengths and making it work to succeed. The first area I would go after is Indiana’s run game. In all four of its close matchups, Indiana ran for less than 4 yards per carry. You have to do that just to remain in the game. When Indiana is able to run the ball efficiently, it’s almost unstoppable on third down. Indiana had the No. 1 third-down offense in college football because it’s in short-yardage situations.

Second, Oregon has to find a way to score in the red zone, and I’m not talking about field goals. One of the things that goes unnoticed with Indiana is how elite its defense has been and how strong its red zone defense is. Indiana is No. 1 in the country in red zone touchdown percentage against at 26%. It’s a low number that we haven’t seen in several years. Oregon was 0-for-3 in scoring red zone touchdowns in the first matchup.

Indiana adds Josh Hoover and Nick Marsh from the transfer portal 👏

Lastly, Oregon has to play cleanly against this Indiana team. Indiana plays clean and doesn’t make mistakes. Indiana is ice-cold, no mistakes, to quote Ice Man from “Top Gun.” Maybe we should start calling Curt Cignetti Ice Man because Indiana is phenomenal at limiting penalties and turnovers. Indiana posted the third-fewest penalties per game this season and has only committed eight turnovers so far. Indiana’s turnover margin is plus-18, which is tied for first in the nation.

Those are three things Oregon needs to do just to be in the game late. Even then, that might not be enough because Indiana might be the most clutch team in college football. The Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, was clutch in all four of Indiana’s tight wins this year.

This Oregon team is no slouch, though. What Dan Lanning has built at Oregon can’t be overstated. Oregon is 38-4 in the last three years, losing to Washington twice (played for national championship in 2023), Ohio State (won national championship in 2024) and Indiana earlier this year. This is a great program that’s deep and strong at almost every position. It just happens to be going against a team that’s suffocatingly good.

Indiana dominates Alabama, Are they the new powerhouse of college football?

When Oregon’s offense gets its chances, quarterback Dante Moore has got to capitalize. Oregon can’t have mistakes and miscues. Lanning is going to have to manage a really great game because if you miss a chance against Indiana, there’s a good chance the Hoosiers are going to win the game.

If there’s one team that can do it, though, it would be Oregon. If you take away sacks, Oregon ran the ball for 4.8 yards per carry in its first matchup against Indiana. That’s the best way to protect Moore. We saw Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson struggle against Indiana when their respective teams didn’t run the ball efficiently and early in down sets.

I can talk all day about this game, but I’ve got to make a pick. I’ve got Indiana winning and covering, although this will be a phenomenal game.

Pick: Indiana 27, Oregon 21 (Indiana -4.5)

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him @joelklatt and subscribe to “The Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.

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Oregon

Oregon women score the last 14 points to beat No. 21 USC 71-66

Published

14 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Oregon women score the last 14 points to beat No. 21 USC 71-66

January 6, 2026 / 9:56 PM PST
/ AP

Ehis Etute scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Oregon scored the last 14 points to beat No. 21 Southern California 71-66 on Tuesday night.

Oregon (14-3, 2-2 Big Ten) scored the first 12 points of the fourth quarter but USC answered with a 8-0 spurt and led 66-57 with 4:46 to play. Etute scored the next three points and Ari Long then hit three straight 3s. Katie Fiso capped the scoring with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left. Londynn Jones missed a 3-pointer for the Trojans to end it.

Long and Fiso combined for 17 fourth-quarter points and Etute added seven points to go with five boards.

Fiso finished with 14 points. Long and Mia Jacobs chipped in with 11 apiece for the Ducks.

Kara Dunn scored 21 points for USC (10-5, 2-2). Jazzy Davidson added 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

Dunn scored 12 points with a pair of 3s in the first quarter as the Trojans jumped out to a 23-9 lead and led 37-21 at the break.

Up next

Oregon: Hosts No. 15 Michigan State on Sunday.

USC: At Minnesota on Sunday.

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Oregon National Guard troops begin demobilization after federal Title 10 deployment

Published

1 day ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Oregon National Guard troops begin demobilization after federal Title 10 deployment

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The 100 Oregon National Guard troops who were federalized under Title 10, have begun demobilization activities, according to Governor Kotek’s office and U.S. Northern Command.

CONTINUING COVERAGE | Oregon National Guard troops deployed under Title 10 orders

“All Title 10 troops in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago are conducting demobilizing activities. They will return to their home units once their demobilization is complete,” U.S. Northern Command stated on their website.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek released a statement reading in part, “The citizen-soldiers of the Oregon National Guard are our neighbors, friends, and family. These courageous Oregonians deserve certainty and respect. While I am relieved that all our troops will finally return home, it does not make up for the personal sacrifices of more than 100 days, including holidays, spent in limbo.”

The troops will travel to Fort Bliss, Texas to finish their demobilization before returning home to Oregon.

Oregon troops spent a majority of their time training at Camp Rilea on the Oregon Coast.

Read Governor Kotek’s full statement below:

“The citizen-soldiers of the Oregon National Guard are our neighbors, friends, and family. These courageous Oregonians deserve certainty and respect. While I am relieved that all our troops will finally return home, it does not make up for the personal sacrifices of more than 100 days, including holidays, spent in limbo.

“During this crisis, Oregonians stood united against the unwanted, unneeded, unconstitutional military intervention in our state, with thousands peacefully voicing their opposition to the Trump Administration’s abuse of power.

“President Trump’s disregard for the facts on the ground revealed that he is more focused on provoking a fight in cities and states that don’t share his politics than serving the American people. I remain committed to defending our values and the rule of law.”

The court injunction that prevents guard deployment in Oregon remains in effect and on appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

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