With an anticipated assist from Oregon voters, Barack Obama has been re-elected President of the United States. An Obama win in Ohio put the president over the top, setting the stage for a second Obama term in office. Indeed, though the ballot counts were close, the president won virtually all of the so-called swing states to win the electoral college vote by a relatively wide margin.

 

While a presidential election always takes center stage, the drama in Oregon came in the state legislative races. In 2011, the Oregon House navigated through a historic but unwieldy session with 30 Democrats and 30 Republicans, resulting in Co-Speakers, Co-Chairs of every committee and much political gridlock. Democrats held the slimmest possible 16-14 advantage in the Oregon Senate, meaning both chambers were up for grabs on Election Night.

 

With the dust settled, Democrats will retain their same 16-14 margin in the Senate — senators serve four-year terms, so only half of that body's 30 seats are up every election cycle. The bigger news is that Democrats have claimed a majority in the wild and wooly Oregon House, where each of that chamber's 60 seats is up for election to two-year terms every election cycle. While most pundits thought Democrats were likely to end up with 31 or 32 House seats, they will enter the 2013 legislative session with a larger-than-expected 34-26 majority.

 

Oregon AFSCME had an astounding night in relation to its endorsed legislative candidates. Eight of the nine Council 75-endorsed Senate candidates won. Alas, the one who did not was Local 3997 (Deschutes County) member Geri Hauser, who fell to former state representative Tim Knopp in Senate District 27.

 

In the House, 43 of AFSCME's 48 endorsed candidates won. Between the House and Senate the union endorsed 12 Republicans; all 12 were winners.

 

There were six statewide races on the 2012 ballot, and AFSCME-endorsed candidates made a clean sweep in those contests. Democrat Kate Brown won re-election to a second term as Oregon's Secretary of State, downing political newcomer Knute Buehler, a Bend physician who poured a lot of his own money into the race.

 

Incumbent Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler, appointed to the position in 2010 following the death of Ben Westlund, handily won election to the post over Tom Cox. Cox, who ran for governor as a Libertarian in 2002, jumped into the race as a Republican write-in candidate in the primary election after no one from the GOP filed for treasurer.

 

There was a similar situation in the race for Attorney General. Ellen Rosenblum will continue in that office after being appointed to the post following John Kroger's resignation earlier this year and then winning the Democratic primary in May. Again, Republicans did not field a May primary candidate, allowing political unknown James Buchal, a Portland attorney, to stage a write-in campaign. Neither Cox, for Treasurer, nor Buchal, for Attorney General, ran credible campaigns, which was evident in the election tallies.

 

There were also three statewide non-partisan races. Brad Avakian retained his seat as Oregon's Labor Commissioner, downing state Sen. Bruce Starr (R-Hillsboro). Depending on the issue, Starr has been all over the map philosophically during his tenure in the Legislature, which began in the Oregon House in 1999. But he ran a far right conservative campaign for BOLI Commissioner, advocating a "right to work" platform for Oregon. Avakian, a former Oregon House member himself, retained his job by about a 5 percent margin. Starr is in mid-term of his current Senate seat, so he'll be back at the 2013 Legislature in that role.

 

AFSCME-endorsed judges Richard Baldwin (Oregon Supreme Court) and Jim Egan (Oregon Court of Appeals) were also non-partisan statewide winners.

 

Council 75 took positions on four Oregon ballot measures. The union was a primary instigator and supporter of Measure 85, which ends the corporate "kicker" tax rebate and puts the money toward K-12 education. Measure 85 passed easily, 60-40 percent. AFSCME opposed Measure 79 (real estate transfer tax prohibition), Measure 81 (Columbia River gillnetting) and Measure 84 (estate tax repeal); Measure 79 passed, while Measures 81 and 84 failed.

 

Farther down the ballot, results were not nearly as good at the local level. Local 189 (City of Portland) did not have a good night — the travails of Portland mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith have been well chronicled (he was soundly beaten by former Portland City Councilor Charlie Hales), and union-endorsed state Rep. Mary Nolan (D-Portland) lost her bid to unseat incumbent Portland City Councilor Amanda Fritz.

 

Union-endorsed candidates for county commissioner positions lost in Clackamas (two), Columbia, Jackson, Josephine, Polk and Tillamook counties. The two going down in Clackamas County were both incumbents, County Chair Charlotte Lehan and Commissioner Jamie Damon. Alan Unger did win a seat on the Deschutes County Commission, and AFSCME split in Josephine County when Cherryl Walker edged Bob Just for one of the two commission seats up for grabs there.

 

There was good news for Local 88 (Multnomah County) and Local 2064 (Benton County). Multnomah County voters passed a measure to create a countywide library special district, a move that will bring greater funding stability and restore previous library cuts. Local 88's ranks include several hundred library workers. Local 88 also endorsed the Portland Public Schools bond levy, which passed. In Benton County, a renewal of a public safety levy passed by a wide margin.

 

Several Council 75 members celebrated the evening's results in downtown Portland at the Hilton Hotel, site of the Democratic Party of Oregon's election night headquarters as well as the Oregon AFL-CIO's.

 

"I'd say our hard work paid off," said Karen Williams of Local 3336 (DEQ). "But the job isn't over. It's imperative that we now hold the candidates we helped elect accountable on working family issues.

 

"We also did this with a much smaller percentage of member volunteers than we should have, and that's something that concerns me going forward."

 

Oregon AFSCME Treasurer Jeff Klatke was focused on the Oregon House races.

 

"It looks like we've won control of the House, so that's a very good thing," said Klatke. "That makes all of the canvassing and phone banking worth it."

 

Michael Stewart, the political action chair of Council 75's largest local, Local 328 at OHSU, was happy with the election results but was quick to say union members' participation is necessary no matter the result.

 

"So far it's a good night for AFSCME, but at a certain level that doesn't even matter," said Stewart. "It's 'worth it' even if the voting doesn't go our way. The wealthy and big corporations are always going to have the money to push their message. We have blood, sweat and the soles of our shoes. We are the voice of the working class. If not organized labor, who else has the ground game to get people turned out?"

 

Oregon AFSCME Political Director Joe Baessler praised the union members and staff who volunteered hours of time in the election.

 

"Once again we simply outworked people," said Baessler. "We can't do this without the people who show up at phone banks, the members who give up multiple weekend days to go door-to-door and engage people in the election. We are winners tonight because our members worked hard. Thank you."