The Oregon Senate Republican walkout marked its 12th day on Wednesday, leaving four lawmakers banned from running for reelection.
Two Republican state senators, Daniel Bonham and Dennis Linthicum, were automatically banned from running for a legislative seat in the next election on Monday, and one independent senator, Brian Boquist, was also included. Republican state Sen. Cedric Hayden was the fourth member to be banned from reelection on Tuesday.
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Six other members of the chamber, including GOP Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, are at risk of upending their reelection chances if they refuse to appear in the Senate on Thursday.
Here is a breakdown of unexcused + when the Senators' terms end. Filings for candidacy start in Sept. The Secretary of State's Office confirmed it will disqualify senators with 10 or more unexcused absences from candidacy. Republicans have said they will challenge this in court. pic.twitter.com/nEzYQBoIbK
— Christina Giardinelli (@c_giardinelli) May 17, 2023
Measure 113, approved in a ballot measure last November, disqualifies lawmakers with 10 unexcused absences from reelection. However, Republicans are poised to fight the measure, starting a PAC to fundraise the walkout. Knopp created Oregon’s 13 Constitutional Defense Fund on May 10, urging donations to challenge the measure, saying that "Democrat leadership left us no choice" on the defense fund website.
The boycott by Republican state senators began on May 3 and stalled dozens of bills, including those focused on gun control, abortion access, transgender issues, and other liberal motions. Senate Republicans protested a handful of the bills they claimed were not written in plain language, citing a 44-year-old state law that ensures legislation must score above a 60 on the Flesch readability test, which indicates around an eighth- or ninth-grade reading level.
Last week, state Senate President Rob Wagner canceled sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to push for more time for negotiations.
“I hope this agreement to pause Senate floor sessions will create room for progress,” Wagner said in a press release. “I will continue to engage in good faith conversations to move our state forward.”
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However, the downtime led to no conclusions, and Republicans are continuing in their efforts to undermine Democratic bills and are willing to risk a reelection ban "over the principle of democracy and defending their constituents," Knopp told KATU News.
The GOP walkout from the Democrat-led legislature has been used as a tactic in previous years, effectively stalling or removing liberal bills. Republican walkouts can be traced back to 2007, increasing in recent years with multiple boycotts from 2019 to 2023.