Ten State Senators barred from reelection, upending Oregon politics

Of the controversial ballot measures that Oregon voters have passed in recent years, perhaps few will be as influential as Measure 113.

Unlike Measure 110 that decriminalized drugs and Measure 114 that put restrictions on firearms, Measure 113 was not extremely controversial. But while Measure 110 and 114 look to be struck down or replaced, Measure 113 is likely here to stay. It's impact on Oregon politics are significant.

Approved in 2022, Ballot Measure 113 aimed to prevent absenteeism in the Oregon Legislature by disqualifying anyone that missed more than ten days of the legislative session.

Measure 113 passed in 34 of 36 Oregon counties. After continual walk-outs and boycotts by Senate Republicans in recent years, Oregonians approved of the ballot measure by a wide margin, with the exception of two counties: Sherman and Lake County. The ballot measure was approved by 68.3% of Oregonians and passed in some of Oregon's most conservative counties, including Wheeler (58%), Gilliam (53%), Wallowa (58%), Grant (52%), and Morrow (57%).

A six week walk-out from Republican Senators in May and June of 2023 was the longest in Oregon's history and directly challenged the new law and LaVonne Griffin-Valade, the newly appointed Secretary of State.

In August of 2023, the Secretary of State announced that the ten senators that participated in the boycott would not be eligible for reelection. The republican senators sued the Secretary of State's Office, prompting a showdown in the Oregon Supreme Court.

Last week, the Oregon Supreme Court sided with Griffin-Valade and found that ten Oregon State Senators are ineligible for reelection after violating the absenteeism initiative outlined in Measure 113.

By disqualifying ten Oregon Senators from reelection, the decision will impact 30% of the Oregon State Senate.

Some of the senators will not be eligible for reelection this year while others will not be eligible in 2026.

Here are the ten Oregon Republicans that will not be eligible for reelection and the time they will vacate their office:

1. Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend) – January 2025

2. Senator Dennis Linthicum (R-Klamath Falls) – January 2025

3. Senator Art Robinson (R-Cave Junction) – January 2025

4. Senator Brian Boquist (R-Dallas) – January 2025

5. Senator Bill Hansell (R-Pendleton) – retiring in 2024

6. Lynn Findley (R-Vale) – retiring in 2024

7. Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) – January 2027

8. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) – January 2027

9. Cedric Hayden (R-Fall Creek) – January 2027

10. Suzanne Weber (R-Tillamook) – January 2027

Senator Bill Hansell (Senate District 29) who represents a wide swath of the Mid-Columbia region including Gilliam, Wheeler, and Sherman counties, had already announced that he was retiring in 2024 after twelve years in the Oregon Senate. The same goes for Senator Lynn Findley (Senate District 30) who was appointed to the Senate in 2020 and then elected later that year.

But the decision rocked Republican leadership – with Minority Leader Tim Knopp being declared ineligible for reelection. Knopp was facing an uphill battle for reelection in Bend, which has trended Democrat in recent years. But Sen. Knopp is a seasoned political figure in Oregon, having served in the Oregon Senate since 2013 after being in the Oregon House of Representatives, starting in 1999.

But the biggest loss for Oregon Republicans might be in Daniel Bonham.

After graduating from Linfield College in McMinnville, Bonham went to work for Evergreen Aviation as the Director for Sales and Marketing. While there, he gained experience in lobbying in D.C. and cut his teeth in the policymaking process.

In 2007, Bonham purchased Maupin Stoves and Spa in The Dalles and has a reputation as being a self-made entrepreneur. He is considered to be a rising figure in the Republican Party for Oregon.

Bonham was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2018, easily defeating his Democratic challenger with nearly two-thirds of the vote.

Willamette Week, a reliably liberal weekly out of Portland, even took notice and endorsed Bonham for his 2022 run for the Oregon Senate, calling Bonham "perhaps the most sensible Republican we met this cycle."

It is unlikely that the ten Republicans have a legal path to reverse the Oregon Supreme Court's decision. The US Supreme Court is unlikely to hear the case.