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The Democratic Party of Oregon moves in mysterious ways.
At a June 10 meeting of the party's state central committee in Pendleton, the committee voted to kick state Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) and state Rep. Brad Witt (D-Clatskanie) off the DPO's executive committee.
In a statement, DPO chair Jeanne Atkins explained the move.
"Article XII, Section 5 of the Democratic Party of Oregon bylaws allows the state central committee to take action when members who serve on the DPO's executive committee have openly endorsed a non-Democratic candidate in a race where a Democrat is also running," Atkins said.
Atkins said a committee member introduced such a resolution, targeting Johnson and Witt, last year. But a vote was held last week.
"As a result, Sen. Betsy Johnson and Rep. Brad Witt have been notified that they have been removed from the executive committee until the next party 'reorganization,' when the committee is newly reconstituted," Adkins wrote. "In this case that would be the first quarter of 2019—we have not yet set the date, but it will be sometime in mid-March."
Although the party's executive committee is largely ceremonial, the move is a slap at two veteran lawmakers: Johnson first won election to the House in 2000 before moving up to the Senate and Witt won election in 2004.
The DPO's frustration with Johnson and Witt stems from their 2016 endorsement of Dennis Richardson for secretary of state.
Johnson and Witt have long ties to Richardson. The two lawmakers worked to finance the restoration of the Columbia County town of Vernonia after a crippling flood in 2007. Then state Rep. Richardson (R-Central Point) served as co-chairman of budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee, which provided funding to help rebuild Vernonia.
In the 2016 general election, Richardson ran against Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, a Democrat, for the open secretary of state position.
Johnson and Witt endorsed Richardson and provided a joint statement that appeared in the voters' pamphlet:
"When the community of Vernonia needed help after the floods, Dennis worked across the aisle, putting people before politics. We believe he'll do the same as Secretary of State," the two lawmakers wrote.
Richardson defeated Avakian, becoming the first Republican to win state-wide office since former U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) won in 2002.
Now, 19 months later, the DPO gets some payback.
Johnson declined to comment on her punishment. Witt could not immediately be reached.