Potential Candidates Mull Mary Nolan's House Seat

Mary Nolan

Rep. Mary Nolan (D-Southwest Portland)'s announcement earlier this week that she'll run for City Council in 2012 set off a flurry of speculation about who might seek to replace her in the reliably Democratic House District 36 seat she first won in 2000.

Posters at Blue Oregon identified the first potential candidate, Dr. Sharon Meieran, an emergency room physician who in 2010 completed the Emerge Oregon program, a boot camp for women interested in running for office. Meieran has not yet returned a request for comment. Martin Taylor, the former longtime lobbyist for the Oregon Nurses Association who narrowly lost to Nolan in 2000, says he might run. "Not top of mind but I suppose it's a possibility," Taylor, now director of public policy for CareOregon, told WW via email. Another potential candidate mentioned by Salem insiders, Joe Esmonde, an official at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48, says he might have been interested "but with the new redistricting plan, I will no longer be in her/that district."

The most enthusiastic potential candidate so far appears to be Moses Ross, who runs a company called Political Robocalls. Ross served as delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention and has been active in Democratic politics at the county and district levels. "I've thought a lot about running," Ross says. "I expect to decide by Labor Day."

Updated at 4:25 pm

Add Alan Hickenbottom,  General Manager of the Tanner Creek Energy division of Christenson Electric, to the list of those considering a run.

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