How Do Oregon Democrats Stop Future Walkouts? Win These Two Senate Seats

The Republican senators' defiance isn't without risk.

Protest at Oregon Capitol on Feb. 6. (Justin Katigbak)
By Nigel Jaquiss

This week, Senate Republicans made good on their threat to flee the state Capitol to head off a floor vote on Senate Bill 1530, a carbon-reduction bill the GOP hates.

The gambit deprived the Senate of the quorum of 20 senators needed to pass any bill out of the chamber. Democrats control the Senate 18-12. Only 11 Republicans fled, leaving state Sen. Tim Knopp (R-Bend) as the lone Republican who stayed behind. That still leaves just 19 senators—one too few to pass any legislation.

The defiance isn't without risk. Lobbyists had speculated Knopp and state Sen. Denyc Boles (R-Salem) might break with their caucus and stay at the Capitol, because both face election races in 2020 in districts where Democrats have more registered voters.

Both districts have gotten bluer: Democrats' advantage in Knopp's district increased by 2,851 voters since the November 2016 election; in Boles' district, Dems' advantage grew by 959 voters. (Unlike Knopp, Boles joined her caucus in the walkout.) Although Democrats have talked about redefining what constitutes a quorum, picking up both those seats would make the issue moot.

Here are voter registration figures for their districts.

Sen. Denyc Boles (R-Salem)
Senate District 10 (Salem, Monmouth)
Democrats: 29,636
Republicans: 28,531

Rep. Tim Knopp (R-Bend)
Senate District 27 (Bend, Redmond)
Democrats: 35,318
Republicans: 31,342

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