State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner to Step Down From Ways and Means Post to Focus on Treasurer Race

Candidates have a “moral obligation” to campaign across the state, she says.

Sen. Elizabeth Steiner (Whitney McPhie)
By Anthony Effinger

Sen. Elizabeth Steiner (D-Northwest Portland) will step down as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means on July 15 to focus on her race to become state treasurer against Republican Sen. Brian Boquist (R-Dallas).

Steiner has been co-chair of Ways and Means since 2018. Even when the Legislature is not in session, the job takes 25 to 30 hours a week, in addition to time she spends representing her district, Steiner says. Keeping the job would cut into time she wants to spend making her case to Oregon voters, she says. She will remain in the Senate.

“I believe candidates for statewide office have a moral obligation to to get out there and meet with people across the state,” Steiner said.

Taking Steiner’s place on Ways and Means is Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, who will resign that position to take her new one.

“I have big shoes to fill,” Lieber said in a statement. “Senator Steiner is an incredible leader and a highly-effective steward of Oregonians’ tax dollars. Our state is in a stronger financial position in no small part due to her tenure as co-chair of Ways and Means.”

Steiner says she isn’t stepping down from Ways and Means because she foresees a tougher-than-usual race against Boquist, who is running for treasurer after being barred from another Senate term because of unexcused absences during GOP walkouts.

“I take any opponent seriously,” Steiner says. “But Oregonians haven’t elected a Republican as treasurer since 1988.”

No Republican has won statewide office since 2016, when Dennis Richardson beat Democrat Brad Avakian for secretary of state. Richardson died of brain cancer in February 2019.

Steiner won the Democratic primary for treasurer handily, beating rival Jeff Gudman 78% to 21%. Boquist ran unopposed and got 99% of the vote in the Republican primary. About 333,000 voters cast ballots for Steiner, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, compared with 249,000 for Boquist. In total, 424,000 voters cast ballots in the Democratic primary, while 252,000 did so in the GOP race.


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