Some Oregon Legislators File Federal Lawsuit to be Allowed to Run for Re-Election

On November 6, some Oregon Republican legislators filed a federal lawsuit, in order to win their right to run for re-election. They are currently barred from running for re-election because they boycotted too many sessions of the legislature. Under a new Oregon law, legislators who have too many unexcused absences cannot run for re-election. Linthicum v Wagner, 6:23cv-1624. Here is the Complaint, which charges that the First Amendment protects them, and that they are being punished for expressive activity. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken, a Clinton appointee.

The legislators also have a pending case in the Oregon Supreme Court, which argues that the prohibition has been applied incorrectly to them, and that even if the prohibition is valid, it does not apply to them until the 2026 election.

Democrats Win Majorities in Both Houses of the Virginia Legislature

Virginia elected all its legislators on November 7, 2023. Democrats kept majority control of the Senate and took control of the House. This might make it possible for a bill to pass next year, easing the strict definition of a qualified party. Existing law defines a qualified party as one that polled at least 10% for a statewide race in either of the last two elections.

Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey are the only states that have not had a qualified third party since before 1998 (and in Georgia, there have been ballot-qualified third parties that were only on the ballot for statewide office, not district office).

In the recent past, Virginia Democratic legislators have sponsored bills to ease the Virginia definition of a party, but those bills have not passed due to Republican opposition.

Former Maryland Governor & No Labels Co-Chair Larry Hogan Online Ad Appears to Make Presidential Bid More Likely

Here is a story on Larry Hogan’s new online ad on US foreign policy.

In a way, a No Labels presidential ticket of Larry Hogan and Joe Manchin makes sense. Hogan is a Republican; Manchin is a Democrat.

As Janis Joplin sang, “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.” Hogan is unlikely to be elected to public office again, and a politically astute friend in West Virginia asserted to me recently that it is a foregone conclusion that Jim Justice, current Republican Governor of West Virginia, will win the 2024 US Senate election from the Mountaineer State, replacing Joe Manchin.

A Hogan/Manchin (or vice versa) ticket for No Labels would make sense given these circumstances.