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Two state senators whose unexcused absences in 2023 prevented them from seeking reelection will instead run for statewide offices.
Sens. Brian Boquist (R-Dallas) and Dennis Linthicum (R-Klamath Falls) both missed more than the 10-day threshold established when voters passed Measure 113 in 2022. The senators challenged their disqualification in federal court but have lost their arguments in U.S. District Court and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Today, on the filing deadline for the May 21 primary election, Boquist filed to run for state treasurer and Linthicum filed to run for secretary of state. Both of those offices are up for grabs this year, as State Treasurer Tobias Read, a Democrat, is term-limited from seeking reelection. (He is running instead for secretary of state.) Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade, whom Gov. Tina Kotek appointed to replace Shemia Fagan following her resignation, is not running for election.
“I am offering my name for state treasurer because I have a deep understanding of the state of Oregon finances and revenue after years in the citizen Legislature,” Boquist said. “I have honed the ability to speak bluntly and truthfully to Oregonians about where their hard-earned money is going and how the government machine spends it. I want to provide voters a choice in the primary, and as state treasurer, I would invest in all Oregonians, not just New Yorkers and Wall Street barons.”
In his announcement, Linthicum nodded to the paucity of experienced Republicans running for statewide office (until today, the GOP didn’t have a candidate for either treasurer or secretary of state who had previously held public office).
“I am running for Oregon secretary of state as a Republican candidate to hold the government accountable,” Linthicum said. “I know that my experiences in the Legislature and viewpoints that dramatically differ from the party in power will benefit all Oregonians. Too many people feel unheard, and I want to provide GOP voters with a choice in the primary.”
(Note: Today is the filing deadline for state and Multnomah County races. But because the city of Portland has changed its form of government, there are no primary elections for city races. The filing deadline for those races is Aug. 27.)
