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Not so long ago, Oregon politicians awash in scandal knew when to resign.
U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) resigned in 1995 as he faced expulsion from the Senate for sexual misconduct. Just five years ago, Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned a month into his fourth term as he faced allegations of influence peddling by his fiancée.
But that was the past, before President Donald Trump weaponized shamelessness and crowds deployed moral indignation so often that some politicians developed an immunity.
The present may be shame-free—for now.
A notable trio of elected officials in Oregon face prominent calls for their resignation for misdeeds that once might have compelled them to leave the limelight red-faced.
"In the past, the behavior of all three of these people would have led people to resign," says Pacific University professor Jim Moore, "because their colleagues are telling them they can't work with them anymore. We may be beyond the shame culture. Or the shame threshold may be much higher. But it's different than it was 20 years ago."
Here's who is soldiering on.
Rep. Mike Nearman (R-Independence)
What he's accused of doing: On Dec. 21, violent right-wing demonstrators protested COVID-19 protections in place at the state Capitol. According to security-cam video obtained by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Nearman let them into the building by opening a door for them as he walked out.
Who wants him to resign? House Speaker Tina Kotek and key Democratic constituencies and nonpartisan nonprofits, including Service Employees International Union, NARAL, Rural Organizing Project, Oregon Food Bank, the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, PCUN and Next Up. Republican Minority Leader Christine Drazan has yet to call for his resignation.
Response? "I hope for due process, and not the mob justice to which Speaker Kotek is subjecting me," Nearman said in a Jan. 12 statement. "I don't condone violence nor participate in it."
Next steps: Kotek removed him from his committees and fined him $2,000 for damage caused to the Capitol. He also faces a criminal investigation and has to give notice when he's entering the Capitol.
Rep. Diego Hernandez (D-East Portland)
What he's accused of doing:
This week, investigators formally found he had made women in the Capitol feel he was threatening their jobs, though a legislative committee will have to determine whether that meets the House's definition of sexual harassment.
Who wants him to resign? Kotek, House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner and now-Secretary of State Shemia Fagan publicly called for his resignation in the spring. Kotek stood by her demand after an investigative report leaked.
Response? "Dating when you are young is hard," Hernandez said in a Jan. 25 statement. "Some dating relationships do not end definitively, but rather slip away over time. There is often some confusion, mixed signals, and strained emotions. To anyone I made uncomfortable in my personal life, I sincerely apologize. My actions were motivated from honest affection and the best of intentions."
Next step: The House Conduct Committee will convene in the coming weeks. Hernandez could be expelled from the Legislature or face censure.
Clackamas County Commissioner Mark Shull
What he's accused of doing: Shull made Islamophobic remarks and conspiratorial remarks about the Black Lives Matter movement on his Facebook page, discovered after he won office in November. Among his comments: "Islam is in total conflict with America, with the Constitution and with the Christian values upon which the USA was founded." He added: "BLM is not about black lives mattering or any other life mattering. BLM is a pawn for the rise of neo Marxism."
Who wants him to resign? Nearly everyone in the Portland area has called for his resignation—from the Democratic state legislative delegation in his county to Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith, a strident Republican.
Response? "I apologize for any concerns in the community related to my comments years ago about problems with integration of Islam into Western society. I respect the freedom of religion that extends to members of the Islamic community, as well as to all religious beliefs."
Next steps: He was unanimously censured by Clackamas County. (He even voted to censure himself.) "Commissioner Shull has imputed to Clackamas County a reputation of racist, sexist and religious insensitivity and intolerance," the censure says. But there is no next step for now. He can't be recalled for six months.