As March 8 Candidate Filing Deadline Approaches, Newly Open Milwaukie House Seat Draws Competitors

Three incumbent Democratic House members announced their resignations last week following the demise of a bill that would have nearly doubled lawmaker pay.

The three incumbents, state Reps. Karin Power (D-Milwaukie), Rachel Prusak (D-West Linn) and Anna Williams (D-Hood River), announced their departures Feb. 28, just eight days before the March 8 filing deadline for candidates in the May primary. The lawmakers noted that it’s tough to get by on a lawmaker’s salary—currently a little less than $33,000 a year, with a $151 per diem payment each day the Legislature is in session. That’s unquestionably true. But it’s also true that there are plenty of candidates who wouldn’t mind taking a turn in the Capitol.

Case in point: House District 41, the Milwaukie-area district Power is vacating after three terms.

On March 4, Milwaukie Mayor Mark Gamba, who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) in the 5th Congressional District’s 2020 Democratic primary, filed for Power’s position.

And over the weekend, another Democrat, Kaliko Castille, a political and digital strategist, tweeted that he was raising money and launching a campaign to compete with Gamba for the job.

Candidates must file with elections officials by 5 pm March 8 to be eligible for the May 17 primary.