The next time one of Oregon’s U.S. senators dies or retires before the end of their term, the governor could get to appoint their temporary replacement.
That proposal, in Senate Bill 952, would bring Oregon in line with the vast majority of states, which allow their governor to appoint a temporary stand-in for a U.S. senator. Currently, Oregon uses special elections to replace both U.S. senators and representatives and leaves the vacated seat open until that occurs. It is one of only four states that use that system, legislative analysts wrote.
Under the bill, Oregon would still hold a special election allowing voters to pick the replacement for an outgoing senator. This bill specifies the election has to happen between 80 and 150 days after a senator leaves office.
But it also requires the governor to appoint a temporary replacement within a month. Backers of the bill argue it would prevent Oregon from leaving a critical spot vacant in Washington D.C. The governor’s appointee would have to be in the same political party as the outgoing senator. And an amendment by state Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham of The Dalles would clarify that the governor can’t appoint themselves to the position.
“We have all seen how important the discussions are that happen in Washington, D.C.,” state Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin testified to the Senate Committee on Rules Wednesday. “It is so important that every state regardless of their perspective has their full voice there.”
Gelser Blouin has no indication that either of Oregon’s current senators are on their way out, she told the committee. Spokespeople for U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden confirmed that neither have plans to step down.
The bill drew some letters in opposition from voters who argued that it undermines the democratic process. Bonham, Republican leader in the Senate, also raised the point Wednesday that temporary appointees who choose to run in the special election could benefit from incumbent status.
“We’ve seen it in the Legislature, right? The person that resigns before the end of session. Someone comes in as an appointee,” Bonham said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that appointed person lose.”
Merkley and Wyden submitted testimony supporting the bill.
“The legislative process is not about waving a magic wand. It takes months of laying groundwork,” Merkley wrote. “If Oregon is left without a senator for several months because a vacancy occurs … it could have significant repercussions for the people of Oregon.”
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