By Lars Larson

The Northwest Nonsense

Democrats display daily double standards; otherwise, they’d have no standards at all.

Congresswoman Maxine Dexter complained this week about Oregon’s high gas prices.

Of course, she blames Donald Trump.

I doubt she looked in the mirror. If she had, the Congresswoman would have seen the person who voted for Oregon gas tax hikes in 2018, 2020, 22 and 24.

Those push Oregon to one of the highest gas taxes in America. Add in the low-carbon fuel standard, and the government demands 66 cents of taxes on each gallon…four times as much as the oil company makes.

Democrats want voters to approve six cents more a gallon in the vote that gets counted Tuesday.

But there’s more. 7 years ago, Oregon democrats passed a law banning all drilling for oil off the coast, even though the USGS figures there are 800 million barrels of oil out there.

The state has no refineries at all and depends on a single aging pipeline for its entire supply of gasoline from refineries near the Canadian Border.

But according to Rep Maxine Dexter, your pain at the pump is all the fault of the Evil Orange man in the White House.

That’s the Rose City Rap. Join me at noon on KXL for 4 hours of Honestly provocative talk. I’m Lars Larson

The post Lars Larson: Dexter blames gas $$ on Orange man first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon Foundation,

How is this possible?  A judge has sentenced 41-year-old Joshua Cory Nealy to a full life sentence after his latest incident which involved three different crimes inclduing; theft, public indecency and violating his parole.   This makes his total arrest count to be 166 times. His history includes seven felony convictions and 48 misdemeanor convictions. His offenses range from attempted first-degree rape and third-degree sexual abuse to third-degree robbery and multiple assault charges.

The post Oregon Man, 41, arrested 166 times first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

Top 5 headlines

1 Governor poll: Bad news for Kotek?
2 Adviser hints Kotek’s council to chip at CAT tax
3 Dems genius idea to raise gas tax before midterms
4 Verdict undermines new OR ICE mask law
5 Elon Musk was in Oregon this week: Here’s why

Bonus

Petition: self-defense may be only way to kill animals
Why did Kotek call candidate Dudley?
40% Portland residents consider moving

The post Top headlines for the week of 5/15 first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

Taxpayers Association recommends No vote on 26-261.

We support more funding for the Historical Society!

But … people are afraid to go downtown.

– Downtown visitor foot traffic down 75%.
– A million less visits.

The issue is crime:

– Nation’s #2 top property/vandalism crime rate.
– Nation’s 5th highest auto theft.

If you vote for Measure 26-261, then you must also vote for ways to restore Portland police and Multnomah police to their full functional levels. Otherwise, you are raising taxes to fund something that people are unwilling to visit. Nearly 50,000 vehicles have been stolen over the past decade, and many people are afraid to return, despite progress. The Taxpayers Association opposes raising taxes to fund ancillary projects while under-funding life-saving emergency services.

Consider the fact that Portlanders have raised their property taxes to pay for some of the most expensive school buildings the nation, only to watch enrollment drop.

The best thing we can do for the Oregon Historical Society is to create a safe downtown so they can flourish. Fund our courageous and heroic police first, then fund supplementary projects.

Taxpayers Association recommends No vote on 26-261.

Sources: Portland Metro Chamber report 2/25, Security.org using FBI data 10/10/25, 2024 year KATU 1/12/26, “Portland auto thefts by year” The Oregonian.

The post No on Multnomah’s 26-261: Historical Society property tax is awry first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

Taxpayers Association recommends No on Canby’s Measure 3-636
By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Canby’s property tax increase  (Measure #3-636) for schools that is too high.

At $1.50/$1,000 this is one of the larger local property taxes increases.

Yet, student enrollment recently dropped 10%.

If enrollment is dropping shouldn’t the cost go down?

Why do we have to pay higher taxes for fewer students?

Here is why this matters: Clackamas County and the Metro area are among the worst affordable housing markets in America (Axios 1/28/26). People cannot afford to live here.

One reason that families with children are leaving the district (-10%), is because home prices are too expensive. Raising property taxes makes homes unaffordable. If we raise property taxes every time people leave, we will be in a doom loop.

The official explanation to support this measure says this will help reduce class size. But wait? Is not the class size shrinking already by 10%?

We recognize the need for tax increases, but do they always have to be so high? The Canby School District should come back with a more modest request that we can all afford.

Taxpayers Association recommends No on Canby’s Measure 3-636

The post No on Canby’s Measure 3-636. Tax hike to fund 10% fewer students? first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

Taxpayers Association recommends Yes on Wilsonville’s measure 3-362

Many citizens do not know that hundreds of millions of tax dollars is diverted away from counties, schools and cities to pay for private projects that benefit private corporations.  Wilsonville’s 3-362 helps put citizens in charge by requiring voter approval for urban renewal projects.   It is the taxpayers’ money, they should have a say when it is spent on a controversial building project that benefits private corporations.

Measure 3-362 also is not just common sense but it comes as a response to politicians choosing to ignore the will of voters.

Jeff Richman shared this experience in the Wilsonville Spokesman, “After an urban renewal vote for Town Center failed in May 2024, I started to see calls for the city to move forward with urban renewal for Town Center against the vote of the people and started to hear people questioning whether the city should have held an advisory vote in the first place. Advisory voting was being portrayed as an obstacle the city needed to remove in order to provide a clear path to establish urban renewal…I helped bring Measure 3-632 to let the people decide if they wanted to continue voting on urban renewal and have their vote respected by the city. A YES vote provides a binding vote on urban renewal and ensures that, if an urban renewal plan gets voted down, our elected leaders will no longer feel that they have the option to ignore the vote or end urban renewal voting altogether.” 

Please vote YES on Measure 3-362

The post Yes on Wilsonville’s measure 3-632. A Right to Vote on Urban Renewal projects first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Hood River’s local Ballot Measure 14-83 raises $40 million in taxes over the life of the bond to rebuild the Hood River Aquatic Center and similar activities.

Swimming pools are the least of all government priorities and somehow Hood River wishes to make it among the most over-priced.

We oppose the Measure 14-83 property tax increase (.64/$1,000) and hope they come back with a more modest proposal that taxpayers can afford.

The post No on Measure 14-83. Hood River’s $40M pool first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Here are four polls that have come out this week:

#1. Republican Governor poll
Predict Oregon put this poll out:

40% – Christine Drazan
37% – Ed Diehl
17% – Chris Dudley
2% – David Medina
1% – Danielle Bethell

#2. Kotek match-up poll:

The Chris Dudley campaign put this poll out:

(Kotek-Dudley)
44% – Tina Kotek
48% – Chris Dudley

(Kotek-Drazan)
45% – Tina Kotek
45% – Tina Kotek

#3. Blazer bailout poll.
DHM research released this poll:

Question: Should Portland spend $75 million in climate funds on Moda center? (Blazer arena)
56% – oppose
37% – support
8% – Don’t know

#4. Portland exit poll.

A DHM survey showed that 41% of Portland residents have said they have considered leaving the City.

The post (4 polls) Kotek down, Gov. race close, Blazer $$ backlash first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Only 4% of Oregon eligible voters have turned in their ballot as of May 14th.

Ballots Counted: 122,909
Active Registered Voters:3,057,494

That appears to be way below average. The final turn-out in the 2024 May primary was 35%.

Why are Oregon voters stalling?

The post Yikes! Only 4% voter turnout first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

Predict Oregon just released a poll showing a close race for Governor, with Drazan at 40.5%, Dielh at 37.5% and Dudley at 17%.

———————–

Drazan-Diehl Race a Statistical Dead Heat with Five Days to Primary
By Predict Oregon.com

New independent statewide poll finds a much closer race than April surveys suggested; already-cast ballots show race effectively tied

Monmouth, Ore. — An independent statewide poll released today by Predict Oregon shows the Republican gubernatorial primary in a statistical dead heat between Christine Drazan and Ed Diehl, with only five days remaining until the May 19 primary election. The poll of 656 likely–highly likely Republican primary voters, conducted May 7–13, found Drazan leading Diehl 40.5 percent to 37.5 percent — a 3-point margin that falls inside the poll’s ±3.83 percent margin of error.

The findings represent a shift from Oregon polling released in April. Surveys prior to the primary placed Drazan well outside the margin of error giving the impression the contest was effectively decided.

Key Findings

• Drazan 40.5%, Diehl 37.5%, Dudley 17.3%. Combined preference among decided voters and leaners (n=538). Drazan’s 3-point lead is inside the ±3.83% margin of error.

• Already-cast ballots show the race effectively tied. Among the 295 respondents who have already returned their ballots, Drazan and Diehl are at 39.7% and 39.0%.

• Dudley holds a stable floor. Chris Dudley sits at 17.3% across every way the data was measured. With Drazan leading Diehl by 3 points and Dudley’s bloc holding firm, the trajectory of the final five days could depend substantially on what late-deciding and Dudley-aligned voters do.

• Geographic coverage was statewide. Respondents were reached in 33 of Oregon’s 36 counties. Only three of the state’s smallest counties — Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler — are not represented in the sample.

About the Poll

The poll surveyed 656 likely Republican primary voters statewide from May 7 through May 14, 2026. Margin of error is ±3.83 percent at 95 percent confidence. Respondents were drawn from the Oregon Secretary of State statewide voter list as of May 1, 2026. The poll was conducted primarily through live telephone interviews; a small portion (<20) of respondents who were unable to complete a live interview were offered a secure one-time access link to complete the survey online. The poll was not commissioned, sponsored, or funded by any candidate, campaign, or political committee.

Full topline report, crosstabs, and methodology disclosure will be published at PredictOregon.com on Friday, May 15, 2026.

About Predict Oregon

Predict Oregon is an independent public opinion polling operation focused on Oregon politics. Predict Oregon is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or funded by any candidate, campaign, or political committee. Mark Anderson, founder, holds an MBA and has analyzed Oregon politics since 2008.

Contact: Mark Anderson · Predict Oregon · results@predictoregon.com · predictoregon.com

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The post Poll puts Drazan and Diehl within 3% first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.

Willamette Week deserves some credit in reporting on the Oregon Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate primary like it’s a real race. The incumbent, Jeff Merkley, is widely loved by his party’s base. Yet, retired electrical engineer Paul Damian Wells is running against him. Willamette Week endorsed Merkley, and managed to do so without saying Wells isn’t a “serious” candidate.

Contrast that with a recent opinion from Oregon District Court Judge Mustafa Kasubhai in Oregon v Kennedy, where his first sentence reads, “Unserious leaders are unsafe.” It speaks poorly to the impartiality of a judge to use that choice of word. No doubt there are many legitimate reasons to disagree with the policy choices of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the legality of his administration of policy, but a judge’s opinion is more credible when he sticks to matters of law rather than opining on the seriousness of the officeholder.

Eric Shierman lives in Salem and is the author of We were winning when I was there.

The post What is an unserious office holder? first appeared on Oregon Catalyst.