Political Parties & Candidates

For Republican-backed legislation that would raise the barriers of entry for third parties in Montana’s elections, the third time was a charm on Thursday.

Oregon is one of nine states in the U.S. with completely closed primaries. A proposed measure would open primaries to 1 million non-affiliated voters.

The 2024 campaign has begun for a constitutional amendment that would change the state’s primary election of 2026.

The rise in homelessness in the United States, especially since the housing crisis of 2008, is one of the most frustrating issues I have ever had to work on as a policymaker. In ...

The latest scheme to launch a centrist, third-party “unity” ticket comes from a dark money front for corporate interests.

The GOP is almost certain to eat into Democratic supermajorities this year. The question is by how much.

If the two parties go off to the edges, there’ll be a ticket running up the center.

Nonaffiliated voters in Oregon comprise the biggest voting bloc but that doesn't mean that they are nonpartisan.

Betsy Johnson, a pro-gun, woke-bashing former Democrat is waging a strong bid for governor.

Evidence that Independent Party of Oregon Director Sal Peralta is loyal to the agenda of Oregon Democrats and that his 'political party' is just a front for Democrats.

The race pits incumbent Democrat Ron Wyden against GOP Jo Rae Perkins, Chris Henry with Oregon Progressive Party and Dan Pulju with Pacific Green Party.

The race pits incumbent Democrat Ron Wyden against GOP Jo Rae Perkins, Chris Henry with Oregon Progressive Party and Dan Pulju with Pacific Green Party.

Democrats have won every Oregon governor’s race since 1986. Betsy Johnson’s unexpectedly strong bid has threatened that reign.

With just over three weeks until Election Day, the President is coming to Stumptown to stump for Democratic candidates.

While nonaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson appears to be third in polling, her candidacy reflects a breakthrough in a state where the two major political parties have near total control over who appears on the November ballot, the editorial board writes. While Democrats are casting her as a spoiler candidate, they – and Republicans – should recognize that it's long past time to open up their primaries and give 41% of Oregon voters a greater say in who their top candidates are.

Jamie McLeod-Skinner ousted a seven-term incumbent—now comes the hard part.

The choices voters made in Tuesday’s election will change how laws get made and administered next year in Oregon.

The election confirmed that Oregon continues to be a Democratic-leaning state where key contests are highly competitive.

Oregon Democrats and the Independent Party of Oregon don't believe assertions that Democrats erred by nominating a progressive.

If the nation’s political independents somehow formed a party, polls suggest, they could dominate American politics. Two-fifths of Americans identified as independent in 2022, far more than stood w…

Americans' party preferences were evenly divided in 2022 after 10 years with a Democratic advantage.

The number of voters who aren't affiliated with a political party continue to swell in Oregon. But when it comes to the May 17 primary, they are out of luck.

Although the U.S. political party affiliation average for 2021 was similar to prior years, the country shifted from a nine-point Democratic preference early in the year to a five-point Republican advantage near the end.

To fix the dysfunction in American politics, reformers should consider fundamental changes to the electoral rules.

While the Silent Generation and baby boomers have become less likely to identify as political independents as they have aged, Generation X and millennials are maintaining high levels of independent identification.

Nonaffiliated voters are now the largest voting bloc in Oregon, but they can't pick candidates in most primaries.

Despite Oregon's reputation as a state that values voter access, one third of its registered voters are barred from participating in the state's Democratic and Republican primaries, The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board writes. A proposal to copy Colorado's system, as suggested by former Secretary of State Phil Keisling, offers an elegant and effective way to enfranchise Oregon's one million nonaffiliated voters.