Democrats in the Oregon House picked up three seats Tuesday night, achieving the supermajority that eluded them two years ago.
That gives the Democrats 38 of the 60 seats in the Legislature's lower chamber, well above the three-fifths threshold needed to raise taxes. However, any tax increase is subject to a potential initiative challenge that would give voters the final say.
The results will shape the 2019 legislative session, when Democrats want to raise more tax revenue to boost education spending and pass a plan to charge companies for their greenhouse gas emissions.
Lawmakers also will face pressure to address the state's $22 billion public pension shortfall, with contribution rates expected to jump again in July and draw another $550 million a year out of public budgets across the state.
With a three-fifths supermajority, House Democrats will be able to raise taxes without any Republican support. They were one vote short of that bar in both the House and Senate in the last session.
"Regardless of what party holds power in Salem, we all agree that stable family-wage jobs, access to quality educational opportunities and affordable homes for those who need them the most are top priorities," said Andrew Hoan, chief executive of the Portland Business Alliance, in a written statement.
Democrats in the House leadership didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Democrats succeeded in winning a supermajority in spite of the implosion of two candidates running for a seat they appeared to have a good chance at winning, House District 54 in Bend. It opened up when moderate Republican Rep. Knute Buehler decided to run for governor instead of re-election. As of September, Democrats had an 11-point registration advantage in the district.
Republican restaurant owner and Bend-La Pine school board member Cheri Helt cruised to victory Tuesday night, thanks in part to allegations earlier this year that Democratic candidate Nathan Boddie groped a conservation activist several years ago. He has also been accused of using misogynistic and homophobic language, and encouraging illegal drinking. But the physician and Bend city councilor refused to withdraw from the race.
Also on the ballot was Amanda La Bell, a candidate from the Working Families Party of Oregon, who pulled out of the contest after it was revealed that she had financial problems and two previous arrests. News reports also revealed she falsely claimed in the Voters' Pamphlet to have a degree she never earned.
Luckily for Democrats, other opportunities remained.
In House District 52, Democrat and online college academic adviser Anna Williams was leading the race for the seat representing Hood River from Republican Rep. Jeffrey Helfrich, a retired Portland police officer and U.S. Air Force veteran. Williams wants the Legislature to look at reforming Oregon's property tax system, which grew out of 1990s ballot initiatives and now has well-documented inequities such as lower taxes for homeowners in gentrified areas.
In the Portland area, moderate Republican Rep. Julie Parrish lost her seat in House District 37 to a well-funded Democratic challenger, nurse practitioner Rachel Prusak. It wasn't the first year Democrats targeted Parrish's seat, but her role spearheading an unsuccessful referendum on state health care taxes to fund Medicaid earlier this year was added incentive for her opponents. Prusak moved from Northeast Portland to West Linn a year ago; a month after closing on her new house, Prusak set up her political action committee to run for the seat.
Prusak raised and spent more than $850,000 on her campaign, with the bulk of her funds coming from public employee unions, the Oregon Nurses Association and Democratic Party, according to state campaign finance records. Parrish raised and spent just under $400,000, with contributions from the business community including executives at tech company Net2Vault.
Democrats flipped House District 26, where Democrat Courtney Neron unseated Republican lawyer Rep. Rich Vial. Although Democrats hold a slight registration edge in the Sherwood/Wilsonville district, Vial showed a willingness to cross the aisle on the divisive issue of gun control. Vial and two other House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a law expanding an existing ban on people owning guns because of domestic violence or stalking convictions.
Democrats also had their eyes on House District 24, spanning Washington and Yamhill counties, where the incumbent is Republican Rep. Ron Noble of McMinnville. Democrat Ken Moore is a contractor from McMinnville and Noble is a retired police chief. Noble held onto his seat Tuesday night.
On the southeastern edge of the Portland area in House District 51, Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum defeated Republican challenger Lori Chavez-DeRemer, mayor of Happy Valley. It was a rematch of the close 2016 in which Bynum won by 564 votes, roughly 2 percentage points. Bynum owns McDonald's restaurants.
On the south coast, moderate Coos Bay Democrat Caddy McKeown managed to hold onto her seat in House District 9. It's closely split between Democratic and Republican voters and Republicans had hoped their candidate — Teri Grier, an instructor and career coach at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay — could pick it up.
Oregonian reporter Mike Rogoway contributed to this article.
-- Hillary Borrud
503-294-4034; @hborrud