FILE - Ballots are processed at the Washington County Elections Office in Hillsboro, Ore., May 21, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Libertarian candidates will appear on Oregon ballots in November, despite efforts from the state Republican party to disqualify Libertarians it feared would take votes from GOP candidates.
State election officials have confirmed that seven Libertarian candidates for Congress and legislative races are qualified to run, despite correspondence the Secretary of State’s Office received from an attorney for the Oregon Republican Party and a past Libertarian Party of Oregon leader urging officials to reject Libertarian nominees.
Their arguments, considered and rejected by state election officials, rested on a yearslong dispute between two factions in the state Libertarian Party over the legitimacy of its bylaws. But in letters to the complainants, an investigator for the Secretary of State’s Elections Division said that the office doesn’t get involved in internal political party disputes.
“To the extent that you are concerned about which version of the party’s bylaws are used to nominate candidates, please note that the Elections Division does not resolve internal party disputes unless a violation of Oregon election law is alleged to have occurred and there is evidence to show a violation occurred. You did not provide evidence showing that LPO violated Oregon election law,” Stephanie Darcy wrote to Tyler Smith, general counsel for the Oregon Republican Party.
Related: Judge rejects attempt to remove Oregon Libertarian candidate for US Senate from November ballot
The decision means Libertarian candidates are expected to appear on the ballot in three congressional races, including one of the state’s most competitive matchups — the 5th Congressional District. Libertarians are also running in four state legislative races, and more candidates could file as the deadline for minor party candidates is Aug. 27.
‘Messaging opportunity’
Sonja Feintech, a farm consultant from the small unincorporated Clackamas County community of Mulino, is running as a Libertarian in the 5th Congressional District, which stretches from Bend to Portland. Incumbent Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer won the district by just 2 percentage points in 2022 and faces stiff competition from Democrat and state Rep. Janelle Bynum.
Feintech told the Capital Chronicle she wasn’t surprised that Republican leaders would try to block her from running or that state election officials ultimately decided to let her on the ballot.
“I worked on Republican gubernatorial campaigns before, and I’ve seen the shenanigans they get up to,” she said. “Any time that they can block grassroot candidates, whether it be Republican or Libertarian, they go out of their way.”
While she said she would love to win, she recognized that the odds are against her or any other minor party candidates. But running in a major congressional race is an “awesome messaging opportunity,” she said, as she’ll have the opportunity to highlight Libertarian perspectives, such as an opposition to war, to more voters.
“Any opportunity we have to put pressure on candidates of the main two parties is a huge win, because at the end of the day, we want more liberty-minded candidates that actually talk about issues that their constituents care about,” she said.
Related: National Republican group names Oregon candidate Monique DeSpain top challenger
Along with Feintech, Libertarians will run Arizona transplant Dan Bahlen in the 4th Congressional District in southwest Oregon and computer programmer Joe Christman in the 1st District in Portland’s western suburbs and the northwest coast. The 1st District, represented by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, is a Democratic stronghold, but Bahlen’s presence could complicate the 4th District race. Incumbent Democrat Val Hoyle won the district by 7 points in 2022, but Republicans believe they found a stronger candidate this cycle in retired Air Force Col. Monique DeSpain.
A spokeswoman for the Oregon Republican Party didn’t respond to requests for comment.
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