Former state Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp knows what it’s like to be blocked from seeking reelection.
Knopp was in the state Senate when he led a legislative walkout in 2023 that ultimately prevented him from running for his seat.
Now, he’s joining an effort to more formally create term limits for those in the upper echelons of government. Knopp will serve as Oregon’s co-chair of the advocacy group known as U.S. Term Limits. The nonprofit has been around since the 1990s and advocates for Congressional term limits; three terms for U.S. House members and two for U.S. Senate members.
Sen. Tim Knopp walks through the Oregon state Capitol in Salem, Ore., Dec. 12, 2024.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Knopp’s position will be unpaid, and he will co-chair the effort in Oregon alongside Democrat Andrew Kalloch. Knopp is replacing Alek Skarlatos, who was elected to the state Legislature.
“For many, serving in Congress has become a lifelong entitlement rather than a public service,” Knopp said in a statement. “Term limits will help improve accountability, diversify Congress, and make government work better for all Americans.”
There is strong bipartisan support for term limits, according to a PEW Research Center survey from 2023. It showed 87% of Americans support limits on congressional terms.
Passing term limits would take a two-thirds vote in the U.S. House and Senate and approval from 38 legislatures, according to information from U.S. Term Limits.
Knopp entered the Legislature in 1999 and stood out in a large class of freshman lawmakers for what the Oregonian called at the time “his obvious ambition to move up quickly.” He served three terms, including one as House Majority Leader. In 2003, at 38, he decided to not seek reelection, citing a desire to spend more time with his young children.
Later, in 2012, he decided to return to electoral politics, ousting incumbent Bend Republican Chris Telfer in a primary. He represented that district in the state Senate until earlier this month, after the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Republican senators who participated in a legislative walkout couldn’t seek reelection. Oregon voters approved Measure 113 in 2022, which prevents lawmakers from seeking reelection if they have 10 or more unexcused absences in a single legislative session.