U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland) has a distinctive look: he wears a bow tie and bikes around town, handing out bike pins.
In fact, he’s such a Portland legend he already has a bike and pedestrian bridge named in his honor.
Also, he’s spent years advocating on behalf of Oregon’s cannabis industry for the national legalization of cannabis. But my personal favorite tidbit about him: He has never himself partaken. (Apparently, you still have to forgo the drug to be taken seriously in the Halls of Power.)
From a safe Democratic seat, he’s worked on a range of issues: addressing climate change, cutting agricultural subsidies, and fixing the nation’s flood insurance policies.
He’ll retire from Congress next year after more than 50 years of public service. He was elected to the Oregon House in 1972 and served on the Portland City Council and the Multnomah County Commission. He once ran unsuccessfully for mayor, but no, he’s not planning to run for that next year.
The Race to Replace Him
With a May primary for the 3rd Congressional District just over six months away, Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal resigned from office as of Nov. 1, a day after Blumenauer’s public announcement.
Jayapal has already locked down a notable group of endorsements: County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, state Rep. Tawna Sanchez (who co-chairs the Oregon Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee), and Rukaiyah Adams, a director of the Albina Vision Trust.
But it looks like she’ll be getting some competition in the Democratic primary: Gresham city councilor Eddy Morales has officially entered the race. State Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Portland), an emergency room doctor, is also considering a run, so too is State Rep. Travis Nelson (D-Portland), who works for the nurses union and won the legislative seat previously occupied by Gov. Tina Kotek last year.
It’ll be one of two fascinating Portland-area Democratic congressional primaries to watch. The other is in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District: the race to challenge first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
More about Local Civics
$106M in Unspent Funds at the Portland Housing Bureau
The Portland Housing Bureau has $106 million in unspent funds, the city administrator disclosed late last week. Some of it may be spoken for, but it leaves open the question of how City Council will spend the funds. When the pot of unspent funds was believed to be only $21 million, City Council was divided over whether to spend it on rent assistance or a Prosper Portland housing project. Maybe all of the above are possible now. [Portland Mercury]
City Cast Portland staffFeb 10, 2026
The Gas Tax and Oregon's Legislative Session
State lawmakers convene in Salem next week after a chaotic few weeks for Democratic state leaders as they scramble to address the issue of transportation funding. They have a key problem: Voters appear to oppose the gas tax passed last fall.
City Cast Portland staffJan 28, 2026
US Sen. Wyden Explains His Votes To Arm Israel
Oregon’s U.S. senators usually vote the same way (like for continuing the government shutdown until healthcare costs are addressed). But a key exception in recent months was Sen. Ron Wyden’s support for continued arms sales to Israel while Sen. Jeff Merkley voted to oppose them. Wyden’s support came up again last weekend — at a Portland Book Festival event featuring Omar Al Ekkad, author of “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” (a title you may recognize as “the one book every Portlander should read right now”).
City Cast Portland staffNov 12, 2025