Trump Seeks Fast Start as Portland Elects New Mayor and Expanded Council
#1 Donald Trump stormed back into the White House helping Republicans flip the Senate red and enabling the GOP to retain a narrow majority in the House. Trump is already angling for speedy confirmation of his top appointees. Speaker Mike Johnson, who expects to remain at the wheel, pledges quick action on Trump tax cuts passed in Trump’s first term, boosting border wall funding, repealing climate change initiatives and promoting school choice.
#2 Depending on how narrow GOP control of the House turns out, remaining Republican Trump critics may have some unexpected clout. Republican Trump doubters are down to just six – four in the Senate and two in the House (including Washington Congressman Dan Newhouse who voted to impeach Trump). Ironically, all of them may be votes Trump needs to advance his agenda in the face of unified Democratic opposition.
#3 Oregon and Washington voters didn’t help Trump. Washington 3rdDistrict Democratic Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez won re-election over a Trump-backed challenger. Oregon State Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum defeated GOP incumbent Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Nationally, Republicans flipped enough Democratic seats to retain control by a fingernail.
#4 Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are sounding like they already have portfolios in the new administration. Musk’s role could be ubiquitous, including leading an effort to slash federal spending. Kennedy expects a key role in public health where he could amplify his brand of vaccine hesitancy, push to remove fluoride from public water and promote a variety of unorthodox and unproven treatments. Musk and former GOP presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a Department of Government Efficiency, described as an outside group assigned to cut regulations, reduce government staff and restructure federal bodies. Musk previously said he could reduce government spending by $2 trillion. It’s unclear how this non-government effort will work with the administration or Congress.
#5 Tom Homan, with a reputation from Trump’s first term as an immigration hard-liner, will be Trump’s border czar and responsible for carrying out the mass deportation Trump promised. In a CBS interview, Homan said the way to avoid family separation during mass deportation is to have children born in America deported along with their parents. Stephen Miller, also an immigration hardliner, will be Trump’s deputy chief of policy. Both served in Trump’s first term. Trump will nominate former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency with this charge: “to ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions to unleash” American businesses while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards.” Trump asked Florida GOP Congressman Mike Waltz to serve as his national security adviser and Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio to be secretary of state. His most eyebrow-raising appointment is Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host, as Secretary of Defense. Hegseth, who served in the military, has disparaged inclusionary efforts, says women shouldn’t serve in combat roles and favors withdrawal of U.S. troops from abroad.
#6 Right-leaning leaders in Hungary and Turkey have welcomed Trump’s return to the global stage. So have Arab leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is waging war in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as sparring with Iran. Reactions have been cooler in Western Europe, measured in Ukraine and somewhat perfunctory in Russia. Leaders in China and Mexico, two of the main targets of Trump tariffs, have been reserved. The Chinese have stepped up aggressive acts in the South China Sea near The Philippines.
#7 Pacific Northwest Democratic senators will lose their chairmanships and some clout. Oregon Senators Ron Wyden chairs Senate Finance and Jeff Merkley chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. Washington Senators Patty Murray chairs Senate Appropriations and Maria Cantwell chairs the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Cantwell was just re-elected to a fifth Senate term.
#8 With lower than expected turnout, Portlanders elected a political outsider as mayor and 12 mostly newcomer city councilors using a new ranked-choice voting system and voting for city councilors by newly formed districts. Under radically different city governance, new Mayor Keith Wilson won’t oversee or have a vote on city council. An appointed administrator will run all city bureaus. City councilors will elect their own leader who will set the agenda and decide what legislation comes before the council.
#9 Oregon’s congressional delegation now consists of five Democratic women and one Republican male. with the addition of Congresswoman-elect Maxine Dexter. The 12-member Portland City Council is evenly split between males and females who range in age from 28 to 70. One councilor is an incumbent and two others have served on the city council or county commission. Five have worked previously as aides to a mayor or governor. Five councilors are people of color and four identify as LGBTQ+ . Five candidates were endorsed by Portland’s Democratic Socialists of America. Five received endorsements from law enforcement and business associations.
#10 The national red wave didn’t reach Oregon. Democrats added an 18thmember in the Senate giving them a three-fifths supermajority and the ability to approve tax measures without any Republican votes. Democrats will control the House but with one vote short of a supermajority, which could complicate passage of a major transportation funding measure. Democrats claimed three open statewide offices for secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer. The 2025 Oregon legislature convenes January 21, which also marks the beginning of the 2026 gubernatorial race when Governor Kotek presumably will seek re-election to a second term.
#11 Oregonians were unsparing in their opposition to Measure 118, which would have imposed a business tax hike expected to generate $6 billion in new revenue that would be used to provide payments to state residents. Voters also rejected a measure to convert to ranked-choice voting in federal and statewide races. State legislative races were exempted from the switch to ranked-choice voting. Oregonians nixed a measure to create a commission to set elected official salaries, but approved a measure enabling the legislature to impeach statewide officials.
#12 Schools faced mixed results in the election. Tigard-Tualatin School District patrons approved renewal of a levy to retain teachers by a 71 percent plurality. Falls City school patrons okayed a 5-year levy to support music, sports, extracurricular programs and a math and reading literacy program. Funding measures in Oregon City, Parkrose, Three Rivers and Pine Eagle school districts failed. Voters rejected six school bond measures, including one in Oregon City. Redmond School District narrowly approved a bond to improve safety, repair schools and expand vocational training. Columbia Gorge Community College appeared to win passage of a bond measure while Rogue Community College’s bond failed. A $120 million bond for Clackamas Community College remained too close to call with slightly more than 50 percent of votes opposing the measure.
#13 Voter turnout in the Portland urban area trended lower than historical levels at around 75 percent. Some critics blamed the large number of city council candidates and the inaugural ranked-choice election. In the 2020 presidential election year, more than 2.3 million Oregonians cast ballots for a turnout rate of 78.5 percent. Turnout in the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections exceeded 80 percent. Incomplete tallies indicated 83 percent of Republicans statewide and 81 percent of Democrats cast ballots. Turnout among the 1.1 million non-affiliated voters this election hovered around 50 percent.
