@dirquez

Politics and things for @OPB. [email protected]

 Portland, Ore.
opb.org/author/dirk-vanderhart/
Joined March 2009
  • Tweets12.9K
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  • Followers8.2K
1.5KMedia
This is an interesting line of attack from Drazan. I asked her on 8/25 if she would roll back any existing tax incentives that are benefitting data centers. She said she would not. #orpol
Christine Drazan
@ChristineDrazanSep 3
Tina Kotek gave data centers over $1 billion in tax breaks while raising the taxes of hardworking Oregonians by over $6 billion. You deserve better.
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Interesting story from the Merc: Republicans have complained for years about "ballot harvesting" sometimes carried out by labor and other Dem supporters. Christine Drazan's campaign is quietly planning to make it part of their strategy. #orpol portlandmercury.com/news/can…

Candidate For Oregon Governor Wanted Mail-In Voting Overturned. Now She’s Using It to Boost Her...

Despite her own legislative efforts for more stringent requirements to cast a ballot in Oregon, Christine Drazan’s campaign is utilizing the state’s current vote-by-mail system to potentially boost...

portlandmercury.com
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Oregon is on the verge of its first three-candidate gubernatorial race in more than 20 years. Back in 2002, it was a conservative third-party threatening to act as a spoiler for Republicans. This year, it's the opposite. #orpol opb.org/article/2026/08/21/k…

Kotek snags final minor-party nomination, likely cementing a three-way race for Oregon governor

With the Oregon Working Families Party’s decision, the state is on pace to have its least crowded race in more than two decades.

opb.org
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Jason Koebler@jason_koeblerAug 19
New: 404 Media obtained footage of investigation and arrest of a cop who used surveillance databases and license plate cameras to stalk a woman "We’ve told them over and over again 'You see a hot chick, you don’t look them up in a database.'" 404media.co/i-saw-a-shiny-th…

'I Saw a Shiny Thing': Cop Explains Why He Used License Plate Reader to Stalk Woman

Body camera footage shows police surveillance abuse is common: "We’ve told them over and over again: 'You see a hot chick, you don’t look them up in a database.'"

404media.co
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On the same day state Rep. Greg Smith gets hit with $12,000 in fines from the state ethics commission, House Speaker Julie Fahey pulls his role as co-chair of a key budget subcommittee. #orpol #orleg
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Smith, known for playing ball with Democrats, has long been the only Republican with a gavel in a budget subcommittee. Story on his ethics case from @ORCapChronicle is here: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2…

Oregon ethics commission fines Rep. Greg Smith $12K for using office for pay raise, excess vacati...

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission agreed to fine him for abusing his position as a leader of an Oregon public development authority.

oregoncapitalchronicle.com
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Smith has had the gavel pulled before. Then-Speaker Tina Kotek yanked it in 2020, after Smith joined a Republican boycott of the House. He got it back later. opb.org/news/article/house-r…

Oregon House Republicans A No-Show At Evening Session

Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, said her caucus would deny Democrats a quorum needed to conduct business on Tuesday — and may stage more walkouts going forward.

opb.org
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The Oregon Legislature tapped a firm to audit ODOT that also gets $$ from contracts with ODOT -- and no one seems to see anything wrong with that. Great story from @AnastasiaCMason. #orleg #orpol statesmanjournal.com/story/n…

Firm won $1M ODOT contract. Now it’s auditing the agency | Exclusive

The Oregon Legislature selected an engineering firm to audit ODOT despite them being tapped to complete $1 million in work for the agency.

statesmanjournal.com
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It's looking increasingly unlikely the OR gov's race will include a conservative third-party candidate. The Libertarian Party of Oregon opted to cross nominate GOP state Sen. Christine Drazan over the weekend. #orpol
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As we reported last week, the race has just one minor party entrant -- Pacific Green Party nominee Brett Smith. That could cut into Gov. Tina Kotek's vote. #orpol opb.org/article/2026/07/23/o…

Could a third-party candidate shake up the Oregon governor’s race?

The lone minor-party nominee currently headed to the ballot could siphon votes from Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek.

opb.org
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"It’s not that our party has great love for Christine Drazan," LPO Vice Chair Richard Burke told me. "It’s that we want Kotek to lose." #orpol
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Gov. Tina Kotek's reelection bid received its biggest check to date yesterday: $400K from IBEW Local 48. The money arrived the same day that Kotek accepted recommendations from a Prosperity Council that labor groups have been hostile to. #orpol
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More on the Prosperity Council recommendations here. opb.org/article/2026/06/25/p…

‘Prosperity Council’ wish list for Gov. Tina Kotek: lower taxes, less regulation, more land

The business-dominated group’s newly unveiled recommendations to boost Oregon’s economy will inspire fierce debate.

opb.org
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Gregory Royal Pratt@royalprattJun 7
NEWS: One plastic surgeon. Eight women dead. The state hasn’t disciplined Chicago doctor despite an investigation that began in 2020. At least three women have died since they started. With @ChristyGutowsk1 chicagotribune.com/2026/06/0…

Despite 8 patient deaths and a M jury verdict, state allows Chicago plastic surgeon to keep...

More than five years after Illinois regulators started investigating him over a patient death, the plastic surgeon remains open for business with a clean medical license.

chicagotribune.com
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A poll has finally emerged in the heated GOP race for Oregon governor. It shows state Sen. Christine Drazan with a commanding lead. #orpol opb.org/article/2026/04/21/o…

Christine Drazan holds sizable lead in GOP race for Oregon governor, new poll suggests

The poll by Salem-based Nelson Research is the first public survey to emerge in the battle to take on Gov. Tina Kotek in November.

opb.org
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State Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, decided not to file to run for Oregon's Labor Commissioner, despite creating a website for the purpose. (Anderson was hoping for a 1-on-1 race against Commish Christina Stephenson but another person was in the race). #orpol
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Anderson seemed to be the only person that could stand in Stephenson's way as she looks for another four years. opb.org/article/2026/02/24/o…

Oregon may have a real labor commissioner race on its hands

Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, says he’s leaning toward challenging Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson.

opb.org
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Don't think I've seen this before. Oregon lawmakers scrambling to figure out what to do on campaign finance this year sent a bill back to committee yesterday. Now they've passed it out of that same committee with zero changes. #orleg
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Whoops! Left out that the $365M is for Moda Center renovations designed to keep the Blazers in Portland. #orleg
Dirk VanderHart@dirquezMar 2
As a bill to put $365M in state funding continues to move in the Legislature, some notable numbers are emerging. That includes the first estimates for how much will be diverted from the state's general fund in coming budgets. #orleg
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As a bill to put $365M in state funding continues to move in the Legislature, some notable numbers are emerging. That includes the first estimates for how much will be diverted from the state's general fund in coming budgets. #orleg
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Maybe more notable, the total estimated costs of bonding for that money, which could tack on hundreds of millions in costs. #Orleg
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