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One of the two Democrats vying to represent north Portland in the Oregon House dropped out of the race earlier this week.

Still, Eric Delehoy will still appear on the May ballot and in the government-issued Voters Pamphlet because he didnt end his campaign before the states deadlines to withdraw from consideration.

Delehoy, a college counselor, sought to be appointed to the House seat formerly held by Tina Kotek, the former speaker now running for governor. Travis Nelson, a registered nurse who now works full time as a union representative with the Oregon Nurses Association, won the appointment and is running for election with the full backing of FuturePAC, the political action committee for House Democrats.

No Republicans are running for the seat. Candidates from minor parties have later filing deadlines.

Delehoy told supporters Monday evening that he realized over the weekend that he couldnt compete with Nelsons structural advantages.

We knew this would be a difficult race when we entered, yet we took that challenge because we believed strongly that people in our district are suffering and that they deserve more than they are currently getting, Delehoy wrote on Facebook.

Its unusual, though not unheard of, for candidates to drop out but remain on the ballot. Oregons late presidential primaries meant Democrats in 2020 and Republicans in 2016 cast ballots for candidates who dropped out before Oregonians had a chance to vote. In 2018, a state House candidate from Bend who ended her campaign in September still received more than 15% of the vote in November.

Delehoys campaign manager, Henry Pratt, said in an email that Delehoy tried to remove himself from the Voters Pamphlet and ballot but was unable to because deadlines passed. Candidates had until March 10 to finalize their Voters Pamphlet statements and March 11 to withdraw.

The campaign has about $40,000 left in its bank account, and Delehoy will pay campaign staff through the May primary.

He plans to write a memoir about his campaign experience.

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Portland Democrat drops out of House race, still will appear on ballot Oregon Capital Chronicle - Oregon Capital Chronicle

The question persists: Why did Glenn Youngkin win in a blue state? Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock

Understandably, the loss of three statewide contests in previously blue-trending Virginia last November was shocking to Democrats. Interpretations of what went wrong there are having a heavy effect on how the party perceives its weaknesses heading into the 2022 midterms, so its pretty important to get it right but it doesnt seem thats whats happening.

The prevailing conventional wisdom has been that Republican Glenn Youngkin won and Democrat Terry McAuliffe lost because suburban swing voters upset about education and, to a lesser extent, economic issues switched from voting Democrat to Republican between 2020 and 2021. Indeed, a lot of influential focus-group work on the election began with the assumption that these voters made the difference and tried to interpret why they swung rather than how far they swung and how much it mattered. And the more that analysts dwelled on education issues as crucial, the more they agreed that school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic may have damaged Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey (where Democratic governor Phil Murphy had a surprisingly narrow winning margin) even more than Republican attacks on the alleged teaching of critical race theory or other culture-war topics related to schools.

Now comes a new study from the data-analysis firm TargetSmart that calls this narrative into question even more than past dissents. As TargetSmart CEO Tom Bonier notes, comparing the Virginia results to data on school closures calls into question the idea that the latter affected the former:

Of the top 10 counties in Virginia ranked by days with in-person education during the 2020-2021 school year, 6 of the 10 saw a larger swing towards Republicans than the state average swing of 5.3%, while the remaining 4 counties saw a slightly below average GOP swing. In fact, the biggest swings towards Republicans occurred in southwestern Virginia, where schools were open for in person instruction for most of the year.

Conversely, those counties that conducted virtual learning for most of the 2020-2021 school year saw a smaller shift towards Republicans than the state average the top 10 counties for days spent in virtual learning in 2020-2021 saw a 3.8% average swing towards Republicans, well below the statewide average of 5.3%.

More generally, TargetSmart took a look at the voter-file information recently made available by Virginia and drew attention to some rather dramatic turnout numbers that seemed to suggest parents of school-age children in the Washington and Richmond suburbs werent the keys to this election:

Turnout among voters age 75 or olderincreased by 59%, relative to 2017 while turnout among voters under age 30 only increased by just 18%. Notably, turnout of all other age groups combined (18-74), which would likely include parents of school-aged children, only increased by 9% compared to 2017.

These are massive changes in the electorate in an election that was far from a blowout: Youngkin won by just 2%.

Its common for seniors to turn out to vote significantly more than younger cohorts in non-presidential elections. But the figures for Virginia in 2021 were unusually large:

Voters age 65 and older are an estimated15.9%of Virginias population according to the census, yet accounted for 31.9% of all ballots cast in 2021.

348,314 more seniors (ages 65+) voted in Virginias2021gubernatorial election than in the2016presidential election.

TargetSmart calls it a silver surge. Whatever you call it, it seems to suggest that variable turnout patterns rather than swing voting was the biggest deal in Youngkins win. Its also what a December analysis in FiveThirtyEight of precinct-level data showed, indicating that the big net gains by Youngkin were in Democratic- and Republican-base areas, not in highly competitive swing areas. And for that matter, thats what the much-discounted exit polls suggested, as Ron Brownstein pointed out right after the election:

None of this is to say that Youngkins victory over McAuliffe was some sort of aberration or that it shouldnt alarm Democrats. But what it takes to boost turnout by Democrats without further boosting turnout by Republicans is not the same as what it takes to persuade a narrowly defined suburban swing vote upset principally about schools. Narratives matter, and Democrats should take care to ensure they arent telling themselves the wrong story.

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Democrats Learned the Wrong Lessons From Losing Virginia - New York Magazine

A candidate for the Democratic nomination for Dover alderman believes he can separate his personal views on abortion from his actions as an elected official.

Marcos Tapia, Sr. lost his seat in the 2021 primary by six votes after Gov. Phil Murphy endorsed his three running mates but skipped over him because of a Facebook post highlighting his pro-life position.

As a Catholic, I believe life begins at conception. As a politician, I would never seek to legislate that belief, said Tapia. The indisputable fact is that reproductive rights are a constitutional right. This is not something I would ever seek to undermine as a public official. Not now, not ever.

Tapis is seeking a return to local government this year, challenging incumbent Carlos Valencia in the Democratic primary.

Morris Democrats are still reeling over a controversy last fall when some activists pulled support of a county commissioner candidate after finding out that he was a pro-life activist who had never disclosed their views to him.

Now Tapia, who said his Facebook was careless and an error in judgment, is positioning himself as a Joe Biden Democrat on the abortion issue.

I recognize that the health complications of a pregnant woman and that of the being growing in her womb may justify the need for an abortion, he said. This is a decision that should be left to the woman, her doctor, and her family. No government official should be involved in this delicate matter.

Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said there is room in the Democratic Party for candidates who disagree on issues.

Theres no question the party with the bigger, broader tent wins; the question is whether any candidate can have credibility within both the pro-life and pro-choice camps at the same time, Rasmussen said. Voters interested in abortion can listen to his rationale and reach their own decisions. But I doubt whether the presence of a single pro-life candidate will dampen enthusiasm for the entire ticket.

As Morris County Democratic Chairman Chip Robinson weights whether to award the line to candidates backed by Dover Democratic Municipal Chairman Edward Correa or to Tapia and his running mate, Karol Ruiz, the assistant deputy state public defender, hell need to decide whether support for a local candidate whose views on abortion are not the same as other Democrats is in the greater good of the party.

You could certainly see it constraining the county organizations fund-raising ability, Rasmussen said. Ultimately the members need to balance that with funding the best candidates willing to run.

Some Democrats in the New Jersey Legislature are personally pro-life. Several abstained on a vote earlier this year to codify Roe v. Wade into State law and State Sen. Fred Madden (D-Washington), the Gloucester County Democratic Chairman, voted no.

I just dont know that theres a single, disqualifying issue, Rasmussen said. Pro-choicers arent satisfied with the moderate legislative majority, but I dont know that it has cost them. Its a balance. And ultimately, I think you fall on the side of the bigger tent.

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Pro-life Democrat says personal views won't interfere with government role if he wins - New Jersey Globe | New Jersey Politics

Why this Democratic Party official attend a Republican-leaning conference: I wanted to help

Matt Grodsky| Arizona Republic

By Matt Grodsky

With the threat of authoritarianism looming and a hostile faction threatening a democratic nation, it is incumbent upon us to support and coordinate with the insurgency.

Im not talking about Ukraine. I am describing Democrats supporting Republican refugees within the insurgency of the GOP, people who belonged to the party of Reagan and now find themselves impressed into the party of Trump.

Thats why I traveled to Washington, D.C., to take part in the Principles First conference, a gathering of moderate Republicans many of whom are actively working to restore the GOP and cleanse it of Trumpism.

Some of my Democratic colleagues might wonder why this was a worthwhile endeavor for someone working to elect Democrats?

Shouldnt I be enjoying the implosion of the GOP?

No.Our democracy works best with a two-party system, in which both bodies operate in good-faith for the best of our nation. One-party dominance is not the answer. So while I work to elect Democrats, I also want to help eliminate extremists from the GOP.

Both parties have their bad eggs, but only one has been hijacked by them. Yes, there has been political warfare since the founding of America. Political parties have shifted and evolved throughout our history, but members of both sides ultimately always worked together for our common interests.

We have never had one party with such blatant anti-American sentiment as the modern GOP. The party of George H.W. Bush has been overrun by Putinites, insurrectionists and conspirators.

They have isolated the moderates in their ranks who still believe in our democratic-republic. This has led to the Democratic Party being the only safe option for voters. This is not sustainable for our government.

It impairs our ability to legislate and puts us on a burning high-wire every election cycle, repeatedly presenting the stark choice between authoritarianism and democracy.

You wouldnt want a professional basketball team to play in the finals against a team of suicide bombers. Yet thats what we have been seeing in our elections one party endeared to our democratic norms, the other overrun by fanatics.

One bad performance for Democrats could send us into the abyss. In that scenario, we had better be sure the right kind of Republican is holding key elected offices when democracy is threatened.

Had someone like Arizonastate Rep. Mark Finchem been handling things in Georgia, 2020 would have ended with substantially more drama.

The reality is the GOP is not a monolith. Many Republicans are being held hostage within their party by radical elements. It should not be assumed that they identify with them.

Most of these hostages are willing and able to build a coalition. In fact, when I was the director of communications for the Arizona Democratic Party in 2020, speaking to this audience,was a key component of our strategy and it paid off.

It is not inevitable that the Republicans of yore will reclaim their party without help. So I went to engage with Republicans in hopes of identifying collaborative ways to elevate moderates in their party primaries - funding PACs, working together to dismantle radical candidates and elected officials, establishing sound communications strategies, nationwide candidate recruitment, and more.

There were many like-minded people at Principles First.

Several voiced support for President Joe Biden and democratic policies. The event included Rep. Adam Kinzinger, David Frum, Bill Kristol, Charlie Sykes, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, and it honored heroes like U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.

Most of the people I interacted with identified themselves as being lost in the political wilderness, cut out of todays GOP but still beholden to the traditional principles of their pre-Trump party.

Most notably, they recognized the value of a strong two-party system. When I asked people why they didnt just leave their party to become Democrats or independents, many of them, like my Republican colleague Adrian Bakke, answered Because I was here first. This is my party, I cant abandon it to this.

I had plenty of disagreements with attendees on a myriad of issues. But our most concrete areas of common ground were that Jan. 6 was an insurrection, Trumpism is bad, Putin is evil, and Lets go Brandon is a dumb slogan.

In the event the Trump fever doesnt break before 2024, forgotten Republicans in their party should reach out to Democrats. I encourage Democrats to reach back across the chasm.

We need to help them reclaim their party so that we can get back to competing against people we disagree with, not people hell bent on upending democracy. Coalitions are what bring change, not one-party messaging.

Trust me, I want Democrats to win. Im not doing this because I support the policies of the traditional Republican Party, nor am I doing this because I want more obstructionists in moderate clothing (see our senior senator).

I want us to have a voter registration advantage in Arizona, I want our commonsense policies adopted at the state and federal level. But I also want whats best for our republic in the long term.

Matt Grodsky is vice president and director of public affairs at Matters of State Strategies. He previously served as the director of communications for the Arizona Democratic Party from 2019 to 2021. He is a Democratic precinct committeeman in Legislative District 28 and an Arizona Democratic Party state committee member. Follow him Twitter: @mattgrodsky.

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I'm a Democrat who infiltrated the Republicans - The Arizona Republic

The Biden Administration has just passed an executive order furthering research into crypto assets in view of regulating them, but politicians within the ruling Democrat party remain deeply divided on digital currency.

The lack of consensus among Democrats could mean that a progressive regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies could still be a long way off, but also makes it more likely the eventual regulations wont be too harsh thanks to the work of crypto-friendly representatives. The crypto community is familiar with the names cropping up time and time again in the digital asset debate.

On one side of the Democratic party, you have vehemently anti-crypto politicians such as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown and on the other side, the pro-innovation camp are the likes of Congress members Ritchie Torres and Jim Himes.

The division runs deep, and political wrangling could further delay any regulatory processes in the United States.

Senator Warren recently crafted a bill to restrict crypto exchanges to prevent digital assets from being used for sanctions evasion. However, it has been widely reported that Russia will not switch to cryptocurrencies to circumvent sanctions, even if so individual Russians do.

Warren has continued her war on crypto with letters to the Treasury urging further crackdowns on the industry. According to reports, she recently criticized the banking system, adding, in reference, crypto:

Fortunately, several Democrat lawmakers favor the crypto industry and the innovation it will bring to the U.S. financial system. One such policymaker is New York representative Ritchie Torres who said, the project of radically decentralizing the internet and finance strikes me as a profoundly progressive cause, before adding:

Related: Bidens executive order promises great things for the crypto industry Eventually

Democrat Josh Gottheimer, who represents New Jersey, has pushed plans to regulate cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. Last month, he presented the Stablecoin Innovation and Protection Act, stating, at the time, that the expansion of cryptocurrency offers tremendous potential value for our economy.

Four Democrats put their names to a bipartisan letter sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. Gottheimer and Torres signed, of course, along with Florida representative Darren Soto and Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss.

Republican congressman Tom Emmer drafted the letter, which was also signed by three other Republicans, addressing the issue of overburdening crypto companies with excessive reporting requests and increased scrutiny of the industry by the agency.

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Democrat division over crypto isnt all bad news for regulation - Cointelegraph