Copyright The Oregonian
County commissioners in Multnomah and Clackamas counties in a joint meeting on Wednesday appointed labor advocate Lamar Wise to finish the remainder of the late Rep. Hòa Nguyễn’s term. Nguyễn, a Democrat first elected in 2022, died Oct. 9 at age 41 after a months-long battle with advanced stage cancer. The 48th House District she represented spans East Portland and Damascus. Wise, the former political director for one of Oregon’s largest unions and former executive director of the Oregon Student Association, said he would focus on improving housing and uplifting Oregon’s economy, while also carrying Nguyễn’s legacy of advocating for education and reducing Oregon’s chronic absenteeism. Wise was previously the political director of Oregon’s American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, where he advocated for legislation to aid the union’s more than 40,000 state, local government, behavioral health and social service workers. Oregon AFSCME President Fred Yungbluth and Service Employees International Union president Johnny Earl, who represents about 72,000 caregivers and other Oregon professionals, both endorsed Wise during the meeting. Wise said he understands what the financial struggles people in his district are experiencing. “I’ve been on SNAP,” he said. “I’ve had to couch surf, and I’ve seen my bank account in negatives — experiences that the residents of our district endure every day. I’m running so that the people most impacted by these inequities have a real opportunity to live a life with dignity, respect and prosperity.” Wise was up against José Gamero-Georgeson, a David Douglas School Board member and disability and immigrant rights advocate, as well as Terrance Hayes, an electrical business owner and former Portland City Council candidate who said supporting formerly incarcerated people — a group he identifies with — was a key priority. Local Democratic Party officials nominated all three as potential candidates to fill the remainder of Nguyễn’s term. Several commissioners said they would be voting with Oregon’s short legislative session in mind. “I too will be leaning towards who I think can really hit the ground running in a short session where I expect we’ll see further reductions in the budget and not really a lot of opportunities to build new things,” Multnomah County Commissioner Shannon Singleton said. “So I’m looking for the person who I think has the ability to do that in Salem in just a few months here.” Four out of five of Multnomah County’s commissioners voted for Wise, with commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon being the only one to vote for Gamero-Georgeson. All five of Clackamas County commissioners voted for Hayes. Appointment votes are weighted based on the share of district constituents in each county, so the votes from Multnomah County counted for more than votes from Clackamas County. After his appointment, Wise said he found it difficult to find the right words. “I’m struggling a little bit because it’s a terrible position to be in terms of the reason why we’re here,” Wise told the commission. “This is bittersweet, because Rep. Nguyễn should be here.” So far, the only candidate who filed to run for the seat in 2026 is Republican Andrew Morrison, who lost the Republican primary for the district in 2024. -- Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle
