Bob Tiernan |
Not all the dynamics are public, now or maybe ever, for this sort of thing. But the departure of Bob Tiernan as chair of the Oregon Republican Party, a job he's held basically for the last cycle, merits a little pondering.
The move wasn't entirely unexpected. A number of other candidates have been circulating, the most visible of those being Allen Alley, who ran for governor last year and treasurer in 2008.
Often when a party chair opts out, the idea is that his (or hers) is the head to poll after an unsuccessful election. And you could say that Oregon was one of the minority of states holding back last year's Republican tide, what with the ongoing failure to elect (ever since 2002) any statewide elected official.
But that would be a crimped view. Oregon Republicans actually have improved their situation significantly over the last couple of years. The biggest indicator was their return to clout at the legislature, where they now control an even half of the House, and picked up a couple of seats in the Senate. And then there was the almost-win for governor, the party's best showing for a major office since 2002.
There's more than that. Even more significant, maybe, than the even split in the state House was the candidate recruitment party people (including legislative leaders) did to fill legislative ballot slots. House leaders came close to filling the Republican line for all 60 seats, a remarkable achievement for a party in a significant minority, and probably a big part of the reason they did as well as they did in the general election.
The Republican press release on Tiernan's departure also includes the usual list of achievements during his tenure; taken together, you have to say they add up to some real rehabilitation in organization and structure. (more…)
