Oregon may have a real labor commissioner race on its hands

Oregon Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson may soon have a notable challenger as she works toward reelection.

In recent weeks, state Sen. Dick Anderson, a Lincoln City Republican, has been exploring a race to run the state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries. The lawmaker is now leaning heavily toward jumping in.

“I’m still waiting to hear back from a couple of people that I trust,” Anderson told OPB on Tuesday. “Depending on what I hear, we’re targeting an announcement for the end of the week.”

There are a few downsides to Anderson throwing his hat in the ring.

Because he’s halfway through his four-year Senate term, Anderson wouldn’t forfeit his ability to seek reelection should he lose a BOLI campaign.

And the two-term senator believes he can use the statewide campaign to make the election a referendum on his key issue: state housing policy.

Since her election four years ago, BOLI Commissioner Christina Stephenson has taken heat for what some say are inflexible interpretations of state labor laws.

As the Oregon Journalism Project has reported, Stephenson has been accused of unnecessarily requiring affordable housing projects pay prevailing wage rates to workers, hiking the cost of those projects by up to 20% at a time Oregon desperately needs more units.

Anderson introduced Senate Bill 1566 this year, which would have given affordable housing projects broader exemptions from prevailing wage requirements. But the proposal was fought by trade unions that are key political allies to the majority Democrats – and Stephenson.

It did not get a vote in committee.

“I just see this agency, with its interpretations which are inconsistent and different than past commissioners, is stalling production,” Anderson said. “For me, it’s another avenue that I think I can help housing production in Oregon.”

Under Stephenson, BOLI has said that it is simply enforcing Oregon’s existing labor laws and has pushed back on the notion that paying workers a prevailing wage is a bad thing.

In response to questions about Anderson’s criticisms, Stephenson’s campaign noted that the senator had opposed a 2025 budget bill that poured more money into agency staff.

“Commissioner Stephenson is running again for this office because she has spent her career operating a small business and winning for workers who have had their wages stolen and faced discrimination,” the campaign said in a statement. “She has used this experience and exercised her responsibility to enforce the law as written by the Legislature.”

A former mayor of Lincoln City, Anderson, 75, spent his professional career as a banking executive.

Since joining the Legislature in 2021, Anderson has become Senate Republicans’ chief expert on housing policy, often teaming up with Democrats on proposals.

In 2023, when most of his colleagues walked away from the chamber in protest for six weeks, Anderson was one of just two GOP senators who stayed. As a result, he was not barred from seeking reelection in 2024 like others.

One thing that Anderson believes could work in his favor? Democrats’ plan to move a vote on gas tax and transportation fee increases to the May 19 primary election.

Labor commissioner races are nonpartisan and can be settled in the May primary if one candidate gets more than 50% of the vote. A competitive GOP primary for governor, alongside a widely unpopular gas tax, could juice turnout by voters who are more likely to support Anderson.

But Anderson, should he run, will still need to show he can raise money for a statewide race.

In recent BOLI races, liberal candidates who attract labor endorsements have significantly outraised more conservative candidates backed by business groups.

In 2022, Stephenson, a Democrat, raised more than $1.7 million. Her chief rival, former Republican state Rep. Cheri Helt, raised less than $540,000. Four years earlier, Democrat Val Hoyle raised nearly twice as much as her opponent, Tualatin Mayor Lou Ogden.

Anderson said he sees his potential entry as a 45-day sprint to get a majority vote in the May election. “If it goes to November, we know we will have trouble keeping up the dollars,” he said.

Stephenson, 42, announced her intention to seek reelection last year, and has touted her work to increase BOLI’s workforce to respond to labor complaints – which have seen major backlogs both before and during her tenure.

Stephenson also said she has increased apprenticeship opportunities and expanded child labor protections.

“BOLI is the agency that makes sure Oregon jobs are good jobs - where people are paid what they’re owed and work free from discrimination,” Stephenson said in that announcement. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, and I know there’s more work to do.”

Beyond Stephenson, just one candidate has filed their candidacy for labor commissioner. That’s Chris Lynch, a former BOLI employee who now works for another state agency.