Oregon — It’s become a familiar claim in conservative circles: “Oregon hasn’t had a Republican governor since we went to vote-by-mail.”
Sounds convincing—until you check the facts.
Oregon adopted universal vote-by-mail in 2000, but the last Republican governor, Vic Atiyeh, left office in 1987. That’s a 13-year gap between the last GOP victory and the start of statewide mail voting. You can’t blame a system that didn’t exist yet.
So what did change? The party itself.
Atiyeh wasn’t a fire-breather; he was a moderate, pragmatic Republican, an environmentalist who championed business growth and conservation. He appealed to the broader coalition once called the “Reagan Republicans” — optimistic, forward-looking, and inclusive. That brand could win in Oregon.
Since then, Republicans have narrowed their message and their base. Instead of broadening appeal, too many have focused on grievance politics and purity tests, turning off independents and suburban moderates who once leaned right. Add in the demographic reality: Oregon’s population has grown rapidly in urban and college-educated regions that lean blue. That’s math, not malfeasance.
Here’s the hard truth: Oregon Republicans didn’t lose power because Democrats cheated. We lost because Democrats convinced our voters it’s hopeless—that elections are rigged, that participation is pointless. And too many on our side believed it.
But think about it: if you truly believe the system is rigged, why would you vote at all?
And how exactly do you expect to end vote-by-mail using vote-by-mail ballots?
That’s not strategy—it’s self-sabotage.
If Oregon Republicans want to win again, we must return to credibility, persuasion, and turnout. Stop chasing conspiracies and start chasing votes. Because correlation isn’t causation—and blaming the mailbox for decades of political drift only keeps us losing.
For more of my opinion on Oregon vote by mail, read my May 2024 piece:
Apathy and Confidence: Unraveling the Fabric of Oregon’s Vote by Mail System
https://bensviewpoint.substack.com
About the Author
A lot of Democrats moved out of California to Oregon.