Oregon: State GOP claims momentum in new recall effort against Governor

A second recall effort against Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) by the Oregon Republicans claims to have collected about 131,000 signatures. Brown's push for the coronavirus shutdown, that seems to have help prevent a recurrence in Oregon, is one of the new motivators for the recall, though since the GOP has been launching recalls since her first day, this seems more like the latest reason.

Last year, two attempts, including one led by Republican leaders, both failed.

Petitioners need to hand in 280,050 valid signatures. Last year, the GOP claims to have fallen short by 10%, though since they were not checked, the number is not particularly useful. A second petiton claimed to have 23,926 pages of signatures, but clearly missed the total.

Brown herself is term limited.

Bill Currier, the chairman of the State Republican Party, filed the original recall papers against Governor Kate Brown (D). Another petition was also filed by a local resident, focusing on homeless issues.

Oregon, the first state to adopt the recall for state-level officials way back in 1908, has had recalls against three state legislators, but never a Governor. Brown actually got the job when her predecessor John Kitzhaber faced a recall threat.

What is perhaps most noteworthy is that Oregon's recall law does not provide for the election of a replacement. Replacements are instead "filed immediately in the manner provided by law for filing a vacancy in that office arising from any other cause." 

This has led to serious questions of who would replace Brown.