Some Democratic voters in Northeast Oregon have received letters from the pro-life Oregon Right to Life Political Action Committee asking them to consider writing in on their ballots the names of two Republican candidates, Todd Nash and Bobby Levy, in races with no Democratic candidates.

Democratic officials in Oregon criticized the letters. Rosa Colquitt, the state chair for the Democratic Party of Oregon, called their request a “scurrilous tactic.” And a press release from the Wallowa County Democrats, Moderates and Progressives organization decried the letters as “deceptive,” although the release noted the letters were legal.

But Nash said the idea behind the letters — which were paid for by the candidates’ campaigns and were sent on the letterhead of the Oregon Right to Life PAC — don’t involve any sort of underhanded political tactic.

Rather, he said, the idea was simply to offer an opportunity for pro-life Democrats to vote for a candidate who shares those views, especially because no Democratic candidates have filed in either Senate District 29 or House District 58.

Nash is one of four GOP candidates seeking the nomination in Senate District 29. Levy is seeking reelection in House District 58.

In theory, if enough Democratic primary voters write in the names of Levy or Nash, they could be deemed the Democratic candidates for the Nov. 5, 2024, general election. In her 2022 campaign, Levy was the nominee for both parties, winning the Democratic nomination by write-in.

But to do that this year, Levy and Nash first have to win their GOP primaries. State law says candidates who lose their primary election are not eligible for a different party nomination for the seat. As Levy’s example shows, however, it’s not unprecedented for a candidate to run as the successful nominee of more than one political party.

Nash said the Oregon Right to Life PAC encourages candidates to send out similar letters. In this case, Nash said, the letters didn’t go out to every Democratic voter in the districts but were targeted only to voters who may be open to the anti-abortion views of the PAC and the candidates.

“It was just an effort to bring people into the fold,” he said.

In elections in which no Democrat is running, the Oregon Right to Life PAC encourages “pro-life candidates to let pro-life Democratic voters know there is an opportunity to write them in,” said Sharolyn Smith, the political director of the Oregon Right to Life PAC. “In this case, by writing in Todd’s name, they can participate in the election and be confident that they are voting for someone who will work for them in the Legislature to protect the lives of all Oregonians born and unborn.”

Smith said Nash is the only candidate in Senate District 29 who the Oregon Right to Life PAC has endorsed. The Right to Life PAC also endorsed Levy.

Levy said she considers her dual nomination in 2022 an honor: “It means I am truly representing both parties,” she said. “I am solidly a Republican, but I represent everyone in District 58 — Republicans, Democrats, nonaffiliated, Independents. I also don’t see anything wrong with Oregon Right to Life (PAC) sending out good things on my behalf.”