Jacksonville, Oregon
Why am I running?
Our country has veered dramatically and dangerously off course, and many of us are left wondering… what can we do?
As an Oregon native son and seasoned public servant, the best thing I can do is use my energy and experience to defeat Oregon’s only U.S. Representative who supports the policies harming our precious rural communities—Cliff Bentz in District 2.
Three of the best policies enacted in Oregon over the last 50 years are the Oregon Health Plan, our statewide land conservation laws (think protecting family farms and forests and revitalizing Main Street districts), and Vote by Mail. The federal government is actively trying to undermine the first two and outright repeal the third, and it all must stop.
My dedication to public service in Oregon dates back decades. It includes extensive campaign work for various causes and candidates, as well as for myself when I had the honor of serving
six years as a state representative. I will pour all that experience into a robust fall campaign, speaking out about the destructive policies of the Trump administration and harnessing energized volunteers to join our mission—flipping a critical Congressional seat and restoring dignity, courage and character to our Congress.
Having spent six years working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I learned first hand about an extraordinary array of federal programs designed specifically to support the people and businesses of rural America. We could do so much more to leverage those programs to our benefit.
Rural Oregon is in my blood. As the grandson of an agriculture teacher at Redmond High School, it’s literally in my DNA. This grand landscape and its towns deserve to have a thoughtful and collaborative representative in Washington.
Issues
My campaign will highlight a few key issues that must be addressed for the people of District 2. We have a real opportunity to make significant positive change. Not only can we reform and rebuild existing federal programs that have been decimated by the current administration, but I want to create new and innovative ways to revitalize our rural economy and improve people’s lives.
Rural Oregonians deserve quick access to quality health care.
People in rural Oregon are finding it harder and harder to find health care, and the situation is only going to get worse. We must restore federal cuts to Medicaid and support rural hospitals and clinics so that every Oregonian has affordable access to quality health care in every nook of the state.
We must build more housing. It’s that simple.
Affordable housing belongs in our historic Main Street neighborhoods where it can have the most positive impact.
We must uplift our agriculture and natural resources economy.
Reverse Trump’s reckless tariffs and reform and expand existing federal programs that support Oregon’s resource-based rural economy. We should also restore federal support for arts and culture programs.