House District 23
House District 23 (parts of Benton, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties)
There are 3 candidates in the primary, 2 Republicans and 1 Democrat. The Republicans are incumbent Rep. Mike Nearman and challenger Kris Morse Bledsoe. The Democratic candidate is Danny Jaffer, who, being unopposed, presumably will also be the Democratic candidate in the November general election.
Rep. Mike Nearman is completing his second term in office. He is a member of the OFIR Board of Directors, and he staunchly supports immigration law enforcement. He completed the 2018 questionnaire of the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project. Here are the questions and his answers:
10. Do you support the repeal of Oregon’s sanctuary state law? Yes. Ha! I’m one of the chief petitioners on this initiative.
23. Do you support an Oregon Constitutional amendment to require proof of citizenship to register to vote in Oregon? Yes. Ha! I’m one of the chief petitioners on this initiative.
42. Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee’s work eligibility status? Yes.
His campaign website’s Issues section also has a statement on immigration policy.
Challenger Kris Morse Bledsoe did not reply to the OAAVEP survey. Her website includes this statement on immigration:
Let me start this discussion by declaring up front that I love our immigrant neighbors. That is my bias.
We should be working on ways to help hard working undocumented workers have a path to citizenship. They play a key role in our economy. Our vineyards need them. Our vegetable and nursery farmers need them. They are honorable, skilled people who need to feel safe.
I support Oregon being a sanctuary state. I support the DACA young people who are already integrated in to our economy. We will all lose if they leave.
In January 2018 she organized the “Women of Yamhill County March,” staged to protest the election of President Donald Trump. On her campaign website is a blog, “Racism is not the path to greatness,” supporting amnesty for DACA registrants and showing no consideration for any validation of claims.
She has also written a more general article supporting illegal immigration, “So who do you think is taking your job?” published in the McMinnville News-Register, Aug. 22, 2014.
Websites of the candidates in House District 23:
Rep. Mike Nearman – http://nearmanfororegon.com/
Kris Morse Bledsoe – http://krismorsebledsoe.com/
Danny Jaffer – https://dannyjaffer.com/
Jaffer did not respond to the OAAVEP survey. His campaign website has an Issues section but there is no mention of immigration in it. Presumably he will follow Democratic Party leadership on immigration issues.
