Primary election for U.S. Senator from Oregon
April 22, 2014
Oregon's biggest political contest this year is probably for the seat in the U.S. Senate occupied by Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, who is finishing his first term of 6 years and is up for reelection. Although there are 2 other Democratic candidates, Merkley is almost a certainty to win the Democratic nomination, even with a grade of F in NumbersUSA’s record of votes on immigration issues.
There are 5 Republican candidates for U.S. Senate. Already, the race appears to have developed into a contest between Dr. Monica Wehby and Representative Jason Conger, who seem to be the clear leaders in both publicity and financial contributions.
We encourage OFIR members to ask questions of the candidates at any events they attend or through the Contact links on their websites. Ask them about driver cards, E-VERIFY and illegal immigration in general. We MUST make immigration a topic of conversation, or candidates won't have any need to speak about the issue at all.
U.S. SENATE CANDIDATES CONGER AND WEHBY
Representative Jason Conger was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2010 and is now serving his second term. On April 30, 2013, during House debate on SB 833, the bill to give driver cards to illegal aliens, Rep. Conger stood on the floor of the House and spoke forcefully against it. He voted against SB 833. He also voted against HB 4054 that would have changed the ballot title of the referendum on SB 833.
His website at www.congerfororegon.com contains this Issue statement on immigration:
IMMIGRATION
Enforce the border first. The first reform to our now dysfunctional immigration system must involve effective enforcement along the border and at the job site.
Oppose amnesty. The concept of amnesty would only encourage more illegal immigration.
Create temporary visa or adjusted-status programs that allow law-abiding currently undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States (as non-citizens) to work in agriculture and other industries if they have a community-based sponsor (such as a church, association or employer).
Reform the temporary visa program for high-skilled workers from foreign countries so U.S. companies have the workforce they need to be competitive globally.
Contact Rep. Conger’s campaign at: jason@congerfororegon.com or visit his website and use the webform for email at: http://www.congerfororegon.com/contact/. The campaign telephone number is: (541) 317-5076.
His website contains much information about his background, education and career that is interesting, enlightening, and inspiring. Please visit it at: www.congerfororegon.com
Dr. Monica Wehby, the other leading Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, is a pediatric neurosurgeon and very knowledgeable about health insurance issues. This is her first venture into legislative politics, although she has considerable experience in leadership positions with national medical organizations. Please visit her website at: http://monicafororegon.com/
She has reached out to OFIR to learn more about immigration issues and had several meetings with OFIR officers. She is open to communication on the subject and is working on developing positions in more detail.
This is the current statement on immigration on her website:
Dr. Monica Wehby believes that before we make any reforms to our immigration system that we must secure the border. Border security must be the immediate priority. Monica is also against amnesty for those who came here illegally. That simply isn’t fair to the people who came here through the proper channels. Dr. Monica Wehby also believes that we need to increase the amount of H1B visas for skilled workers. It doesn’t make any sense to train and educate these workers in the U.S. and then force them to take the skills they learned here to another country. Dr. Monica Wehby also believes we should work with Oregon’s agriculturists to develop a temporary guest worker program that works.
You can email her using the webform for email at: http://monicafororegon.com/contact/.
Campaign telephone: (503) 954-2717. Fax: (503) 327-8957
Please read the About section of her website at: http://monicafororegon.com/about/
that gives a dramatic story of her background and outstanding achievements.
