2016 General Election

Attorney General

 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
 
Attorney General
 
 
The Attorney General and the Secretary of State have responsibility for managing citizen initiatives and referenda.  OFIR and other citizen groups have had problems in mounting initiatives and referenda because of apparent resistance from the Attorney General’s office and the Secretary of State. The Attorney General is empowered to write the ballot titles for initiatives and can slant the title to favor one side or the other.  The Secretary of State administers the process of filing the citizen measures, reviewing petition signatures, etc., and can use delays and other tactics to impede the process.  See separate report on candidates for Secretary of State. 
 
Several issue-oriented groups have recently experienced difficulties as a result of unsatisfactory and slanted ballot titles.  If a group challenges the language of the title, this delays the process and reduces the time available for collecting signatures, which are due well before the election date as they must be verified by the Secretary of State’s office before the measure is officially approved to go on the ballot. Then time is needed to include the measure in voter pamphlets, on ballots, etc.  If activists accept the skewed ballot title, they face severe problems of public misunderstanding and failure of the measure.   Thus incumbent Secretaries of State and Attorneys General can and do cripple the efforts of citizen activists with whom they disagree. 
 
There are only 2 candidates for Attorney General, one Democrat and one Republican.
 
1. The Republican Party candidate is Daniel Zene Crowe, of Mount Angel.  He is an attorney and veterans’ advocate with a background as U.S. Army Judge Advocate (1998-2011), Combat Arms Officer, Ranger, and Paratrooper (1991-1995), farm worker growing up through high school in Oregon.  He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the University of Washington Law School.  After his military service, he has served on the Mount Angel School Board.
 
His campaign website is at:  www.crowelawfirm.us.  The homepage lists several plans he would pursue if elected.  One of them is: “Returning honesty to Oregon elections by impartially labeling ballot titles and initiatives to put Oregonians back in charge of Oregon government.”
 
 
2. The Democratic Party candidate is incumbent Ellen Rosenblum, also nominated by the Independent and Working Families parties.  She was first elected in November 2012 as Oregon's 17th Attorney General. She is a graduate of the University of Oregon and the University of Oregon School of Law.  Rosenblum, an appellate judge and federal prosecutor before running for office, was appointed to her job before she was officially elected.  Gov. Kitzhaber appointed her Attorney General shortly after then-incumbent John Kroger resigned on June 29, 2012 to become President of Reed College.  He had announced, in April 2012, his intention to resign.
 
The difficulties described above, that citizens have with initiatives, have occurred during Rosenbaum’s term as Attorney General.  
 
Her campaign website is at: http://www.ellenrosenblum.com/.  No references relevant to immigration policy were found there.  The site contains mostly claims of her accomplishments in the office.
 

Congressional District 1

 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
U.S. House of Representatives Candidates – Congressional District 1
 
There are three candidates, one Democrat, one Republican and one from the Libertarian Party.
 
1. The Democratic Party candidate is incumbent Representative Suzanne Bonamici of Beaverton, who is seeking reelection. She has a long and very poor record on immigration issues, starting with her service in the State Legislature and continuing in Congress.
 
She is rated F- for the current Congress and D- for her career in Congress, 2012-2016, by Numbers USA.  On particular aspects of immigration in the current Congress, she is graded F- on reducing unnecessary worker visas, and also F- on reducing refugee and asylum fraud, and F- on reducing amnesty enticements. NumbersUSA’s website report links to the particular bills on which she voted and which are the basis for her grades.
 
Bonamici was first elected to Congress in January 2012 in a special election.  She was re-elected in November 2012 and again in 2014.  She began her legislative career in the Oregon House in 2007 and moved to the Senate in 2009. While in the Oregon Legislature, in 2008 she voted against requiring proof of legal status to obtain a driver license (SB 1080).  In 2011, she voted for the bill to grant in-state tuition to illegal aliens, SB 742. 
 
In June of this year, she signed a letter to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee urging them to allow an IRS rule that would block advocacy groups like NumbersUSA from compiling voting records and grade cards.  It appears that she wants to hide her immigration voting record from the public.
 
Her campaign website at http://www.bonamiciforcongress.com/contact/ contains a webform for contact.
 
 
2. The Republican candidate is Brian J. Heinrich of Dundee.  He is a Sales Representative for businesses and holds an Associate’s degree from Portland Community College.  He is a lifelong resident of Oregon, born and raised in Hillsboro. His website at https://heinrichfororegon.org/ gives full biographical information.  Email address: heinrichfororegon@gmail.com.
  
He replied to the 2016 Abigail Adams Voter Education Project questionnaire:  22.  Do you support requiring all employers to verify employee eligibility to work in the United States? Yes.     23.  Do you support securing the borders before any form of amnesty?  Yes.    24.  Do you support spending public funds to benefit illegal immigrants?   No.     25.  Do you support automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. when both parents are not legal residents?     No.     42.  How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering the country with them?      “Due to the dislike many in the Middle East have for the US, I would be very restrictive on allowing any refugees into this country. Since there is very little if any documentation on these refugees, there is no way to vet them for terrorism. It is a very unfortunate situation.” 
 
 
3. The Libertarian Party candidate is Kyle P. Sheahan, of Hillsboro, who is an Engineering Technician with Intel Corporation, and holds an Associate’s degree in electronic technology from Bellingham Technical College.   
 
This candidate also replied to the 2016 Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project questionnaire:   22.  Do you support requiring all employers to verify employee eligibility to work in the United States?  “Yes.  With our current system of taxation yes, if the tax code is reformed to consumption based tax then no.”  23.  Do you support securing the borders before any form of amnesty?  “Yes.  I believe our current immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed while this happens.”  24.  Do you support spending public funds to benefit illegal immigrants?  “No.  The immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed.”  25.  Do you support automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. when both parents are not legal residents?  “No.  The immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed.”  42.  How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering the country with them?  [did not reply to this question]. 
    
Sheehan’s campaign website:  http://kylesheahan.com/.  Email:  kyle@kylesheahan.com
 
 

Congressional District 2

 
 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
U.S. House of Representatives Candidates – Congressional District 2
 
There are only two candidates, one Republican/Independent and one Democrat.
 
1.  The Republican candidate is incumbent Representative Greg Walden, of Hood River, who seeks reelection. He is also the write-in candidate of the Independent Party. Walden has served in Congress continuously since 1999.  NumbersUSA grades him F for recent years 2013-2016.  In earlier years, he was more supportive of immigration controls, so his all-career grade is B- . His campaign website is at: https://gregwalden.com/.  It includes an Issues section, but no mention of immigration was found.
 
NumbersUSA’s website contains a complete record of Walden‘s votes on immigration issues from 1999 to date.  He has a mixed history on immigration issues.  Here are some of his recent votes – fuller information is on the NumbersUSA website. 
 
In 2016 he voted:
YES to King amendment to FY2017 defense spending till to block amnesty for DACA recipients.
YES to Gosar amendment to FY17 defense spending bill to block amnesty for DACA recipients.
 
In 2015 he voted:
YES to the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase foreign guest workers. 
YES to granting the President authority to expand immigration levels without Congress' consent via Trade Promotion Authority. 
YES for the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase refugee resettlement.  
YES to funding Executive Amnesties by opposing clean DHS Appropriations bill, H.R. 240.  
YES to the Blackburn Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obama's DACA amnesty.  
YES to Aderholt Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obama's Nov. 2014 amnesty..
YES to Brooks amendment to remove military amnesty from National Defense Authorization Act. 
 
2.  The Democratic Party candidate is James A. Crary, of Ashland.  Now retired, he formerly worked for British Petroleum and for the Legal Department of Anchorage, Alaska.  He is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University in Business Administration, and the University of San Diego where he received a doctoral degree in law.  
 
Website: www.crary16.com. In the Issues section of his website, there is the following statement on immigration, which makes clear in the first paragraph that he supports amnesty for illegal aliens.  He also supports the use of E-Verify and discusses that in some detail.
 
Immigration Reform -- I know that people who came here illegally technically broke the law. But I also know that the reason they came here are the same reasons my ancestors left their homes in Germany, Ireland and Scotland and came to the United States. They came so that they and their children could have a better life. That is hard to fault. If an illegal immigrant has committed a felony or multiple misdemeanors since coming to the U.S. that person should be deported. However, if an illegal immigrant has worked hard and not broken the law then I would allow that person to come out of the shadows, pay a fine and be given a 7 year path to citizenship. 
 
“As far as stopping this problem from reoccurring I think we either need to build a wall or have a highly functional, easy to use, mandatory E-Verify system (E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States); and my preference is the latter.
 
“There are strong economic incentives, on both sides of the border, for illegal immigrant workers.  With so much poverty and lower paying jobs in Latin America the U.S. is going to be an economic magnet for people who want to have a better life.  U.S. employers want workers who will do jobs that most Americans shun (and, unfortunately, some employers want to take advantage of illegal immigrants’ illegal status to pay them lower wages and avoid workplace health and safety rules).  With all that said we need a system to accommodate the need in this country for legal seasonal workers while at the same time helping people living in Latin America better their economic situation.  To me, the answer is a seasonal worker program (SWP).
 
“My vision of a SWP is that workers could get work permits of up to eight months, and employers could request to have specific workers return to work for them in subsequent years.  Workers in the SWP would have a standard employment contract that has been negotiated between the source countries, employers and the U.S. government.  Workers would be:
1. Covered by U.S. workplace safety rules;
2. Provided basic health insurance;
3. Paid prevailing wages for the type of work being done;
4. Subject to an income tax payroll deduction (but not Social Security or unemployment insurance); and
5. Provided safe and habitable housing
 
“Extended health coverage would paid for by the source country.
 
“In the vast majority of inquiries the E-Verify system works as it is supposed to.  I understand that with E-Verify a small number of legal workers might get incorrectly flagged but, if they are truly legal, those problems can be rectified relatively quickly. If there is something suspicious about the worker’s information, E-Verify issues a tentative non-confirmation (TNC). That gives the worker and his employer some time to contest the decision by identifying and correcting errors in the worker’s identification. During this time, the employer is not legally allowed to fire the employee and must keep him or her on the payroll until the worker’s identity problems are fixed.  In those cases where a legal worker gets an erroneous TNC I would say that they should be compensated (e.g. $250 to the employee and $150 to the employer) for their trouble in correcting the error.  Such a payment would help negate the inconvenience to both the legal worker and employer and encourage usage of the E-Verify system.
 
“The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status and made it illegal to hire or recruit illegal immigrants knowingly.  To me, a mandatory E-Verify is what is required to, finally, successfully implement those parts of the law.
 
“If E-Verify were mandated for every new hire, with substantial penalties for employers who do not comply, perhaps no wall would be required at our border with Mexico because the word would soon get out that there was no work for illegal immigrants so there would be no economic incentive to illegally cross the border.
 
“My focus is to not put a temporary Band-Aid on illegal immigration but to, hopefully, permanently solve the problem.  To do that all employers must only hire legal workers because otherwise as long as poverty and poor economic conditions exist for so many Latin Americans and employment is possible in the U.S., we will have an illegal immigration problem. That is why we need to have a highly functional, easy to use, mandatory E-Verify system.”
 

Congressional District 3

 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
U.S. House of Representatives Candidates – Congressional District 3
 
There are 3 candidates, one Democrat, one Independent Party/Republican, and one Progressive Party candidate.
 
1.  Incumbent Representative Earl Blumenauer, Democrat, of Portland, has been in office continuously since 1996, and now seeks reelection again.  He has earned a career (1996-2016) rating of F from NumbersUSA.  See the full report, which has links with all details, to every immigration-related bill that he’s voted on.  For recent years, 2013-2016, his grade is D-, and for the current Congress, 2015-2016, his grade is F-.  
 
For his whole career, he gets F- on each of these subjects: reducing chain migration, reducing unnecessary worker visas, reducing refugee and asylum fraud, reducing illegal immigration at borders, reducing amnesty enticements.  He gets F on reducing illegal jobs and presence, F on reducing illegal immigration rewards, and C on reducing the visa lottery.
 
In June of this year, he signed a letter to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee urging them to allow an IRS rule that would block advocacy groups like NumbersUSA from compiling voting records and grade cards.  It appears that he wants to hide his immigration voting record from the public.
 
Blumenauer’s campaign website:  http://earlblumenauer.com/.  No mention of immigration was found on his website.  A webform for email to him is on the homepage of his campaign website.
 
2,  The Independent Party candidate, also written in as candidate of the Republican Party, is David W. Walker of Scappoose.  He is a family nurse practitioner who holds a master’s degree in nursing from Washington State University.
 
He replied to the 2016 Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project questionnaire:  22.  Do you support requiring all employers to verify employee eligibility to work in the United States?   “No.”    23.  Do you support securing the borders before any form of amnesty?  “No. What does securing the borders mean? lack of precision in language is a bigger problem than ‘secure borders.’"   24.  Do you support spending public funds to benefit illegal immigrants?  “Decline.”   25.  Do you support automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. when both parents are not legal residents?   “Yes.  I understand this is part of the US Constitution, a person born in the USA is eligible to be a US citizen”    42.  How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering the country with them?   “I support immigration as well as more thorough screening of all immigrants seeking to become citizens of the USA, regardless of country of origin.”
      
Walker’s campaign website: http://www.humaucracy.org/home.  Email: dwmwalker@hotmail.com.
 
3.  The Progressive Party candidate is David Delk, of Portland.
 
Delk replied to the 2016 Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project questionnaire:  22.  Do you support requiring all employers to verify employee eligibility to work in the United States?  “No.”   23.  Do you support securing the borders before any form of amnesty?  “No.”   24.  Do you support spending public funds to benefit illegal immigrants?  “Yes.”  25.  Do you support automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. when both parents are not legal residents?  “Yes.”  42.  How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering the country with them?   “They already go through years of screening.”  
 
Delk’s campaign website:  www.daviddelk.org
 
 

Congressional District 4

 
 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
U.S. House of Representatives Candidates – Congressional District 4
 
There are 4 candidates in this race: one Democrat/Independent/Progressive/Working Families candidate, one Republican/Constitutional Party candidate, one from the Pacific Green Party, and one from the Libertarian Party.
 
1. The Democratic Party candidate is incumbent Representative Peter DeFazio, of Springfield, who seeks reelection. He is also the candidate of the Independent, Progressive, and Working Families parties. DeFazio has been in Congress continuously since 1987.  For the period 2015-2016 he is rated F by NumbersUSA based on his voting record on immigration issues.  In earlier years he was more inclined to support immigration controls; thus over his career from 1989 (when NumbersUSA records begin) to date he is graded C+.  For recent years 2013-2016, he gets only a D.  You can view details of his voting record on particular bills at: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/my/congress/677/gradescoresheet/. There are links to bill descriptions and history.
 
In 2016, he voted:
NO on the King amendment to FY 17 defense spending bill to block amnesty for DACA recipients.
NO on the Gosar amendment to FY 17 defense spending bill to block amnesty for DACA recipients.
 
In 2015, he voted:
YES to the FY 2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase foreign guest workers.
NO to granting the President authority to expand immigration levels without Congress’ consent via Trade Promotion Authority.
YES to the FY 2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase refugee resettlement.
NO on the  Brooks amendment to remove military amnesty from National Defense Authorization Act.
YES on funding Executive Amnesties by opposing clean DHS Appropriations bill, H.R. 240.
NO on the Blackburn Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obama’s DACA amnesty.
NO on the Aderholt Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obama’s Nov. 2014 amnesty.
 
His campaign website at http://www.defazioforcongress.org/ contains a webform for contact.
 
2. The Republican Party candidate is Art Robinson, of Cave Junction.  He is also the candidate of the Constitution Party. Robinson's website is at http://artforcongress.com/.    About himself, he says:  “As a scientist I’m always looking for solutions to problems. After graduating from CalTech and receiving my PhD in Chemistry from the University of California in San Diego, I co-founded the Linus Pauling Institute and the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, which today lead the way in developing advanced diagnostic and preventive medicine to help the people of Oregon.”
 
In earlier campaigns he spoke firmly against illegal immigration.  See OFIR’s report on his General Election campaign of 2014 here.  On his current website, in the Issues section, topic “American security,” he says “We must secure our borders and end illegal immigration.”
 
Webform for contact:  http://artforcongress.com/contact
 
3. The candidate of the Pacific Green Party is Mike Beilstein, of Corvallis.  He is a retired chemist and a long-time member of the Corvallis City Council.  His website at http://www.newmenu.org/mikebeilstein contains a detailed statement of policy recommendations, one of which is:  “Support the right of all workers to organize. $15 per hour minimum wage. Stop trading with countries that practice slavery. Full rights for immigrant workers.”
   
Of course, legal immigrant workers have many protections, but illegal immigrant workers are a serious problem in this country, one of the most serious.  This candidate’s recommendation for “full rights for immigrant workers” is vague and needs clarification.  It appears to show abysmal lack of knowledge of the subject, or a belief in open borders.
 
4. The candidate of the Libertarian Party is Gil Guthrie, of Springfield.  His website (listed on his Secretary of State filing paper as www.votegu3OR.com) does not seem to be functioning, and no information was found about his views on immigration.  As a Libertarian, presumably he supports the party’s platform which includes this statement on immigration:
3.4 Free Trade and Migration -- “... Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders. …”
 

Congressional District 5

 
 
Oregon Primary Election – November 8, 2016
U.S. House of Representatives Candidates – Congressional District 5
 
There are 3 candidates in the race, one Democrat/Independent,  one Republican, and one from the Pacific Green Party.
 
1. The Republican candidate is Colm Willis, of Stayton, an attorney and owner of Willis Law LLC. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and doctoral degree from Willamette University College of Law.  He has served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee.
 
His website, at https://colmwillis.com/, in the Issues section, contains this statement:  “Immigration -- Our nation’s immigration system is broken. For years the federal government has failed to live up to its responsibility to protect our borders. In Congress, I will stand up against the irresponsible politicians who are undermining our legal immigration system. I will work to strengthen a sustainable process that is fair to both new immigrants and current U.S. citizens.”
 
2. The Democratic Party candidate is incumbent Representative Kurt Schrader, of Canby, who seeks reelection. He is also the write-in candidate of the Independent Party.  Schrader has been in Congress since 2009.  His Career grade there, covering 2009-2016, is D, as measured by NumbersUSA based on his votes on immigration issues.
 
He is rated F- on reducing chain migration, F- on reducing unnecessary worker visas, F- on reducing amnesty enticements, F- on reducing illegal immigration rewards, F- on reducing illegal immigration at borders, C- on reducing refugee and asylum fraud, C on reducing illegal jobs and presence, A+ on reducing the visa lottery.
 
In 2016, he voted:
NO to King amendment to FY2017 defense spending till to block amnesty for DACA recipients.
NO to Gosar amendment to FY17 defense spending bill to block amnesty for DACA recipients.
 
In 2015, he voted:
NO to the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase foreign guest workers.
YES to granting the President authority to expand immigration levels without Congress' consent via Trade Promotion Authority.
NO to the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase refugee resettlement.
NO to Brooks amendment to remove military amnesty from National Defense Authorization Act.
YES to funding Executive Amnesties by opposing clean DHS Appropriations bill, H.R. 240. 
NO to Blackburn Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obama's DACA amnesty. 
NO to Aderholt Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obama's Nov. 2014 amnesty. 
 
Rep. Schrader’s campaign website is at http://www.kurtschrader.com/.  There is no Issues section on his website and no statement on immigration.
 
3. The candidate of the Pacific Green Party is Marvin Sandnes, of Salem.  His surname is variously spelled Sannes.  He is self-employed in the real estate business.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Portland State University.  His campaign website is at https://marvinsandnes.org/.  No information on his immigration views was found there or elsewhere on the internet.  He can be contacted from the About section of his website.

Governor

 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
Governor of Oregon
 
 
The major party candidates are Kate Brown, Democrat, and Bud Pierce, Republican.  Also there is a candidate from each of these parties: Independent, Constitution, and Libertarian Parties.
 
1. The Republican Party candidate, Bud Pierce, has a detailed list of Issue statements on his campaign website, including this statement in the section on WORKFORCE:
 
“Immigration -- Our federal immigration system is broken today. The great exodus from the Middle East now poses additional security threats and humanitarian challenges from Europe to the United States. Yet Washington, D.C. – the President and Congress, Democrats and Republican – have failed us. Washington’s failure to pass commonsense immigration legislation that both secures our borders and provides needed workers our farms and businesses in a legal and orderly manner has had a direct and harmful impact on Oregon.
 
“What must the federal government do? Act, not talk. Pass a bill or a series of staged bills that address all aspects of the immigration issue: real border enforcement and interior enforcement (preventing visa overstays), a beefed-up and reliable e-verification system for work, and only then a visa adjustment based upon economic conditions with a program to allow a path to legal status for some illegal immigrants working here.
 
“What can the next governor of Oregon do?
 
“1) Demand at every opportunity that Oregon’s federal representatives – our U.S. Senators and Congressmen and woman  – pursue across-the-board immigration reform to secure our borders and put America's interests and its citizens first.
“2) Take action at the state level – and support action at the federal level – to end sanctuary cities in Oregon and across the United States, since these sanctuary cities only support continued federal inaction on immigration.
“3) Oppose other state policies and proposals that serve to support continued federal inaction on immigration or encourage greater illegal immigration into Oregon.  
“4) Once across-the-board immigration reform is enacted, ensure that strict, reliable e-verification for employment is the law in Oregon and the United States.
 
“As long as Oregon’s economic growth remains tepid, it will be difficult for Oregonians to accept an in-flux of new immigrants. There are more than 2.5 million Oregonians of working age, but only 1.5 million full-time jobs.  Many Oregonians are hurting today. We must take care of our own before we open our doors to more immigrants. A governor who truly cares about working and non-working Oregonians can do no less. Eventually, if we can once again put in place policies that promote real job growth, a booming Oregon economy, with the need for new workers, will once again lead us to seek legal immigrants, to join us as we create a better Oregon.”
 
He also replied to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project survey, including 4 questions related to immigration.  See questions 19, 22, 36, and 42 with his replies here .   This is his reply to question 42, How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potentital terrorists from entering Oregon with them?
 
“With homelessness in Oregon, and so many of our citizens suffering, we do not have the resources to accept refugees; we must first care for the many Oregonians who lack shelter, education and training, treatment of their mental illnesses, and help them to achieve the dignity of a work. If the Federal Government sends refugees to Oregon, we must collaboratively work with local, state, and federal law enforcement to ensure that everything possible has been done to exclude terrorists from entering Oregon.”
 
Bud Pierce is a medical doctor by profession; he is senior partner of Hematology/Oncology of Salem, one of the last physician owned practices on the West Coast.  See his own summary of his life here.
 
2. The Democratic Party candidate is incumbent Governor Kate Brown, who now seeks election to the office which she entered upon the resignation of Gov. John Kitzhaber in February 2015. 
 
Her campaign website at https://katebrownfororegon.com/  does not mention immigration and lists as an accomplishment she is proud of, the automatic voter registration bill which makes voting by illegal aliens more likely.
 
She did not reply to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project questionnaire.
 
Brown served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1991 to 1996, then was elected to the Oregon Senate, serving there until elected Secretary of State in 2008 and reelected in 2012.  She became Governor automatically upon the resignation of then-Governor Kitzhaber in February 2015.
 
While in the Senate, in 2003 she sponsored SB 10 granting instate tuition to illegal aliens, which passed the Senate but not the House.  In 2007 she voted for SB 424, a bill which had been gutted of the original text and filled with a prohibition against “state agency or program from expending funds to implement Real ID Act of 2005 unless federal funds are received by state to cover estimated costs and certain other conditions are met by Dept. of Transportation.”  In 2008 she voted against SB 1080 requiring proof of citizenship to obtain driver license.
 
In 2015, HB 2177, the automatic voter registration bill, which makes voting by illegal aliens more likely, was introduced in the State Legislature at the request of Secretary of State Kate Brown.
 
Also in 2015 she announced unlimited support for bringing refugees to Oregon, saying "Clearly, Oregon will continue to accept refugees. They seek safe haven and we will continue to open the doors of opportunity for them. The words on the Statue of Liberty apply in Oregon just as they do in every other state."
 
3.  Independent Party Candidate - Cliff Thomason
 
He replied to the OAAVEP survey, with these answers to questions on immigration: 19, Yes. 22, Yes.  36, Yes.  42. “No need for screening. We just need to say no, we can't afford to take on more. We have tens of thousands of Oregonians out of work and/or homeless. We are over 20 billion dollars in debt. We can't afford more displaced people coming to Oregon.”  
His campaign website is at  http://www.makeoregongreat.com/
 
 
4.  Constitution Party Candidate – Aaron D. Auer 
 
He did not reply to the OAAVEP survey and no campaign website was found.  His filing paper with Oregon Secretary of State gives this email address:  oregonpreachingstatesman@gmail.com .  As the candidate of the Constitution Party presumably he supports that Party’s platform which includes opposition to amnesty.
 
5.  Libertarian Party Candidate – James G. Foster
 
His campaign website is at http://www.jamesfoster.info.  No references to immigration were found.  He appears to agree generally with positions of the Cato Institute, an organization that advocates for amnesty and open borders.
 

House District 06

 
General Election, November 8, 2016
 
Oregon House District 6, Medford
 
There are only two candidates in this race, the incumbent, Representative Sal C. Esquivel, Republican, and the Democratic Party candidate, Philip M. Moran.
 
1.  Sal Esquivel (R), of Medford.  In 2003 Sal Esquivel was chosen to represent Senate District 3 upon the retirement of then-Senator Len Hannon.  A House seat became open in 2004; Esquivel was nominated, won the seat, and has served continuously since 2005. A detailed biography of him can be viewed on his legislative website.
 
Esquivel has been a steady friend of OFIR and its objectives.  He was a sponsor of the Referendum on driver licenses for illegal aliens.  The bill, SB 833, giving driver licenses to illegal aliens, had been passed by the Legislature.  Sal Esquivel joined in OFIR’s efforts to overturn the bill, which were successful in the General Election of 2014.  He has also sponsored other initiatives advocated by OFIR.  
 
His campaign website contains a Hot Topics section with statements on “Tuition Equity” and “Licenses for Illegals.”   In the 2015 session of the Legislature, he voted against SB 932, Opportunity grants for illegal aliens, which gives public funds to illegal aliens for enrollment in Oregon colleges.  He also voted against HB 2177, the Universal voter registration bill which makes voting by illegal aliens much more likely.   In earlier sessions, he also voted against bills extending benefits to illegal aliens.
 
Campaign email address:  sal@salesquivel.com, or click “Contact” on his website.
 
2. Philip M. Moran (D) of Medford.  Moran is a retired police officer.  He served as Chief of Police for Talent, Oregon, from 2009-2016.  He had previously served, from 1977-2006 as a Medford police officer.
 
His campaign website has little specific information on issues, and there is no mention of immigration. The site carries a general statement:  “He is a champion for education, public safety and transportation.”
 
His views on immigration are unknown; no evidence was found that he has any thoughts on immigration issues.
 
Campaign email address:  info@mikeformedford.com, or click “Contact”on his website.
 

House District 09

 
General Election, November 8, 2016
 
Oregon House District 9, Coos Bay, Florence, North Bend, Reedsport
 
 
There are 3 candidates in this race:  Teri Grier, representing the Republican Party, Rep. Caddy McKeown, incumbent, representing the Democratic and Independent Parties, and Guy Rosinbaum, Libertarian.
 
1. Teri Grier, of North Bend, Republican candidate, had extensive experience in political work in Arizona and Washington DC before coming a few years ago to Oregon.  A recent interview in The World (Coos Bay) describes her background in some detail.  She holds a bachelor's degree in speech communication, a master's of public administration and a certificate in public management from Northern Arizona University. She's also a graduate of Georgetown University's Leadership Coaching Certificate Program.
 
She replied to these questions on immigration from the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project’s survey:
 
19. Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" in legislation as true emergencies?  “Yes.”        
22. Do you support a constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?   “Yes.”
36. Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee's work eligibility status?   “Yes.”
 
Campaign website:  http://www.terigrier.com/
Webform for email:  http://www.terigrier.com/contact/
 
2.  Incumbent Rep. Caddy (Catherine) McKeown, of Coos Bay, is the nominee of the Democratic and Independent Parties.  She was first elected in November 2012 and is now running for a 3d term in the Legislature.  Her voting record there follows that of the Democratic Party leadership which favors benefits for illegal aliens and lax enforcement of the immigration laws.
 
In  2015 she voted for SB 932, which gave Oregon Opportunity Grants to illegal aliens.  American citizens will now have to compete against illegal aliens for the limited Oregon State Opportunity Grants for college tuition assistance.  In the same session, she also voted for House Bill 2177, which requires mandatory voter registration. Because of the passage of this bill, the state will use drivers’ license data to automatically register voters, making it much more likely that illegal aliens will be voting. 
 
Earlier, in 2013, she voted in favor of SB 833, granting driver licenses to illegal aliens, and in favor of HB 2787, granting instate tuition to illegal aliens.  In 2014 he voted in favor of HB 4054 which would have rewritten the ballot title for the Referendum on SB 833 to mislead voters about the Referendum.  Fortunately HB 4054 aroused such wide opposition throughout the state that the Senate dropped consideration of the bill, and it did not pass.  Thus the Referendum on which OFIR worked so hard kept its understandable ballot title, and SB 833, the bill giving driver licenses to illegal aliens was overturned by voters, despite efforts led by Democrats in the House and supported by Rep. McKeown, to thwart the Referendum.
 
Campaign website: http://caddymckeown.com/.  Email:  caddy@caddymckeown.com
 
3.  Guy S. Rosinbaum, of Florence, candidate of the Libertarian Party.  On his filing paper with the Secretary of State, he stated that he is the owner of Rosincloud Inc., and has an occupational background as network engineer.  Some information on his employment history is here.  No website was found for him. As a Libertarian, presumably he supports the party’s platform which includes this statement on immigration:
3.4 Free Trade and Migration -- “... Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders. …”
 
The candidate’s filing paper gives an email address:  rosinbaum@gmail.com.
 

House District 19

 
General Election, November 8, 2016
 
Oregon House District 19, Salem, Aumsville, Turner
 
 
There are only two candidates in this race, incumbent Representative Jodi Hack, Republican, and Larry Trott, Democrat. 
 
1. Jodi L. Hack (R), of Salem.   Rep. Hack is now completing her first term in the Legislature.  She is a third-generation Oregonian, and the owner of a small business.  Her occupational background includes work with the North Santiam School District as communications coordinator, and earlier positions as a business manager and loan officer.  See her campaign website here, and her Legislative website here.
 
In the 2015-2016 Legislative session, Rep. Jodi Hack stood tall and voted against Senate Bill 932, which gave Oregon Opportunity Grants to illegal aliens.  American citizens will now have to compete against illegal aliens for the limited Oregon State Opportunity Grants for college tuition assistance.
 
Rep. Hack also voted against House Bill 2177, which requires mandatory voter registration.  Because of the passage of this bill, the state will use drivers’ license data to automatically register voters, making it much more likely that illegal aliens will be voting. 
 
All Democrats present in both the House and the Senate voted Yes on both bills except Sen. Betsy Johnson.   OFIR appreciates the support of Rep. Hack in voting No on these two harmful bills.
 
This year, Rep. Hack was selected by the national group, Council of State Governments, to participate in a leadership development program for state government officials.  The program, which she attended in August, fosters exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy.  Rep. Hack was the only one this year representing the state of Oregon.
 
 
2. Larry J. Trott (D), of Salem.  On his filing paper with Oregon Secretary of State, he gives his occupation as “Security Specialist, Oregon Lottery.”  He is a retired Naval officer who was deployed to the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War.  
 
His campaign website contains an Issues section listing these subjects: Video Lottery, Nutrition in School, Governance, and One House Legislature.  No mention of immigration was found on his website, and he is not known to have expressed any views on immigration elsewhere.  It can be assumed he will follow Democratic Party policy supporting benefits for illegal aliens and expanded immigration.
 
 

House District 21

 
General Election, November 8, 2016
 
Oregon House District 21, Salem
 
 
There are three candidates in this race:  the incumbent Representative, Brian Clem, Democrat; Doug Rodgers, Republican; and Alvin M. Klausen Jr., Independent Party.
 
1.  Doug (Douglas P.) Rodgers, Republican Party candidate.  He now works as Safety Director and quality control manager at Advantage Precast, Inc.  He has over 20 years’ experience in the light gauge metal roll-forming industry, and has had varied other employment during his career also. 
 
His campaign website contains a good statement on immigration, and a description of his life experience, government and community involvement. 
 
He replied to the immigration questions in the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project survey for 2016 for State Representative candidates, making clear his positions on important immigration issues:
 
19. Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" in legislation as true emergencies?     “Yes. That is what it is for!!!!! TRUE emergencies.”                           
22. Do you support a constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?    “Yes. It is sad to have to come to this, but Hey(!), ONLY Citizens should be voting!!”
36. Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee's work eligibility status?    “Yes.  It has come to this because there are still employers who take away jobs for Oregonians by hiring illegals.”
42. How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering Oregon with them?    “I assume the question stems from the Syrian crisis. This is a Federal Issue and they should be working with Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia who have the means and funds to help care for the refugees until they can go back to their homeland. We have no way to vet them, and as a legislator, my priority is to the safety of my fellow Oregonians FIRST.”
 
 
2.  Incumbent Representative Brian Clem, Democratic Party candidate.  Rep. Clem was first elected in 2006 and has served continuously from 2007.  He is now running for his 4th term.
 
His voting record shows that he sides with Democratic Party leadership in supporting benefits for illegal aliens, and loose controls over voting.  In 2015, he voted in favor of Senate Bill 932, which gave Oregon Opportunity Grants to illegal aliens.  American citizens will now have to compete against illegal aliens for the limited Oregon State Opportunity Grants for college tuition assistance.
 
Also in 2015, he voted in favor of House Bill 2177, which requires mandatory voter registration.  Because of the passage of this bill, the state will use drivers’ license data to automatically register voters, making it much more likely that illegal aliens will be voting. 
 
Earlier, in 2013, he voted in favor of SB 833, granting driver licenses to illegal aliens, and in favor of HB 2787, granting instate tuition to illegal aliens.  In 2014 he voted in favor of HB 4054 which would have rewritten the ballot title for the Referendum on SB 833 to mislead voters about the Referendum.  Fortunately HB 4054 aroused such wide opposition throughout the state that the Senate dropped consideration of the bill, and it did not pass.  Thus the Referendum on which OFIR worked so hard kept its understandable ballot title, and SB 833, the bill giving driver licenses to illegal aliens was overturned by voters, despite efforts led by Democrats in the House and supported by Rep. Clem, to thwart the Referendum.
 
Rep. Clem’s campaign website:  http://www.brianclem.com/
Webform for email:  http://www.brianclem.com/contact/
 
3.  Alvin M. Klausen Jr., candidate of The Independent Party of Oregon (IPO).  On his filing paper with the Secretary of State, he gives his occupation as small business owner, and his occupational background as “United States Marine Corp, Oregon National Guard, Veterans Administration.”  He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon.
 
No campaign website was found for him, or any information on his views on immigration.  The filing paper shows an email address:  aklausen85@gmail.com.
 
 

House District 23

 
General Election, November 8, 2016
 
Oregon House District 23
Dallas, Harrisburg, Jefferson, Sheridan, Willamina
 
 
There are 4 candidates in this race: 1) incumbent Mike Nearman, of Independence, the Republican Party candidate, 2) Jim Thompson, of Dallas, candidate of the Independent, Democratic and Working Families Parties, 3) Garrett Leeds, Libertarian Party, and 4) Alex Polikoff, Pacific Green Party.
 
 1.  Rep. Mike Nearman (Michael J. Nearman), Republican, was first elected to the Legislature in November 2014 and now seeks reelection. He is a strong opponent of illegal immigration.  He has served as a Board member of Oregonians for Immigration Reform for over 2 years.  He is currently a chief petitioner for these initiatives for the 2018 election year:  #5, Voters Must Prove Citizenship to Vote, and  #6, An initiative to repeal Oregon’s sanctuary law. 
 
Sanctuary laws make enforcement of federal immigration laws difficult or impossible.
 
Rep. Nearman’s campaign website is at http://nearmanfororegon.com/.   In the Issues section, there is this statement on immigration:
 
“IMMIGRATION -- Border security is so important for so many reasons. Current policies leave us vulnerable to national security threats, and present overwhelming costs to our social safety nets, schools, and healthcare systems. What’s really maddening is that not only are we failing to uphold the law, in many cases we openly flout the law through sanctuary cities and handouts to illegal aliens.”
 
He replied to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Questionnaire for candidates.  Here are the pertinent questions and answers:
 
19.  Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" in legislation as true emergencies? Yes.
22.  Do you support a constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?      Yes. “Of course.  I'm chief petitioner on this initiative!”        
36.  Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee’s work eligibility status?    Yes. “Of course.  I'm chief petitioner on this initiative!”         
42.  How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering Oregon with them?          “I don't think this is possible -- certainly not on a large scale. I think they need to be located elsewhere in the middle east.”
 
Mike Nearman can be contacted at: info@nearman4oregon.org
 
2.  Jim Thompson (James L. Thompson), candidate of the Independent Party, also nominated by the Democratic and Working Families Parties, was formerly a Republican.  As a Republican, he served in the Oregon House of Representatives for 3 terms, from 2009 through 2014, when he lost in the Republican Primary election of 2014 to Mike Nearman.
 
During his tenure in the Legislature, Thompson opposed instate tuition bills and in 2013 voted against SB 833 granting driver cards to illegal aliens.  In the 2008 election cycle, he replied to OFIR’s candidate questionnaire answering Yes to the questions, “Would you be willing to introduce or support a bill that would require all employers in Oregon to use the E-Verify program?” and “Would you be willing to introduce or support a bill to repeal ORS 181.850” [a law limiting cooperation between local and federal law enforcement agencies in immigration matters].  Also he answered Yes to the question “Would you be willing to introduce or support a bill that would require individuals registering to vote for first time to show proof of citizenship?”
 
Thompson did not reply to the 2016 Oregon Abigail Adams candidate questionnaire.
 
His campaign website is at: http://www.jimforhouse.com/.  It has an Issues section but there is no mention of immigration, indicating that he does not consider it an important subject for consideration.
 
Thompson’s campaign email address:  Jim@jimforhouse.com
 
3.  Garrett Leeds, candidate of the Libertarian Party, replied to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project survey.  In answer to question 36, he replied that he opposes requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee’s work eligibility status.  See his replies to the other 3 immigration questions (nos. 19, 22, and 42) here.
 
4.  Alex Polikoff, candidate of the Pacific Green Party, did not reply to the OAAVEP survey.  His campaign website displays his positions on some issues, but there is no mention of immigration, indicating he does not view it as an important subject for consideration.
 

House District 24

 
General Election, November 8, 2016
 
Oregon House District 24
 Amity, Carlton Dayton, Dundee, Lafayette, McMinnville, Yamhill
 
 
There are only 2 candidates in this race, one Republican and one Democrat.  This was an open seat formerly occupied by Jim Weidner, who did not run for reelection.
 
1.  The Republican candidate is Ron Noble (Ronald H. Noble), of McMinnville.  He served as Chief of Police, city of McMinnville, from 2006 to 2014.  He was president of the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police in 2013-2014.  Before coming to McMinnville, he was a Police Lieutenant for the City of Corvallis.  He is currently the Director of Public Safety, Linfield College.  
 
He replied to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project survey including answers to the immigration-related questions:
19. Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" in legislation as true emergencies? “Yes.”                          
22. Do you support a constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?  “Yes.”
36. Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee's work eligibility status?  “Yes.”
42. How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering Oregon with them?  “Our first responsibility is to ensure the safety of the people of Oregon.”
 
His campaign website  contains an About Me section with detailed biographical information.  There is a “Values” section which describes briefly his beliefs in these core areas:  Safe communities, A Growing Economy, and Transparent Government. 
 
You can email him at: ron@noblefororegon.com or through the webform here.
 
2.  The Democratic Party candidate is Ken Moore (Kenneth B. Moore), of Yamhill.  He is a self-employed contractor with experience as an electrical engineer, farmer, and real estate manager.  His campaign website contains an Issues section with general statements grouped under these headings: Excellent Education, Economy That Works, People Not Politics.
 
He did not reply to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Survey, and there is no mention of immigration on his website, indicating that he does not consider immigration an important subject for consideration.
 
You can email him at: Ken@MooreForOregon.com or through the webform here.
 

House District 25

 
General Election – November 8, 2016
 
Oregon House District 25, Keizer, Newberg, St. Paul
 
 
There are only two candidates in this race, incumbent Representative Bill Post, Republican, and Sharon P. Freeman, Democrat.
 
1.  Bill Post (R) of Keizer.   Rep. Post is now completing his first term in the Legislature.  He is well-known from his time as a radio talk-show host from 2009 until he resigned in 2014 to run for the Legislature.  The Oregonian then quoted him: “I love talking on the radio and will miss it greatly …I will remain Program Director and Operations Manager at 1430 KYKN, the leading Conservative talk radio station in the mid-Willamette Valley.” 
 
While hosting his radio program, he often invited OFIR officers to discuss immigration issues, giving OFIR many opportunities to make our case for strengthening enforcement of immigration law and stopping benefits to illegal aliens.
 
In the 2015-2016 session of the Legislature, two harmful bills were passed, and OFIR appreciates the fact that Rep. Post voted NO on both of them. He voted against Senate Bill 932, which gave Oregon Opportunity Grants to illegal aliens.  American citizens will now have to compete against illegal aliens for the limited Oregon State Opportunity Grants for college tuition assistance.
 
He also voted against House Bill 2177, which requires mandatory voter registration.  Because of the passage of this bill, the state will use drivers’ license data to automatically register voters, making it much more likely that illegal aliens will be voting. 
 
All Democrats present in both the House and the Senate voted Yes on both bills except Sen. Betsy Johnson.
 
Rep. Post replied to the immigration questions in the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project survey for 2016 for State Representative candidates:
 
19. Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" in legislation as true emergencies?     “Yes. I want it gone completely and replaced with specific dated periods.”                           
22. Do you support a constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?    “Yes.”
36. Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee's work eligibility status?    “Yes.”
42. How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering Oregon with them?    “I would turn them away until we know for SURE they are not infiltrated by terrorists. That though should be a federal issue, the State of Oregon should just say ‘no’.”
 
Campaign website:  http://billpost.us/; campaign contact, click “Contact” on the home page.
 
2.  Sharon P. Freeman (D) of Newberg.  In her filing paper with the Secretary of State, she gives her occupation as “Chef/Caterer/Certified Sommelier” and her occupational background as “Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Business Management.”  She holds a Master’s degree in history and multicultural studies from the University of Texas.  She indicated that she has no prior governmental experience. 
 
No campaign website was found for her; she has a Facebook page here.  The Newberg Graphic published an interview with her in March 2016 giving some further information.  However, no reference to her views on immigration issues was found; her opinions on the subject are unknown.
 
Email address listed on Secretary of State filing paper:  spaulinef@comcast.net
 

House District 41

 
General Election – November 8, 2016
 
 Oregon House District 41, Milwaukie, SE Portland
 
 
There are only two candidates in this race, one Republican and one Democrat.  This is an open seat, formerly occupied by Kathleen Taylor, who is now running for Oregon Senate.
 
1.  The Republican Party candidate is Tim (Timothy) McMenamin, of Milwaukie.  By occupation, he is a self-employed pharmacist, with bachelor’s degrees in pharmacy and microbiology from Oregon State University.  He is related to the McMenamin family of entrepreneurs known for restoring historic buildings for new business uses.
 
He replied to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project’s questionnaire which included these questions on immigration policy: 
 
19. Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" in legislation as true emergencies?   “Yes.”         
22. Do you support a constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?   “Yes.  Absolutely Yes but then Salem would have to repeal the Motor-Voter Bill.”  
36. Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee's work eligibility status?    “Yes.  Absolutely Yes. This should be the law in Oregon already.”   
42. How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering Oregon with them?     “A tough situation and one that pulls at your heart strings but first of all refugees need to have documentation of who they are by supplying a passport, government ID, etc. Without any documentation, unfortunately, I would not allow them refuge. This goes for the Cartel members as well. Then, once inside our country make sure they are assimilated and where they are supposed to be living.”
 
He also responded to the VoteSmart questionnaire for candidates, including this question: Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?    Answer:  “Yes.”
He said “No” to this question:  Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Oregon high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
 
McMenamin’s campaign website is at www.timmcmenamin.com
 
2.  The Democratic Party candidate is Karin Power, of Milwaukie.  She has also been nominated by the Independent Party (IPO).  Her filing paper with the Secretary of State shows her occupation as nonprofit environmental attorney, The Freshwater Trust.  She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and the Lewis & Clark Law School.
 
Her website has a section, Meet Karin, which contains a “Priorities” sub-section and this statement: “Progress for Equity and Equality.  As the first LGBT woman on Milwaukie City Council, Karin understands how important it is to make our government more accessible. In Salem, Karin will champion equitable policies, and work for equity - both for the Oregon we are today and the generations yet to come.”
 
No specific information was found about her views on immigration policy.  As of October 12, she had not responded to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project survey or to the Vote Smart questionnaires, and nothing was found elsewhere on the internet about her positions on immigration policy.  One can assume that, if elected, she will follow Democratic Party leadership on immigration issues, i.e., benefits for illegal aliens and expanded immigration.
 
Power’s campaign website:  http://www.karinpower.com/
 

House District 51

 
General Election, November 8, 2016
 
Oregon House District 51 – SE Portland, Clackamas, Damascus, Boring, Estacada, Carver, Springwater, Clarkes, Viola, Beavercreek, Fishers Mill, Logan, Redland, Outlook
 
 
There are only two candidates in this race, one Democrat and one Republican.  This election will  fill the open seat formerly occupied by Shemia Fagan (D) who did not run again.
 
1.  Lorie Chavez-DeReamer, of Happy Valley, Republican candidate.    
 
She has been Mayor of Happy Valley since 2010.  She had previously served on the City Council there from 2004-2010. She has a long record of community and civic service.  She graduated from California State University, Fresno, with a degree in business administration and management.  See her biography here.
 
Her long list of endorsements includes the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police, the Oregon State Sheriff's Association PAC, Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts, several Mayors from neighboring and other nearby towns.
  
She did not reply to the OAAVEP survey, but it is likely she will support the 2016 Oregon Republican Party platform which includes strong immigration policy positions stated in the section on “Immigration and the Rule of Law,” pages 25 and 26 of the document here.
 
Website:  http://lorideremer.org/.    Contact: lori@lorideremer.org
 
 
2.  Janelle Bynum, of Happy Valley, Democratic Party candidate. 
 
She is a small business owner who earlier worked as a steering systems engineer at General Motors.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, and a master’s degree in business from the University of Michigan.
 
The “Meet Janelle” section of her website gives a brief general description of her priorities. Her long list of endorsements includes organizations from the education field, unions of government employees, firefighters, and miscellaneous political groups.
 
She did not reply to the OAAVEP survey, and no mention of immigration was found on her website.  It can be assumed she will follow the Democratic Party’s leadership on this subject, which calls for benefits to illegal aliens, expanded immigration, and loose voting regulation.
 
 

Oregon House candidates replies to OAAVEP questions

OREGON HOUSE CANDIDATES IN NOV. 2016 GENERAL ELECTION  WHO HAVE REPLIED TO THE 2016 OAAVEP SURVEY as of 9/25/16 – 

THEIR REPLIES TO QUESTIONS ON IMMIGRATION
 
Immigration-related questions in the 2016 Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project survey for Oregon House candidates were:
 
19. Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" in legislation as true emergencies?
                          
22. Do you support a constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?
 
36. Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee's work eligibility status?
 
42. How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering Oregon with them?
 
 
HD 1    Tamie Kaufman (L) -  incumbent candidate, Wayne Krieger (R)
19.[restrict emergency clause] Yes. “definitely”   22.[citizenship to vote] Yes.   36.[E-Verify] No.   42.[how screen refugees] “Immigration/refugees are a federal responsibility, therefore the federal government should be handling the screening and placement of the refuges.”
 
HD 5   Steven Richie (R) – open seat (formerly Peter Buckley, D)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes. “Absolutely!”    22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.   36. [E-Verify] Yes.   42. [how screen refugees] Did not reply. 
 
HD 8   Incumbent candidate, Paul Holvey (D)
Mary M. Tucker (R)
19. [restrict emergency clause]  No.   22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.   36. [E-Verify] Yes.    42. [how screen refugees]  “There is no safe way to do so.”
Martha A. Sherwood (L)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Decline. “not enough information to decide.” 22. [citizenship to vote] No.    36. [E-Verify] No.    42. [how screen refugees] “I would oppose any screening mechanism at the state level, first, because it is not the business of the state to restrict movement of people who are legally in the US, and a direct violation of the US Constitution, and second, because screening mechanisms are liable to corruption and typically fail in their task.”
 
HD 10 Thomas M. Donahue (R) – incumbent candidate, David Gomberg (D)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes. “Absolutely.”      22. [citizenship to vote] Yes, Providing proof of our identities is common-place throughout our society.  This should be mandatory.”   36.  [E-Verify]  Yes.  “Seems perfectly constitutional to me.”  42. [how screen refugees]  “We are at war with an aggressive ideology that wants to destroy this country. We must have an accurate paper trail of origin and intentions for all refuges who intend to come to Oregon. No exceptions!! We can't take a chance. We are at war at this time.”
 
HD 15 Cynthia Hyatt (Progressive) – incumbent candidate, Andy Olson (R)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.   36. [E-Verify]  No.   42. [how screen refugees] “Referring to the website, foreignpolicy.com, I think what they are doing is very thorough. In order to be considered for resettlement in the US, refugees must come from a country different from their country of origin and they must be referred by that country. They have their documents verified and an iris scan. I think maybe adding a DNA database could improve the system.”
 
HD 16  Incumbent candidate, Dan Rayfield (D)
Judson McClure (R) 
19. [restrict emergency clause] Decline.   22. [citizenship to vote] No.    36. [E-Verify] No.    42. [how screen refugees] “Other than individuals with family or sponsors already here, I do not support accepting a large number of refugees from war-torn nations.”
Andrew Freborg (L)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes. “Too many bills are passed under the emergency clause preventing the people from holding a referendum on them.”     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.  “If you are not a citizen you should not be allowed to vote.”  36. [E-Verify] Yes.   42. [how screen refugees] “That is a job for the federal government. Once the feds have deemed them not a threat they should be allowed to settle wherever they wish.”
 
HD 17 Jeffrey D. Goodwin (I) -  incumbent candidate, Sherrie Sprenger (R)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.  22. [citizenship to vote] No.   36. [E-Verify]   No.  42. [how screen refugees] “You cannot screen potential terrorists, everyone is a "potential" terrorist, you can only identify actual terrorists based on their actions, communications etc., that is the job of the CIA, NSA, DIA, et al.”
 
HD 21 Doug Rodgers (R) -  incumbent candidate, Brian Clem (D)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes. “That is what it is for!!!!! TRUE emergencies.”    22. [citizenship to vote] Yes. “It is sad to have to come to this, but Hey(!). ONLY Citizens should be voting!!”  36. [E-Verify] Yes. “It has come to this because there are still employers who take away jobs for Oregonians by hiring illegals.”  42. [how screen refugees] “I assume the question stems from the Syrian crisis. This is a Federal Issue and they should be working with Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia who have the means and funds to help care for the refugees until they can go back to their homeland. We have no way to vet them, and as a legislator, my priority is to the safety of my fellow Oregonians FIRST.”
 
HD 23  Mike Nearman (R), incumbent 
19.[restrict emergency clause] Yes.   22.[citizenship to vote] Yes. “Of course.  I'm chief petitioner on this initiative!”    36.[E-Verify] Yes. “Of course.  I'm chief petitioner on this initiative!”  42. [how screen refugees] “I don't think this is possible -- certainly not on a large scale. I think they need to be located elsewhere in the middle east.
Garrett Leeds (L) 
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.    36. [E-Verify]  No.             42. [how screen refugees] “Historically, refugees have found refuge much closer to home so that they can return to their homes when it is safe to do so. The refugees being brought over from the Middle East currently seem to be treated more like immigrants or asylum seekers rather than refugees. It would be more appropriate to find the refugees placements closer to home, such as in other Middle Eastern nations. For those who are being brought to the United States, there should be a very thorough screening process. While the situation is different, we can still learn from the security procedures used by the Israeli Airline El Al. They protect their flights through extensive interviewing and profiling. We should apply these techniques as well, and as much as possible, there should be background checks done in the nations and areas where the refugees are from. Additionally, private sponsorship of refugees should be expanded as it has been in other countries. These private individuals or groups would be responsible for helping the refugees see their needs are met, and also help ensure they obey the law and do not engage in any terrorist related activities.” 
     
HD 24 Ron Noble (R) – open seat (formerly Jim Weidner, R)
19.[restrict emergency clause] Yes.    22.[citizenship to vote] Yes.  36. [E-Verify]  Yes.  42. [how screen refugees] “Our first responsibility is to ensure the safety of the people of Oregon.”
 
HD 25 Bill Post (R), incumbent.  
19.[restrict emergency clause] Yes. “I want it gone completely and replaced with specific dated periods.”     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.   36. [E-Verify]  Yes.   42. [how screen refugees] “(I think you meant ‘refugees’?) I would turn them away until we know for SURE they are not infiltrated by terrorists. That though should be a federal issue, the State of Oregon should just say ‘no’.”
 
HD 28 Gary Carlson (R) – incumbent candidate, Jeff Barker (D)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.  “It seems logical to restrict and ‘emergency clause’ to a true emergency.”      22. [citizenship to vote] No.  “We do not need a constitutional amendment, but only U.S. and Oregon citizens should be allowed to vote in Oregon elections.”  36. [E-Verify] Decline. “This is also a Federal migration problem and if the Federal government is not dealing with the problem don't put the burden on”  42. [how screen refugees] “This is a Federal immigration problem. We have federal immigration laws that do regulate lawful immigration but the Federal government is refusing to enforce the laws that exist.”
 
HD 29  Juanita Lint (R) -  incumbent candidate, Susan McLain (D)
19.[restrict emergency clause] Yes.     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.  36. [E-Verify]  Yes.           42. [how screen refugees] “I believe we have the means of tracking communications and connections of potential terrorists to ensure they do not enter our state. We just need to feel empowered to use those means without risk of violating civil liberties.”
 
HD 31  Robert Miller (R) -   incumbent candidate, Brad Witt (D)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes. “This should be obvious.”     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.  “If you are not a citizen you cannot vote.”  36. [E-Verify] Yes.    42. [how screen refugees] “once the federal government allows people into the US there is nothing Oregon can do.”
 
HD 32   Incumbent candidate,  Deborah Boone (D)
Bruce L. Bobek (R) 19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.  36. [E-Verify]  Yes.   42. [how screen refugees] “I would rely on government only if assurances are made for a complete background check before entering Oregon.”
Zachary (ChenKen LuPi) Seidel (Nonaffiliated)   19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.     22. [citizenship to vote]   No. “It would effect mostly U.S. citizens, would lead to U.S. Citizen voter suppression.”  36. [E-Verify]  No. “Forcing people to work under the table and live in fear is not the answer.”  42. [how screen refugees] Did not reply.    
 
HD 33 John Verbeek (R) – incumbent candidate, Mitch Greenlick (D)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.     22.  [citizenship to vote] Yes. “I had to when I became a citizen (hopefully not because I wanted to register “Republican in our virtual one party state).”  36. [E-Verify] No.  “It puts employers in bed with the government. They have greater responsibility towards their workers.”  42.[how screen refugees] “This is the price citizens of the west are made to pay for the UN's failed foreign policies. Rather than dumping our fellow human beings in communities, the federal government must do a better job defending the U.S. Constitution in the UN, secure our borders, and working with state government and local charities and churches for local sponsorship.”
 
HD 39 Kenny Semach (L) – incumbent candidate, Bill Kennemer (R)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes. “I believe that real emergencies should be present to use emergency clauses.”    22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.  “I support measures that ensure voters are who they claim to be, but there must be no cost to the voter and easy access.”  36. [E-Verify]  Yes. “While I feel we should allow far more people into the country legally, I also feel that workers should be eligible to work.”  42.[how screen refugees] “This is an area I'm not currently familiar with. I would look to experts for advice, and consult with other lawmakers before proposing or supporting any screening processes. That said, the issue of immigration is a federal concern and they should be in charge of the screening process. They are the ones with easy access to foreign governments and with the resources necessary to accomplish through screenings of refuges.”
 
HD 41 Tim McMenamin (R) – open seat (formerly Kathleen Taylor, D) 
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.  “Absolutely Yes but then Salem would have to repeal the Motor-Voter Bill.”  36. [E-Verify]  Yes. “Absolutely Yes. This should be the law in Oregon already.”  42. [how screen refugees] “A tough situation and one that pulls at your heart strings but first of all refugees need to have documentation of who they are by supplying a passport, government ID, etc. Without any documentation, unfortunately, I would not allow them refuge. This goes for the Cartell members as well. Then, once inside our country make sure they are assimilated and where they are suppose to be living.”
 
HD 42 Incumbent candidate, Rob Nosse (D) 
James E. Stubbs (I)
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.  36. [E-Verify]  Yes.  42. [how screen refugees]  “Sadly, there is simply no way to effectively screen people with no identification and no records from nations is total chaos with complete disregard for their own people. Without any means to tell who is who, taking in unknown persons is a huge risk. Once they're here it's up to us to monitor these people and take immediate action if they're found to be up to no good.”
Jeremy Wilson (L) 
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.   22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.  36. [E-Verify]  Yes.  42. [how screen refugees]  “If they are looking to become naturalized, they should be allowed to take the test for citizenship, pass a background check, etc and enter the country legally. If not there are plenty of other places they can go.”
 
HD 47 Michael P. Langley (R&I) – open seat (formerly Jessica Vega Pederson, D)
19.[restrict emergency clause] Yes. “Common sense. Allows short staffed law enforcement to be more responsive to real issues.”     22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.  “Only citizens are allowed to vote. I can't vote in another state or country.”  36. [E-Verify]  Yes.  “As part of the overall process yes.”  42. [how screen refugees] “Time and patience and a willingness to be objective with compassion. All due diligence national and international is to be used. The world has changed and not for the better, and our national security is still priority one.”
 
HD 48 – Incumbent candidate, Jeff Reardon (D&I)
George (Sonny) Yellott (R) 
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes. “I am circulating that petition now.”      22. [citizenship to vote] Yes. “protect our vote!!!!!”     36[E-Verify]. Yes. “American for Americans”    42. [how screen refugees] “Bar all from moslem countries, we don't need that which is incompatible with our Constitution.”
Gary Dye (L)
19.  [restrict emergency clause] Yes. “But we should not have Bill Clintion determine what the definition of”      22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.   36. [E-Verify]  Yes. “But there should be a special tax on guest workers.”  42. [how screen refugees] “I believe citizens of the US should own their citizenship/residency as a property right, and thus be allowed to sell it to a foreigner (and then be required to leave the country). (Only restriction: you must sell your citizenship to a person of the same age.) We should create a free market for US citizenship, and promote this activity so other countries adopt markets for their citizenships, too. Non-profits could form to buy up citizenships and extinguish them, and thus reduce the rate of population increase, or subsidize certain ethnic groups or other groups of people they'd like to bring into the country and thus increase diversity. If all countries adopted a free market for their citizenships, the buying and selling (trading) of citizenships would establish an equilibrium giving an objective, quantitative ranking of the value of living in a certain country. I'll bet America would end up on top.”
 
HD 50 Stella Armstrong (R) – incumbent candidate, Carla Piluso (D)
19.[restrict emergency clause] Yes.    22.[citizenship to vote] Yes.    36. [E-Verify] Yes.  42. [how screen refugees] “I am an immigrant and have undergone the rigorous systems that are already in place (Department of Homeland Security and State Department). It took time but I understood the reasons why and how important it is that all of those wishing to immigrate here be cleared and secured. War refugees should go through the same process.”
 
HD 53 Gene Whisnant (R&I), incumbent
19. [restrict emergency clause] Yes.    22. [citizenship to vote] Yes.    36. [E-Verify]  Yes.  42. [how screen refugees] “The Department of Homeland Security must developed a better screening process and be held responsible for this program. When in doubt; they must hold the individual until they verify he/her is safe to enter the USA. We also need to improve monitoring and reporting students on "student visas at public and private higher education colleges and universities.”

 

Oregon Senate District 1

 
 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
Oregon Senate District 1
 
 
There are only 2 candidates in this election, one Republican and one Democrat.
 
1.  The Republican candidate is incumbent Senator Jeff Kruse, of Roseburg, who was also nominated by the Independent Party.  Senator Kruse has served in the Oregon Legislature continuously since 1997 when he was elected to the Oregon House, continuing as a Representative there through 2004.  He was then elected to the Senate where he has served since 2005.
 
He has a long record of opposing privileges and benefits for illegal aliens.  In 2001 as a Representative, he introduced HB 2507, requiring that Oregon Health Plan participants be Oregon (legal) resident.  The bill had a Committee hearing and was referred to Ways and Means, where it remained upon adjournment. In 2005, as a Senator, he was the only Education and Workforce Committee member to vote Nay on SB 769, a bill granting instate tuition to illegal aliens.  OFIR also opposed the bill and it died in the Ways and Means Committee.  In 2008, Sen. Kruse voted in favor of SB 1080, the bill supported by OFIR that passed and requires proof of legal presence to obtain a driver license.  In 2011, he voted against SB 742, which would have granted instate tuition to illegal aliens. In 2013 he voted against HB 2787, a bill which did pass, granting instate tuition to illegal aliens.  He also voted against SB 833, driver cards for illegal aliens.  SB 833 passed, but OFIR succeeded in overturning it through a Referendum in the general election of 2014.
 
In the current session of the Legislature, Sen. Kruse voted against HB 2177, the universal voter registration bill that makes voting by illegal aliens more likely, and also against SB 932, the Opportunity Grants bill giving public funds to illegal aliens for their college education.
 
Sen. Kruse replied to the 2016 Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project questionnaire, and here are his answers to the immigration-related questions for State Senate candidates:
 
19. Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" in legislation as true emergencies?  Yes.  22.  Do you support a constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?   Yes.   36. Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee's work eligibility status?   Yes.
 
2. The Democratic Party candidate in Senate District 1 is Tim Rolek, of Brookings.  He has a website at http://www.rolekforsenate.com/.  It contains a brief section, Where I Stand, that gives his general outlook but there are few details and no mention of immigration.  He apparently does not consider the subject pertinent.  He did not reply to the OAAVEP survey.  His views on immigration are unknown.
 
According to his filing paper with the Secretary of State, he is a self-employed musician, writer, and composer, and the Music Director of the Lake Tahoe Music Festival.  He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in Music.
 

Oregon Senate District 12

 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
Oregon Senate District 12
 
 
There are only 2 candidates in this race, one Democrat and one Republican.
 
1. The Republican candidate is incumbent Senator Brian Boquist, of Dallas, first elected to the Senate for the 2009 Session.  He came from the House, where he had been a Representative from House District 24 in the 2005 and 2007 Sessions.
  
He is a native Oregonian with degrees from Western Oregon State College and Oregon State University. He served 34 years in the military as a Special Forces Officer, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has worked in several fields including aviation, forestry, ranching, dairy farming, construction.
 
He has an overall good record for opposing benefits to illegal aliens.  In the 2015 Legislature, he voted NO on SB 932, Opportunity Grants for illegal aliens, also NO on HB 2177, the mandatory voter registration bill which makes voting by illegal aliens more likely.  In 2013, he voted YES on SB 833, the bill granting driver cards to illegal aliens, and NO on HB 2787, instate tuition for illegal aliens.  In 2011, he voted NO on SB 742, granting instate tuition to illegal aliens.  While in the House, in the 2008 special session, he voted YES on SB 1080, requiring proof of citizenship to obtain a driver license.  In the 2007 session, Rep. Boquist was a sponsor of HB 2715, requiring employers to participate in the E-Verify program. However, though OFIR worked hard to advance the bill, it did not receive a Hearing.
 
Sen. Boquist does not have a campaign website.  Information about him and his work in the Legislature can be seen on his section of the Legislature’s website.
 
2.  The Democratic Party candidate is Ross Swartzendrucker, of Salem.  He is  a native Oregonian, and is currently self-employed with Black Sheep Advertising Inc.  His occupational background includes ranch hand, Swartzendruber Sheep Station, and Purification process operator, Genetics Institute.  He is a graduate of Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in biology.
 
His campaign website is at: http://friendsofross.org/.  It lacks specific information on his positions and there is no mention of immigration.  His views on immigration are unknown.  It can be assumed he will follow Democratic Party policy, supporting benefits for illegal aliens and expanded immigration.
 

Oregon Senate District 25

 
General Election, November 8, 2016
 
Oregon Senate District 25 – Fairview, Gresham, Troutdale, Wood Village
 
 
There are 3 candidates in this race, one Democrat/Independent/Working Families, one Republican and one Libertarian.
 
1.  The Republican Party candidate is Tamie Tlustos-Arnold, of Fairview.  She is a registered nurse and small business owner, with previous work in healthcare and fitness occupations.
 
The biography on her website says that she has lived in East County for over 20 years.  She “earned her Associate Degree at Mount Hood Community College, where she served as student body president, before earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Walla Walla College School of Nursing. First elected to the Fairview City Council in 2012, she also serves as Vice President of the West Columbia Gorge Chamber and is a former member of the Reynolds School District Budget Committee. Recently elected to the Mount Hood Community College Board, Tamie is focused on finding local solutions to reduce tuition and make higher education more affordable for students.”
 
An announcement of her candidacy in the Portland Tribune contains some additional information.
 
She did not reply to the OAAVEP survey, but it is likely she will support the 2016 Oregon Republican Party platform which includes strong immigration policy positions stated in the section on “Immigration and the Rule of Law,” pages 25 and 26 of the document here.
 
Website:  http://www.tamieforeastcounty.com/.  There is a webform for contacting her.
 
2.  The Democratic Party candidate is Laurie Monnes Anderson (D), of Gresham, incumbent. She also is the write-in candidate of the Independent Party and the candidate of the Working Families Party.  She has been in the Legislature since 2001, first serving 2 terms in the House before being elected to the Senate in 2004.
 
On immigration issues, she has a long record of 15 years in the Legislature, following the Democratic Party leadership in supporting benefits for illegal aliens and loose voting rules. Most recently, in 2015, she voted for SB 932, which gave Oregon “Opportunity Grants” to illegal aliens.  American citizens will now have to compete against illegal aliens for the limited Oregon State Opportunity Grants for college tuition assistance.  In 2015 she also voted for House Bill 2177, which requires mandatory voter registration. Because of the passage of this bill, the state will use drivers’ license data to automatically register voters, making it much more likely that illegal aliens will be voting. Earlier, in 2013, she voted for SB 833, driver cards for illegal aliens, and HB 2787, instate tuition for illegal aliens.
 
3.  The Libertarian Party candidate is Jeffrey L. Ricks, of Gresham.  He attended Brooklyn College studying computer science and philosophy.  His filing paper with the Secretary of State says he is self-employed in retail.  
 
Campaign website:  http://jeffricksfororegon.com/.  It contains a section, “Solutions” with brief statements on “Homelessness and Mental Health,” “Jobs and the Economy,” and “Community.”
 
He did not reply to the OAAVEP questionnaire.  No information on his views about immigration was found. As a Libertarian, presumably he supports the party’s platform which includes this statement on immigration:  3.4 Free Trade and Migration -- “... Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders. …”
 

Oregon Senate District 27

 
 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
Oregon Senate District 27
 
 
There are only two candidates in this race:  one Democrat and one Republican.
 
1. The Republican Party candidate is incumbent Senator Tim Knopp, of Bend.  Sen. Knopp served three terms in the House from 1999 to 2005, including as Oregon House Majority Leader.  In 2012 he won election to the Senate and is now seeking a second term.  He is a native Oregonian and a resident of Central Oregon for 35 years.
 
In the Senate in 2015, he voted NO on SB 932, Opportunity Grants for illegal aliens, and NO on HB 2177, universal voter registration which makes voting by illegal aliens more likely.  Unfortunately both of those bills passed.  In March 2015, Sen. Knopp introduced a bill, SB 850, calling for state agencies to use the federal E-Verify employment verification program to verify employment eligibility of job applicants. In the Democratic Party-controlled Legislature, the bill was not given a hearing, nor were any of the other 3 bills introduced by Republicans that would have required the use of E-Verify.
 
In 2013, Sen. Knopp voted NO on SB 833, the bill granting driver cards to illegal aliens, which passed and was later nullified by OFIR’s citizen Referendum, Measure 88.  He also voted NO on HB 2787 which granted instate tuition to illegal aliens.
His campaign website is at:  http://timknopp.com.  The website has a form for sending email to him.
 
 
2. The Democratic Party candidate is Greg Delgado, of Bend.  He maintains a campaign website at: http://delgadoforsenate.nationbuilder.com/.  There is an Issues section which does not mention immigration.  
 
On the Meet Greg Delgado page, he says:
“Over 10 years ago Greg moved to Bend and became involved with Jobs with Justice and CAUSA after seeing first hand the abuses of workers.  During his time as a community organizer, Greg has developed extensive relationships with labor unions, the Latino community, and elected officials across the state.
 
“Greg has fought tirelessly on behalf of his community for Drivers Cards, Organizing Hospital Workers, Ban the Box Legislation, A Better Oregon Revenue Campaign, and Protection from Racial Profiling Legislation. He looks forward to carrying on his work on the campaign trail and in the Oregon State Senate.”
 

Oregon Senate District 28

 
 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
Oregon Senate District 28
 
 
There are only 2 candidates in this race, one Republican and one Democrat.
 
1.  The Democratic Party candidate is Todd D. Kepple, of Klamath Falls.  On his filing paper with the Secretary of State, he gives his occupation as County museum manager and his occupational background as Newspaper reporter and editor, Nondenominational minister.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Ministry from Abilene Christian University.
 
His campaign website is at: http://keppleforsenate.com/.  It contains an Issues section at:
http://keppleforsenate.com/platform/ but there is no mention of immigration.  He did not reply to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education survey.  His views on immigration presumably align with those of the Democratic Party which stands for amnesties and benefits to illegal aliens, and greatly expanded legal immigration.
 
 
2.  The Republican candidate is Dennis Linthicum, of Beatty, Klamath County.  He is a former Klamath County Commissioner, software developer, rancher, and small business owner.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from University of California at Los Angeles.
 
He replied to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education survey’s questions on immigration:  
19. Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" in legislation as true emergencies?  Yes.  22.  Do you support a constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon? Yes.   36. Do you support requiring all Oregon employers to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the employee's work eligibility status?   Yes.
 
In the 2014 Primary, Dennis Linthicum ran for Congress in Congressional District 2, and he replied then to the NumbersUSA candidate questionnaire.  On the basis of his replies he was rated a True Immigration Reformer
 
His current campaign website is at:  http://electdennis.com/home.  In the “Contact Us” section, there is a webform for sending email to him.
 

Oregon candidates' voting records on immigration issues in State Legislature, 2015

 
 
This bill gives public funds to illegal aliens for enrollment in Oregon colleges.  See article by Sen. Doug Whitsett, “Changes to tuition act prove doubters right.”  See op-ed on abuse of the emergency clause in this bill, here.  SB 932 was passed by the Legislature on July 3, 2015.
 
All Democrats present in both the House and the Senate voted Yes on this bill except Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose.  Sen. Alan Olsen (R) did not vote.  OFIR opposed this bill and appreciates the votes of legislators who voted against it
 
Senators who voted against the bill and now seek reelection are:  (S1) Jeff Kruse; (S2) Herman Baertschiger Jr.; (S9) Fred Girod; (S12) Brian Boquist; (S27) Tim Knopp; (S29) Bill Hansell; (S30) Ted Ferrioli.  All are Republicans.
 
Representatives who voted against the bill and now seek reelection are:  (H2) Dallas Heard; (H3) Carl Wilson; (H4) Duane A. Stark; (H6) Sal Esquivel; (H7) Cedric Hayden; (H15) Andy Olson; (H17) Sherrie Sprenger; (H18) Victor S. Gilliam; (H19) Jodi Hack; (H23) Mike Nearman; (H25) Bill Post; (H37) Julie Parrish; (H39) Bill Kennemer; (H53) Gene Whisnant; (H54) Knute Buehler, (H55) Mike McLane; (H57) Greg Smith; (H60) Cliff Bentz.   All are Republicans.
 
 
 
This bill makes voting by illegal aliens much more likely. It is a mandatory voter registration bill.  It calls for the state to use drivers’ license data to automatically register voters.  The bill was introduced on January 12, 2015 at the request of then-Secretary of State (now Governor) Kate Brown.  It was passed by the Legislature on March 5, 2015.
 
All Democrats in both the House and the Senate voted in favor of this bill except Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose.  All Republicans in both the House and the Senate voted against the bill except Rep. Bill Kennemer, who did not vote.  OFIR opposed this bill and appreciates the votes of legislators who voted against it.
 
Representatives who voted against the bill and now seek reelection are:  (H2) Dallas Heard; (H3) Carl Wilson; (H4) Duane A. Stark; (H6) Sal Esquivel; (H7) Cedric Hayden; (H15) Andy Olson; (H17) Sherrie Sprenger; (H18) Victor S. Gilliam; (H19) Jodi Hack; (H23) Mike Nearman; (H25) Bill Post; (H37) Julie Parrish; (H39) Bill Kennemer; Greg Baretto (H40); (H53) Gene Whisnant; (H54) Knute Buehler, (H55) Mike McLane; (H57) Greg Smith; (H60) Cliff Bentz.   All are Republicans
 
Senators who voted against the bill and now seek reelection are:  (S1) Jeff Kruse; (S2) Herman Baertschiger Jr.; (S9) Fred Girod; (S12) Brian Boquist; (S27) Tim Knopp; (S29) Bill Hansell; (S30) Ted Ferrioli.  All are Republicans.
 

Secretary of State

 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
 
Secretary of State
 
 
The Secretary of State and the Attorney General have responsibility for managing citizen initiatives and referenda.  OFIR and other citizen groups have had problems in mounting initiatives and referenda because of apparent resistance from the Secretary of State and the Attorney General’s offices.  The Secretary of State administers the process of filing the citizen measures, reviewing petition signatures, etc., and can use delays and other tactics to impede the process.  The Attorney General is empowered to write the ballot titles for initiatives and can slant the title to favor one side or the other.  (See separate report on Attorney General candidates.) 
 
Several issue-oriented groups have recently experienced difficulties as a result of unsatisfactory and slanted ballot titles.  If a group challenges the language of the title, this delays the process and reduces the time available for collecting signatures, which are due well before the election date as they must be verified by the Secretary of State’s office before the measure is officially approved to go on the ballot. Then time is needed to include the measure in voter pamphlets, on ballots, etc.  If activists accept the skewed ballot title, they face severe problems of public misunderstanding and failure of the measure.   Thus incumbent Secretaries of State and Attorneys General can and do cripple the efforts of citizen activists with whom they disagree. 
 
In the November 2016 general election, there are 5 candidates for Oregon Secretary of State, one each from the Democratic, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, and Pacific Green parties.  The major party candidates are Dennis Richardson, Republican, of Central Point and Brad Avakian, Democrat of Portland. 
 
1.  Dennis Richardson, Republican Party candidate, served 6 terms in the State Legislature as Representative from District 4 from 2003-2014.   By occupation, he is a lawyer, having graduated from Brigham Young University and its Law School.  He served as an Army combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam.
 
On his campaign website he addresses the problem faced by activists attempting to pass initiatives and referenda.  He says:  “Dennis believes citizens have the right to petition their government. He’ll work to make the initiative process more transparent and citizen friendly. He’ll advocate for fair and non-partisan ballot titling by proposing a citizen’s commission on ballot titling, which would remove the process from partisan hands.”
 
While serving in the House in 2005, he voted for HB 2583, a bill requiring evidence of citizenship for persons registering to vote for first time.  The bill passed the House but died in the Senate.   In 2008, he voted for SB 1080, the bill requiring proof of citizenship by driver license applicants which is still in effect today.  In March 2013, he voted for SB 2787, giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens.  In April 2013, he voted against SB 833, the bill granting official driver cards and i.d. to illegal aliens.  He was a leader in the opposition to this bill and spoke strongly against it on the floor of the House on April 30, 2013.  In Feb. 2014,  when supporters of SB 833 attempted to change the Referendum ballot title to make it more favorable to their side, Rep. Richardson actively opposed that effort and voted against the bill, H.R. 4054 which would have changed the title.
 
His campaign website is at http://www.dennisrichardson.com/home.
Email available through webform at: http://dennisrichardson.com/email-signup/
 
2. Brad Avakian, Democratic Party candidate, was elected to the Oregon House in 2002, serving there until elected to the Oregon Senate in 2006.  In April 2008 he was appointed by Governor Kulongoski to be Commissioner of Labor and Industries, then elected to the position in November 2008, and has served there now for nearly 8 years.
  
While in the Oregon House in 2005 he voted against HB 2583 requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. In the Senate in 2007, on SB 424, a bill to align Oregon with the federal Real ID program, he voted for the motion to substitute Minority Report for Committee Report on SB 424, which was a maneuver to defeat SB 424.  Then a motion to refer to Ways and Means carried on voice vote, and the bill died without any other vote.  In the 2008 Special Session, he voted against SB 1080 requiring proof of citizenship to obtain a driver license.  That bill passed both houses of the Legislature and became law in February 2008.
 
His campaign website is at: http://www.bradavakian.com/.  It has an Issues section but no mention of immigration as a political issue.  The “About Brad” section contains biographical information.  He authored a commentary article published in The Oregonian in 2010 which described his sympathies for immigrants and touted their value but did not address any issues related to illegal immigration or the volume of immigration. 
Email: webform for email at: http://www.bradavakian.com/contact/
 
3.  The Independent Party candidate is Paul Damian Wells, of Corvallis.  His filing paper with the OR Secretary of State shows that he holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University and an Associate’s degree from Portland Community College in machine manufacturing technology.  He lists his occupation as CNC machinist.  On his website at www.thekeel.org he discusses some political views but there is no mention of immigration.  His views on immigration are unknown.   Email:  pdamianw@thekeel.org
 
4. The Libertarian Party candidate is Sharon L. Durbin of Lyons, in Linn County.  She replied to the Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education questionnaire:  2.  Do you support requiring proof of identity before registering to vote?  Yes.  “The motor-voter registration is working well here because you must show proof of citizenship to do so.”  3. Do you support an Oregon Constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?  No.  “We already have that and constantly amending the constitution is not the best way to handle things.”  9.  Do you support taking steps to make the initiative process more accessible to Oregonians?  No. “It seems to be quite acceptable now.”  10.  Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" on legislation as true emergencies?  Yes.  12.  Do you support requiring all employers to verify citizenship for employee eligibility to work in Oregon?  Yes.  
No website was found for Durbin.  
 
Her filing paper with OR Secretary of State says she holds a doctoral degree in law from AZ State University and is an attorney.
 
5. The Pacific Green Party candidate is Alan F. Zundel, of Eugene.  He replied to the Oregon  Abigail Adams Voter Education questionnaire:  2.  Do you support requiring proof of identity before registering to vote?  Yes.  3. Do you support an Oregon Constitutional amendment to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Oregon?  No.  9. Do you support taking steps to make the initiative process more accessible to Oregonians?  Yes.  10.  Do you support restricting the "emergency clause" on legislation as true emergencies?  Yes.  12.  Do you support requiring all employers to verify citizenship for employee eligibility to work in Oregon?  No.  
 
Zundel’s campaign website is at www.voteforalan.org.  No references to immigration were found there.
 

U.S. President

 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
 
U.S. President
 
August 27, 2016
 
The two major party candidates for U.S. President are Hillary Clinton, Democrat, and Donald Trump, Republican.
 
1. DONALD TRUMP has an excellent position statement on immigration policy posted on his website.  In the introduction to the full statement he says:
 
“Real immigration reform puts the needs of working people first – not wealthy globetrotting donors. We are the only country in the world whose immigration system puts the needs of other nations ahead of our own. That must change. Here are the three core principles of real immigration reform:
 
“1. A nation without borders is not a nation. There must be a wall across the southern border.
“2. A nation without laws is not a nation.  Laws passed in accordance with our Constitutional system of government must be enforced.
“3. A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation.  Any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans.”
 
Sections of his statement cover these topics: Make Mexico Pay For The Wall; Defend The Laws And Constitution Of The United States; Triple the number of ICE officers; Nationwide e-verify; Mandatory return of all criminal aliens; Detention—not catch-and-release; Defund sanctuary cities; Enhanced penalties for overstaying a visa; Cooperate with local gang task forces; End birthright citizenship.  Then there is additional information about further steps he would take to ensure effective enforcement of immigration laws and to bring needed improvements to present laws.
 
Trump has spoken at many rallies about his immigration views and had many television interviews on the subject.  He has consulted with Sen. Jeff Sessions, an expert on true immigration reform, and continues to have the Senator’s advice and endorsement.  True immigration reformers can thank Mr. Trump for bringing national attention to the subject.  His campaign has been a sharp contrast to those of many other political figures who avoid frank, open discussion of issues relating to illegal immigration or excessive legal immigration, try to deflect serious questions with clichés and platitudes about the Statue of Liberty, “a nation of immigrants”, etc., and serve the interests of ethnic and business lobbies.
 
NumbersUSA’s new Voter Guide with report on Trump’s positions on immigration is here.  The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) has also analyzed immigration positions of the major candidates. See their report here.
Trump’s campaign website:  https://www.donaldjtrump.com/ .
 
 
2. HILLARY CLINTON is the nominee of the Democratic Party.
 
NumbersUSA’s new Voter Guide with report on Clinton’s positions on immigration is here.  It gives a detailed account of her record on immigration issues during her whole political career, as well as her current campaign positions.
 
A comparison of the Clinton and Trump immigration plans by Marguerite Telford of the Center for Immigration Studies concludes: “Trump’s plan … returns time and time again to immigration policy’s role in helping build America and helping citizens and legal immigrants achieve the American dream, and Clinton’s plan … almost exclusively speaks to providing illegal aliens a path to citizenship and allowing their family members the same.”
 
The Center for Immigration Studies has published a list of questions for candidate Clinton, basic questions on immigration policy to which she has never given clear answers.
 
The huge increases in immigration that would occur under Clinton’s announced policy are discussed here.
 
Clinton’s campaign website:  https://www.hillaryclinton.com/  

The other 2 Presidential candidates are Gary Johnson, Libertarian Party, and Jill Stein, Green Party. NumbersUSA’s overall assessment of Gary Johnson is that he favors more foreign workers and champions less enforcement of immigration laws.  Stein’s views also are assessed as favoring more foreign workers and less enforcement of immigration laws.  See the NumbersUSA report for details about their immigration positions here.  

 

U.S. Senate

 
Oregon General Election – November 8, 2016
U.S. Senate
 
 
There are four candidates, one each from the Republican, Democratic, Independent, and Pacific Green Parties
.
1.  The Republican Party candidate is Mark Callahan, of Portland, an Information Technology Consultant and graduate of Oregon State University with degree in Business Administration/MIS.  He is a member of the Board of Oregonians for Immigration Reform.
 
Here are his replies to the Oregon Abigail Adams candidate questionnaire:  22.  Do you support requiring all employers to verify employee eligibility to work in the United States?   Yes.   23.  Do you support securing the borders before any form of amnesty?  Yes.   24.  Do you support spending public funds to benefit illegal immigrants?   No.   25.  Do you support automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. when both parents are not legal residents?   No.   42.  How would you propose screening war refugees to prevent potential terrorists from entering the country with them?   “Background checks, before admitting war refugees from entering the country, in order to prevent potential terrorists from entering the country with them.”
 
Mark Callahan also responded to the NumbersUSA questionnaire for candidates and is rated by NumbersUSA as a True Immigration Reformer.  See the report on him at:  https://www.numbersusa.com/candidate-comparison/candidate/2016/senate/ma...
 
Callahan’s campaign website at http://callahanfororegon.com/ contains a long list of Issue statements, including this one on immigration: 
 
“Immigration: Enforce Existing Laws; Secure the Borders; Work on Stopping Illegal Immigration; Say No to Amnesty:  The issue of illegal immigration has been a major topic for many years in America. I personally worked with, and strongly supported, those that were against Measure 88 in the November 2014 election to stop driver’s licenses from being given to illegal immigrants. As the election results indicated, most of Oregon, by strong majority margins in 35 of the 36 counties agreed that driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants was not a good idea, and Measure 88 was voted down.  
“As we are a nation of laws, I believe we should enforce our current immigration laws. With our current high rate of unemployment, and American families already struggling to make ends meet in our troubled economy, it makes no sense to add millions of those here illegally to the work force. If elected, I will fight to do what is best for American families, while keeping us safe by advocating for complete border security. We must get our arms around this issue before irreparable damage is done.
“In regards to sanctuary cities, we don’t need to import and provide sanctuary for those that break our laws in the first place to be here.  We have our own homeless and jobless Americans that are suffering in Oregon, and across the nation, directly because of the abuse of the current immigration system. Trading Americans’ jobs and the ability to feed and take care of their families, in order to help people from other countries instead, is cruel to both parties, and only results in both populations falling into poverty, and nations collapsing under the economic weight of stagnation. We cannot claim to want to solve human rights abuses in the world just by giving food, clothing and housing to one group of people, and by taking it away from another group of people in the process. A nation that cannot take care of its own citizens cannot afford to help other citizens of the World. Americans Need Jobs First!
 
Callahan also includes a statement on Brexit:
 
Brexit: I Support the Decision of the People of the United Kingdom (UK) to Exit the European Union (EU).
 
On June 13th, 2016, I attended a forum in Washington D.C., hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU), regarding Brexit, and the UK’s decision to exit the European Union.  The room was full, and the panel included great speakers such as ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp, and Fox News National Security Rock Star KT McFarland.  As most may be aware, the people of the UK voted on June 23rd, 2016, to exit from membership in the European Union.  I support this decision, and believe that it is a step in the right direction for the people in the UK, in terms of regaining and maintaining their sovereignty and freedom economically. The effect on the world’s markets, after the decision, is/was short-term and temporary, and as they usually do, the markets will recover. The UK’s decision to leave the European Union represents the UK’s commitment to individualism, as opposed to the failed policies of the European Union’s collectivism mindset. I believe that individualism, not collectivism, is the best solution in terms of building and maintaining freedom and liberty, throughout the world, economically.
 
Email address: Mark@CallahanForOregon.com.
 
2.  The Democratic Party candidate is incumbent Senator Ron Wyden of Portland, who seeks reelection.  He has been in Congress for 35 years, as a Senator since 1996 and as a Representative, 1981-1996.  He has a long and very poor record on immigration issues.  His immigration-reduction report card compiled by NumbersUSA gives him an overall career grade of D-.  On particular immigration subjects, he is graded F- on reducing amnesty enticements, F- on reducing illegal immigration rewards, F- on reducing chain migration, F on reducing unnecessary worker visas, F on reducing illegal jobs and presence; D+ on reducing the visa lottery, C- on reducing refugee and asylum fraud,  C on reducing illegal immigration at borders.  See his career voting record at: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/my/congress/667/gradescoresheet/#tabs....  There are links to the particular bills he voted on.
 
Senator Wyden’s campaign website is at: https://www.standtallforamerica.com/. It contains an Issues section, but there is no mention of immigration, suggesting he sees it as a matter of minor importance and the current status is satisfactory to him.
 
According to Open Secrets, as of July 25, Sen. Wyden has accumulated over $11 million ($11,402,211) in his campaign treasury, an enormous sum, about twice as much as all other Oregon Congressional candidates put together including House and Senate candidates in all three parties.  This raises questions as to whose interests the candidate is serving. When we see the way Congress has failed in recent years to correct major problems with immigration, it certainly appears that money has played a role in long incumbency and not a beneficial one for the public.
 
3.  The Independent Party candidate is Steven C. Reynolds (“Cody”) of Portland, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with degree in information systems.  He has a website at www.codyfororegon.com which contains this statement on immigration:  “Our Borders - Our immigration policy is broken. We as a nation must first secure our borders, and then create a real path to citizenship for those undocumented immigrants already within them.”
 
4.  The Pacific Green Party candidate is Eric C. Navickas, of Prospect, Jackson County, who is an organic farmer, and previously worked as a residential designer, according to his filing paper with the Secretary of State.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Oregon.  He has prior governmental experience as a City Councilor for the city of Ashland OR.  He appears not to have a website, and no information was found about his positions on immigration policy.  His email address is given as navickasdesign@gmail.com.