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.