Knute Buehler, R-Bend, announced yesterday that he will run for U.S. Congress to replace U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, the Republican from Hood River who has represented Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District since 1998. Walden announced he would not be running for re-election Oct. 28.
Buehler is an orthopedic surgeon who represented Bend in the Oregon House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. In 2018, he ran against Kate Brown for governor in the most expensive gubernatorial race in Oregon history, with both sides spending millions on negative ad campaigns that aired throughout the state.
Buehler has a reputation as a fiscal conservative with independent views on social issues like supporting LGBTQ rights and a woman’s right to choose on abortion. During his one term in office, he was a leader in a bipartisan agreement for over-the-counter birth control, and another law that helped people who are terminally ill access experimental treatments. He also voted in favor of clean energy such as solar, wind and biomass while reducing the state’s dependency on coal.
But his newest campaign ad suggests he may be seeking to appeal the 2nd District’s more conservative voters. It is one of the largest districts in the country, covering more ground than any state east of the Mississippi River, and includes Hood River, Bend, Ashland and all of Eastern Oregon. Its voters have traditionally supported Republican candidates, though there are more non-affiliated voters than registered Republicans or Democrats.
“For way too long, powerful special interests in Portland and Washington, D.C. have forced policies that harm hardworking Oregonians, hurt small businesses and threaten our way of life,” Buehler said in campaign ad published on YouTube Dec. 10.
He went on to list his objection to gun control and his opposition to sanctuary cities. (Sanctuary cities—like Portland—generally limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents to protect immigrants from deportation.)
“Nancy Pelosi and the D.C. liberals are obsessed with partisan impeachment to undo an election,” he says in the ad. “It’s wrong. I oppose impeachment and removing the President from office.”
According to the most recent information from the Oregon Secretary of State, five other Republican candidates are seeking congressional nomination. Both Sen. Cliff Bentz of Ontario and former Sen. Jason Atkinson of Central Point also served on the Oregon Legislature and have filed to run, along with Jeff Smith, a computer programmer from Fairview and Mark Roberts from White City. Another republican in the primary is Kenneth Medenbach who participated in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (east of Burns) occupation in 2016 as part of an armed militia.
So far, three Democrats have also filed including John Holm from Medford, Isabella Tibbetts, a community organizer from Ecuador and Jackson County, and Raz Mason, the executive director of a climate change and extreme weather education foundation from The Dalles.
In the May primary, voters who are registered with either the Democratic or Republican party will be able to vote for the candidates they wish to see represent their party during the November general election. Since Oregon has a “closed primary,” only those who are registered with a particular party can vote in that party’s primary—though Oregonians can easily change party affiliation by visiting the Oregon Secretary of State’s MyVote site.
This article appears in Dec 4-11, 2019.
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Closed primary is problematic… I am a registered Independent. Will support your run after you make it to the ballot!
so if he doesn’t make it to the primary because too many independents are going to “wait” silly!
And the reason we need to have an ‘open’ primary.
The last thing we need is any more republicans. They represent greed, corruption, anti- environment, tax breaks for the rich and taking away social programs that help people. The GOP is the biggest threat to american democracy America has ever faced. Time to wake up and vote for anyone other than a republican!
Great Article
http://designlike.com/
And here is the opposition to your Republican definition…
Democrats represent…
Censored Speech
Gun Control
Open Borders
High Taxes
Government Ownership & Control Redistribution of Income
Anyone Can Vote
International & Sharia Law
More Welfare
Collective Control
Promote Riots
State Controlled Schools
State Mandated Medical Procedures Illegals First
Equal Income
Republicans represent…
Free Speech
Pro 2nd Amendment
Secure Borders
Lower Taxes
Personal Property
Reward Achievement
Citizens Vote
U.S. Law In U.S. Courts
More Jobs
Personal Freedoms
Lawful Protests
Parental Rights In Education
Personal Rights In Medical Care Veterans First
Equal Opportunity
I guess we all cant see eye to eye.