Despite the vote by Deschutes Democrats’ rank-and-file membership to endorse James “Mac” McLaughlin for sheriff in late August, the party’s top brass later revoked that endorsement.
On Aug. 24, members of the executive committee wrote in a letter to party members that the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing internal investigation into McLaughlin for alleged harassment and misconduct forced their decision to withdraw the endorsement.
In the letter, the executive board, which includes Chair Jason Burge, Vice Chairs Megan Perkins and Jake Jenkins and Secretary Dianne Berry, said the party’s reputation may be sullied if it endorses a candidate with misconduct on his record.
“We have to consider potential damage to the party and our endorsed candidates,” the letter said.
members of the media and public waited to hear whether top brass would uphold its revocation of its endorsement
of sheriff candidate James “Mac” McLaughlin. Credit: Peter Madsen
The precinct committee persons had previously voted 50.2% (136) in favor of endorsing McLaughlin, with 49.8% (135) voting not to endorse him. (Some 51 voters abstained.)
The Deschutes Dems officers had met with McLaughlin prior to the endorsement vote to address concerns regarding alleged workplace misconduct, they said in the letter.
“We decided to allow the PCPs to vote even though there were serious concerns about the ongoing investigation,” the letter indicated.
The issue became a major focus at a raucous Sept. 10 meeting of the Deschutes Democrats at the Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Bend, where precinct committee persons, local political candidates and members of the media and public waited to hear one juicy agenda item: the Central Committee Approval of Emergency Action of the Executive Committee.
After hearing heated testimony both for and against the endorsement, the Deschutes Democrats rank-and-file voted to confirm the executive committee’s decision to overturn its endorsement of McLaughlin. Jason Burge, the chair of the Deschutes Democrats read the results: PCPs voted 77 to 60 in approval of the executive committee’s decision to revoke McLaughlin’s endorsement.
had voted to sustain the top brass’ revocation of its endorsement of sheriff candidate James McLaughlin Credit: Peter Madsen
Endorsements from a party can be a major boon for a candidate. Electoral hopefuls who are endorsed by the Deschutes Democrats are included in campaign mailers that get sent to area voters, helping to raise their profiles along with other candidates on the Democratic slate.
While the room fell silent after the vote reading, it was anything but during the lead up to that announcement. About 20 precinct committee persons gave 2-minute testimonies, either for or against the executive committee’s decision.
Sept. 10 that endorsing James McLaughlin is a mistake, owing to the ongoing investigation into
McLaughlin’s alleged misconduct. Porter has endorsed Ty Rupert on the interim sheriff’s campaign website. Credit: Peter Madsen
Jim Porter, the former chief of the Bend Police Department, voiced his support for the party leaders’ decision. A longtime Democrat and PCP, Porter said he was a “unicorn in the room.”
“You don’t see many Democrats as chiefs of police or sheriffs; it just doesn’t happen,” Porter said.
He said members of the Deschutes Democratic Party should “be easy on the board” regarding its decision to rescind the endorsement, adding that more information regarding the internal investigation into McLaughlin was coming in by the day. He pointed out that former Sheriff Kent van der Kamp, who was also internally investigated during the last election, resigned seven months into the job for dishonesty.
“If we put our endorsement on somebody who’s under investigation, we’re endorsing somebody who could potentially end in that same spot.”
The subsequent speaker, Chris Barringer, a current Bend PD Officer and former DCSO sergeant, outed himself as the “second unicorn in the room — a proud, unapologetic liberal Democrat cop.”
Barringer, clarifying that he spoke only in his capacity as a citizen, asked the crowd: “Where is the presumption of innocence?”
Paul Akehurst, the subject of the Feb. 25 SWAT arrest, was wanted for using a stolen gasoline credit card, eluding officers and driving without a license.
He also brought Porter’s testimony into question, noting that the former police chief’s support for McLaughlin’s opponent, candidate and current Sheriff Ty Rupert, is listed on Rupert’s campaign website.
David Welton offered testimony that focused on the Deschutes Democrats’ refining its endorsement process. Fellow PCP Connie Peterson spoke similarly, saying she supports the executive committee’s decision to rescind the endorsement, yet said the endorsement process should be more dynamic than listening to a candidate’s five-minute speech and reading their written statement.
“We’re not allowed to ask questions of a candidate where everyone can hear the answer,” Peterson said.
David Baker-Yuill, the founder of 5051 Central Oregon, which is known for its weekly protests at the downtown Bend Peace Corner, had argued for PCPs to overturn the revoking of the sheriff endorsement and uphold the initial endorsement, citing what he says are transparency concerns regarding Rupert’s administration.
During the meeting, McLaughlin hung in the rear of the room.
In speaking with the Source after the PCP vote, McLaughlin said he sees the revocation as a “small setback.”
“I appreciate the passion in that room,” McLaughlin said. “I’m a little overwhelmed, even a little emotional by the support that I did get.”
A longtime registered Republican, McLaughlin joined the Democratic Party in July. McLaughlin says he understands folks’ skepticism. He attributes that, in part, to a lack of information regarding the ongoing third-party investigation of his alleged misconduct.
Rupert handed that internal investigation off to Jim Band, an investigator and retired chief of the Oregon City Police Department, in early June.
It’s still not clear when the investigation will wrap up. McLaughlin says considering this opacity, he understands some folks’ skepticism, “given how polarizing the sheriff’s office race has historically become,” he said.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect specifically for the PCPs. They activate, they mobilize, they care,” he added.
The period after the November election, McLaughlin said, “is an opportunity for me to continue to show people inside this community what we can actually do at the office.”
This article appears in the Source September 17, 2026.
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Perhaps political parties should not endorse candidates for non-partisan positions.
Sheriff Les Stiles (1945-2023) was long affiliated with the Republican Party but strongly courted the Democratic Party during his first run for Sheriff. It was a carefully thought out strategy on Stiles’ part. He’d enlisted Larry Blanton (Republican) to endorse him and to serve as his Under Sheriff if elected. Blanton agreed, bringing his substantial voting bloc in Deschutes County over to Stiles. With a strong influence in the Democratic Party and the Republican Party appeased, Stiles went on to win his election against favored incumbent Greg Brown.
Although the political climate and personalities have changed since then McLaughlin’s courting Democrat voters is nothing new in this particular election race.
The original vote to endorse McLaughlin was 136-135. Following his August 11th letter to the Chair in which he excoriated McLaughlin but failed to inform the Chair of his active support for Ty Rupert, Porter – in a Rupert support shirt – became vitriolic at the podium and after being challenged stormed out of the meeting. The endorsement cancelation was reinforced at 77-60.
What does such slim margins represent? Nothing. Middle of the road Democrats have expressed their outrage at the board for its, in their view, taking the endorsement decision out of the DEM voters’ hands. Those who favor McLaughlin will vote for McLaughlin. Those who favor Rupert will vote for Rupert. The numbers in the room don’t reflect the 49, 251 registered Dems in the county as of 2026; nor the 45,025 Republican voters; with 58, 514 non-affiliated voters such as myself the true voting bloc each candidate needs to reach before November 3rd.
In short, the DEM lack of respectful unity reflects a tepid, at best, endorsement process within a strongly divided organization which in the end means very little.
Several days ago I received an email from Jim Porter who I have known for years now. In part, Jim offered this. “Just to clear the air, I put no stock in the video covering McLaughlin’s DD214, I have told the same to anyone who has asked me. I just don’t know enough about S/F teams to have an opinion and I know from decades of criminal investigation and doing background new hire investigations, DD214’s are often plagued with errors, as mine is. I’m working to correct mine right now. For the record, I had nothing to do with Steve the Monkey Trainer video in any form. I have no idea who did it.”
As of yesterday McLaughlin, working closely with DA Stephen Gunnels’ office, received a formal Memorandum for Record regarding McLaughlin’s assignment to 1st Force Recon in 1999-2000, his training during that period, and his earned right to refer to himself as a Force Recon Marine. The statement is from Colonel (ret) Robert Coates, at the time McLaughlin’s commander today seen as the Father of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC).
In this letter Colonel Coates makes it clear in no uncertain terms that Candidate James McLaughlin was then, and remains today, a Force Recon Marine and should always refer to himself as such. The colonel has invited Mr. Gunnels to contact him directly with any further questions.
A bad look for “Steve the Monkey Trainer” and her/his clandestine effort to libel / slander and attempt to manufacture a Brady complaint against McLaughlin, which is a crime.
Finally, the dirtiest campaign for Sheriff was run by now convicted felon Greg Brown. Brown attacked Stiles’s career in Moab, Utah, by sending then Sergeant Rob Short to Moab to dig up whatever dirt he might find. Brown also attacked through his supporters Stiles’ family to include his daughter, who tragically passed away. In response to her passing from an opioid overdose, her parents shared her story with state lawmakers to advocate for legislation curbing opioid over-prescription.
Retired Sheriff Shane Nelson took dirty tricks to a new height during his two campaigns and interim Sheriff Ty Rupert is now under intense scrutiny despite his protestations otherwise of repeating a corrupt playbook based on character assassination, weaponizing the agency disciplinary process against his perceived enemies, and refusing to respond to hard questions when asked.
McLaughlin has taken the higher road. He quietly told Mr. Madsen after the meeting – at which he was prohibited from speaking – his message is Change and he won’t resort to the past bad behaviors of Brown, Nelson, and now Rupert to carry that message forward into November.
So many crooked LE. No wonder trust is a huge issue
Agreed.
And here’s another example of broken trust having to be corrected –
https://gregorywalker.substack.com/p/marine-corps-legend-confirms-candidates