Endorsement for the Republican Primary for Congressional District 5: Jimmy Crumpacker

Jimmy Crumpacker for Congressional District 5, Republican primary

• crumpackerfororegon.com

Anyone throwing their hat into the race for Congressional District 5 is going to have the hurdle of introducing themselves to the constituency. As a newly redrawn district, even the Democratic incumbent has only represented roughly half of the people who now occupy his district. But among the five candidates running in the Republican primary, just two deigned to show up for their interview. Candidate John Di Paola canceled last minute. Candidate Lori Chavez-Deremer declined until the general election. Candidate Laurel Roses never responded at all, leaving Bendite Madison Oatman and sometimes-Bendite Jimmy Crumpacker to share their views.

Crumpacker's previous campaign ads during his run in Congressional District 2 painted him as a gun-toting, Trump-loving candidate. This time, he's presenting a more measured professionalism, focusing his campaign on standard Republican talking points like reining in government spending and inflation. He appeared well prepared in his approach to managing forest fires, mentioning the concept of using satellite technology to monitor fires and suggesting attacking even the smaller ones that are often left alone until they get bigger. While he has not served in public office, Crumpacker has the air of a Washington insider, having studied at Georgetown and touting his ability to raise lots of campaign cash. No doubt he would slide into the role of Congressman quite easily—and if he keeps his priorities focused on the financials and less on the more partisan hot-buttons, he may be able to represent this district adequately.

Oatman, a construction worker, is in this race largely to advocate for medical freedom, the 2nd Amendment and less government overreach in the wake of the pandemic. He believes no one is speaking up for the little guy and he wants to do that. While some of his ideas will appeal to Republican voters still burned by the adversities of the pandemic, we can't see that platform sustaining a candidate throughout the two years of the term. Still, he's a bright guy who may serve well in a more local office—provided he can tone down the ire over the pandemic and move onto more present needs.

In this Republican primary, our endorsement goes to Crumpacker.