The Clackamas print., October 31, 2018, Page 4, Image 4

Oregon prepares to vote
BALLOTS ARE IN THE MAIL. MIDTERMS HAVE ARRIVED.
BY IAN VAN ORDEN
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Nov^nabjgf is upon us once mqre and
that means it is time for the midterm
elections.
This year, the stakes are high for
both parties on a national level, as
the Democrats and Republicans fight
for control of both houses of the U.S.
Congress. The outcome is likely to
have lasting repercussions over the
next two years.
Though Oregon will not be voting
on our Senate representation this
term , a major race to look to is for
the state governor. Two major figures
have emerged in the race including
Democratic incumbent Kate Brown
and Republican Knute Buehler.
Recent polls have shown the race to
be surprisingly close. The most recent
poll, conducted by DHM Research, an
opinion research firm based out of
Portland, placed the race in Brown’ s
favor by five points, though an earlier
poll conducted by Clout Research
placed it as close as one point.
Who are these candidates, though?
Brown is known to many already,
being the current sitting Governor
for the state. Previously having served
as Oregon’ s Secretary of State, Brown
took office in 2015 after then Gov.
John Kitzhaber resigned when faced
with a federal criminal investigation
into instances where he had used his
office for personal gain. Brown went
on to win a special election in 2016.
Since takin g o ffic e , Brown has
advocated for raising the minimum
wage, a change that began to take
place in July 2017 and recently raised
the wage in the Portland Metro area
to $12 an hour, as well as increasing
funding for education and protecting
legal abortion.
Buehler, who currently serves as
a member of the Oregon House of
Representatives in the 54th District,
is an orthopedic surgeon from Bend.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins Medical
School, Buehler seeks cross-party
support, describing him self as pro-
choice and in opposition of additional
taxes, believing the state should
instead focus on balancing its budget.
He is critical of Brown due to the
state’ s low graduation rates.
Another race of interest w ill be
the election for U .S. Representative.
District five, which includes most of
Clackamas County, has four candidates
running for the position.
The incumbent, Kurt Schrader, has
held the office since 2009 and will
once again represent the Democratic
party. His website lists several specific
issues of interest, including health
care, where he states his support
for the Affordable Care Act, though
acknowledging some of its fa u lts,
protecting endangered salmon and
steelhead in the Columbia River, as
well as dealing with the wildfires that
have recently plagued Oregon.
Representing the Republican Party
is Mark Callahan. Having run for a
number of offices over the years,
including U.S. Senate in 2016, Callahan
has listed a number of issues as
priorities should he be elected. These
include education, stating that he does
not believe in federal control over
the state education system, foreign
policy, gun rights and term limits for
congressmen.
The two other candidates running
for the office are Dan Souza, the
Libertarian candidate, and Marvin
Sandnes, representing the Pacific
Green Party. -
In addition to those running for
o ffice, there are a number of state
measures that will be voted on during
this election cycle. There are five state
measures in total, with a. number of
local measures as well depending on
your city of residence. Of the five state
measures, four would amendthe state
constitution while the fifth seeks to
repeal an existing law.
Issues listed in these measures
include Measure 105, which would
repeal O re g o n ’ s san ctuary law,
o rig in a lly passed in 1987, that
prohibits local law enforcem ent
resources, including money, personnel
or equipm ent, from being used to
enforce federal immigration laws, and
All around the Portland Metro area signs can be found promoting various candidates. A crossroads in Wilsonville, pictured below, sports a number of of these signs,
Clackamas Print
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