PENDLETON — La Grande’s Peter Larson wasted no time Friday, April 3, telling a crowd in Pendleton why he is running in the Republican primary against Oregon U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz.
“I do not believe that we are being accurately represented here in Congressional District 2,” Larson said.
Larson, along with three Republicans looking to challenge Oregon U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, Democrat, took the stage at the Pendleton High School auditorium for a forum the Umatilla County Republican Party hosted.
Andrea Carr, the other Republican challenging Bentz in the May 19 election, did not attend, and Bentz also was not there.
U.S. Senate candidates
Jo Rae Perkins, Russ McAlmond and state Sen. David Brock Smith were there to convince voters to elect one of them to take on Merkley. The four other Republicans challengers for the spot did not attend.
Larson said he has spoken with many residents who have said they cannot get in contact with Bentz, and they don’t see him in the district.
“He claims to represent Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon, and yet, he will not hold a public meeting. I have held more town halls this year than he has that are open to the public. I do not believe that is how governments should work.”
Perkins, of Albany, ran unsuccessfully in the 2020 U.S. Senate election and 2022 U.S. Senate election in Oregon. She told the audience she’s running for public office because it’s what God “has placed on my heart to do” right after President Barack Obama took office on Jan. 8, 2009.
“And when I’ve heard audibly, if people might question that, that’s OK,” she said. “I know what I heard.”
Russ McAlmond, of Grants Pass, said that he is the only veteran, Republican or Democrat, running for the U.S Senate. He also said he is the most educated candidate, with a masters of science and finance and two bachelor degrees.
One of the reasons he is running, he said, is for freedom — which the T-shirt he wore displayed in big, red letters. Democrats, he said, want the U.S. to become “more of a European collectivism” while the United States was founded on the ideas of individual rights, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Smith, of Port Orford, contended he is the most educated candidate in Oregon running for U.S. Senate because he has been “elected or appointed to more positions in the state than every legislator in the state.” He also went head on at Merkley, saying Oregonians like the senator about as much as they like Gov. Tina Kotek.
“I have a plan in the path and the desire to make sure that we retire Jeff Merkley in November,” Smith said.
SAVE Act
Umatilla County Republican Party Chair Klaus Hoehna asked questions of the candidates and gave them two minutes each to answer. He started off with asking if they support the federal
Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, which would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and requires states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls
Each of the four said they supported the act. McAlmond contended voter fraud has “been proven by many times throughout the country,” although a number of reliable studies demonstrate voter fraud is rare.
Smith said as a state senator he “drafted more elections Integrity legislation than anyone else,” but the efforts did little due to the Democrat majority in the legislature.
“So we all want safe and secure elections,” Larson said. “That is what makes our constitutional republic so special.”
He said he would have asked Bentz if he believed his victories in 2020, 2022 and 2024 were fraudulent or if voters duly elected him.
Larson also said the SAVE Act could place burdens on some people to prove their citizenship, including married women who have changed their names and people living in rural areas. He also said obtaining documents to prove citizenship could be costly.
And he pointed out there could be another hurdle: The U.S. Constitution leaves it up to states to handle elections.
Immigration and the sanctuary state
The candidates fielded other questions, including on illegal immigration and Oregon’s sanctuary state status.
Perkins said as senator she would introduce legislation to male unlawful entry into the U.S. a felony. McAlmond said he supports deportation of people not in the county legally and is a strong supporter of legal immigration. He also said he wants a federal law that prevents sanctuary states or sanctuary cities.
Smith said he opposes Oregon’s sanctuary state status and has drafted legislation to end it to allow local law enforcement to work with federal law enforcement.
“When it comes to illegal criminals, they need to all be deported right away,” he said.
He also said the U.S. needs to reform the immigration system, because immigration is critically important for agriculture.
Larson continued on that.
“As I see it, the real issue is our broken immigration system,” he said.
We have built up barriers to becoming a citizen, he said, and the process can take “years upon years upon years” and cost “thousands upon thousands of dollars.” We need a better system, he said.
The forum began with Republican gubernatorial candidates and ended with candidates seeking state or local offices. Candidates running for Congress were the second act. The Umatilla County Republican Party hosted a second forum the morning of April 4 in Hermiston.
