Summary

I am running for Congress because the incumbent, Suzanne Bonamici, has voted to provide $52 billion in military aid to Israel.  I believe her votes violate her oath of office to uphold the constitution and are not representative of Oregon’s 1st Congressional District.

Details

Suzanne Bonamici has disqualified herself
Suzanne Bonamici has voted to provide over $52 billion in military aid to Israel, including $17 billion just in 2024.  I feel that that providing military aid to Israel, a self-declared religious state, violates the constitution’s separation of church and state.

I have tried to bring this to Suzanne Bonamici’s attention via e-mail, voicemail, and even at her November 6 town hall meeting.  The only responses I received were generic talking points.  I am not alone in my concerns.  The vast majority of the questions and comments at the November 6 town hall meeting were in support of a ceasefire and in opposition to sending more weapons to Israel.  Suzanne Bonamici seemed at odds with what her constituents were saying.  However, at the end of the town hall meeting, she said (I am paraphrasing): I hear you. I get it.

She clearly did not hear us and did not get it.  Since the town hall meeting, she has voted for two more bills, providing an additional $17 billion in military aid to Israel.  However, she has not taken the time to face her constituents in a town hall meeting again.    

Suzanne Bonamici has failed to contest my assertion that her votes violate the constitution.  She has failed to represent her constituents and she is hiding from them.  Oregon’s 1st Congressional District deserves new representation.

Other politicians declined to run
I attempted to recruit other politicians (both current and former) to run against Suzanne Bonamici.  While all of the individuals I contacted agreed that Suzanne Boanamici needed to be replaced, none of them were willing to run against her.

I got off the sidelines
As the filing deadline approached, I began to realize that I would need to run myself.  I finally filed to run less than 4 days before the deadline.

To be clear, my objective is a policy change.  Defeating Suzanne Bonamici is just a means to achieve that objective.  I will happily suspend my campaign if Suzanne Bonamici makes a public statement that she will vote against any bill containing military aid to religious states such as Israel.

However, until she makes such a statement, she will have opposition in each and every election she runs in.