Statesman Journal mini-questionnaire for 2016 Primary Election

Thank you for responding to this questionnaire.

Why this matters: The Statesman Journal Editorial Board will use this questionnaire in deciding whether and whom to endorse for the May 17 General Election. Reporters, who operate separately from the Editorial Board, may use these answers in writing stories. Your answers may be published on StatesmanJournal.com and/or in the print newspaper.

We also ask that you respond to every question, instead of simply attaching campaign materials, resumes, etc. If you wish, you are welcome to send us lists of supporters, a resume, etc., in addition to this questionnaire.

Please return the finished questionnaire to the Editorial Board as an email or an attached Word document to Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com. (Handwritten, pdf, WordPerfect or fax responses don’t work.)

Important: Please return the questionnaire by the end of the day April 14.

Questions? Contact Editorial Page Editor Dick Hughes, 503-399-6727, dhughes@StatesmanJournal.com, or Editorial Assistant Nancy Harrington, 503-399-6864, nharring@StatesmanJournal.com.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your name as listed on the ballot: Ron Wyden

Age: 66 (5/3/49)

(If your age will change before May 31, please indicate your birthday. We want to ensure we use accurate ages in pre- and post-election editorials and news coverage.)

City/town of residence: Portland, Oregon

The Political party, if this is a partisan office: Democratic Party

Position you are seeking (name of position, district number, etc.): United States Senator

Are you currently a full-time resident within the boundaries of the specific area (ward, district, county, etc.) that you seek to represent? Yes

Number of current, consecutive years living within the district you seek to represent: 45 years

Family (name of spouse/partner, number and ages of children if at home or number of grown children): Nancy Bass Wyden, Ava Rose & William Peter (8), and Scarlett (3). Two grown children, Adam and Lilly.

Your education (high school, trade, college, post-baccalaureate; indicate any degrees you earned):Palo Alto High SchoolStanford University, B.A.University of Oregon Law School, J.D.

If employed, current occupation, employer and job duties: United States Senator

Previous employers and when:United States CongressUniversity of Oregon

Military service and when: N/A

Volunteer/civic/religious service and when:Oregon Gray PanthersOregon Legal Services Center

Please list all public offices to which you’ve been elected, and when:United States Congress, 1981United States Senate, 1996

Please list any unsuccessful candidacies for public office, and when: N/A

Other prior political and government experience:See above

If you are running for a position that involves a governing board in Oregon – such as city council, county board of commissioners, Legislature or State Land Board – how many meetings of that board have you attended in person during 2015 and 2016? How many have you watched online or on TV, if applicable? N/A

How the public can reach your campaign (remember that this information will be made public):

Mail address: PO Box 3894, Portland OR 97208

E-mail address: campaign@wydenforsenate.com

Web site URL: www.wydenforsenate.com

Phone: 503-230-7115

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wyden

Other social media: Twitter: @WydenForSenate; Instagram: @RonWyden

Please limit your response to each of the following questions to about 75 words.

1. To an outsider, how would you describe the region you wish to represent -- geographically, economically, politically and socially?

Oregon is blessed geographically with natural treasures that are the envy of the nation and a location on the Pacific Rim that positions us well to export what’s made and grown here to the rest of the world. Politically, it’s in our DNA to seek common ground when it comes to solving problems. And socially, Oregonians have an openness to fresh ideas that makes our state a place where people want to move to.

2. What are the positives and negatives of this region (ward, district, county or state) that you wish to represent?

The positives I listed above. One negative is that the economy has not benefited all parts of the state equally.

3. What specific skills and experiences do you bring to the position, especially ones that would help turn those negatives into positives?

My focus in public service has always been finding ways to set the temperature right so that the small- and medium-size businesses that are the backbone of the economy can continue doing what they do best -- create jobs in rural, suburban and urban areas that pay good wages and offer fair benefits.

4. What separates you from your opponent(s)? Be specific.

I have a proven record of public service accomplishments.

5. Please list five specific accomplishments that you have achieved in politics or civic affairs:

1. In 2000, I coauthored the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. Since then, I have fought tooth and nail to reauthorize the program any time it nears expiration because it has served as a safety net for rural Oregon counties, bringing nearly $3 billion into our economy to help fund critical services and education in rural Oregon.

2. I coauthored the law that placed a moratorium for nearly 20 years on taxing Internet access. Earlier this year we had a major victory in turning that moratorium into a permanent ban, ensuring that working families don’t face additional regressive taxes and hurdles when trying to access the Internet.

3. I pressed for years to create a federally subsidized municipal bonds program, known as “Build America” Bonds, to fund infrastructure investment. The program was included in the 2009 stimulus and financed almost $190 billion in infrastructure projects across America, including funding more than $545 million here in Oregon. The program was heralded as a “key tool” in putting Oregonians back to work after the recession and I’m now fighting to implement another, updated and bipartisan version of the program to provide critical funding for our crumbling infrastructure.

4. Community health centers provide a critical safety net of services for working families in Oregon and I have strongly supported them throughout my career. As part of the Affordable Care Act, I fought for $11 billion in funding to support the operation, expansion, and construction of community health centers. That funding was at risk in 2015, and as ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, I helped secure inclusion of an additional $7 billion in funding to ensure that health centers across Oregon could keep the lights on and continue providing critical care to Oregonians in need.

5. During my first campaign for U.S. Senate I became one of the first Senate candidates and then Senators to endorse marriage equality, because I have always believed that it shouldn’t matter who you love. Since that time we witnessed the enactment of discriminatory policies like the Defense of Marriage Act and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Oregon voters even decided in 2004 to prohibit same-sex marriage. More recently, we’ve witnessed remarkable progress in the area of basic human rights for members of the LGBT community, culminating with the Supreme Court’s decision to make marriage equality the law of the land. I fought for years, opposing the laws mentioned above, and joined with many colleagues in urging the Supreme Court to overturn discriminatory bans on same-sex marriage.

6. How much will your Primary Election campaign cost? (be specific)

My team has hired the necessary staff to run a successful campaign but we hope to keep costs to a minimum. That said, it's hard to quantify because we live in a post-Citizens United world where anonymous billionaires can spend unlimited resources to run misleading ads. I'm focused on reaching out to Oregonians about the important work ahead but am prepared to dedicate the resources necessary to do it effectively.

7. Have you ever been convicted of a crime, been disciplined by a professional licensing board/organization or had an ethics violation filed against you? If so, please give the details.

No.

8. Have you ever filed for bankruptcy, been delinquent on your taxes or other major accounts, or been sued personally or professionally? If so, please give the details.

No.

9. What are the three most important issues you would address if elected, and how? (75 words for each issue)

A. The tax code is inefficient, unfair, and unnecessarily complex. We must simplify our tax system and close the myriad loopholes so that it works for all Americans and not just those who can afford costly tax lawyers. If Oregonians give me the honor of re-election to continue representing them in the Senate  I will be well-positioned to lead the fight in Congress for comprehensive tax reform to ensure that millionaires and billionaires don’t pay a lower tax rate than working families.

B. College costs are crushing Oregon students and their families. I’ve worked hard to expand and increase Pell grants and I recently succeeded in making permanent a tax credit to help working families better afford college. But we have much more work to do. That’s why I’ve partnered with Senator Merkley to bring the “Oregon Promise” to the federal level and to provide incentives for universities to freeze or lower tuition.

C. An estimated 10,000 Americans turn 65 each day. We must modernize Medicare, while protecting its essential guarantee, to keep up with the new demographic reality that the system is no longer just for seniors needing care for things like a broken ankle. Recognizing that care for chronically sick patients accounts for 93 percent of Medicare spending, I have worked on a fresh approach that would coordinate chronic care services so a team of caregivers could provide more effective care for that population.

10. What do you see as other important issues?

Addressing climate change, raising the federal minimum wage, reforming how we fund wildfire disasters, securing paid leave for working families, strengthening equal pay laws, investing in our crumbling infrastructure to create good-paying private sector jobs.

11. What online and/or print publications do you regularly read to keep abreast of issues in the district you seek to represent?

From the Baker City Herald to the Daily Astorian, I read a collection of articles from across Oregon every day.

12. Any skeletons in your closet or other potentially embarrassing information that you should disclose before it comes up in the campaign? Anything (including health issues) that would affect your ability to serve your full term? Any changes in your life situation that are contemplated or expected before the election or before you would take office?

No.

Thank you. Please return this questionnaire to the Editorial Board as an attached Word document to Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com by April 14, 2016.