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Betsy Close
Betsy Close (b. May 4, 1950) is a former Republican member of the Oregon State Senate, representing District 8 from her appointment on October 26, 2012, to 2015. She was appointed to the chamber to replace Senator Frank Morse, who retired in September 2012.[1]
This candidate ran in a "race to watch" in one of the 20 chambers identified by Ballotpedia as a battleground chamber.
The Oregon Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of two seats, which amounts to 13.3 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. In 2012, when 14 districts were up for election, a total of two districts were mildly competitive, with a margin of victory between 5 and 10 percent.
She previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1999-2005.
Biography
Close earned her B.A. from Washington State University in 1972, her B.A. from Central Washington University in 1974 and her M.S. from Oregon State University in 1978. Her professional experience includes working as a teacher.[2]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Close served on the following committees:
| Oregon committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • Rural Communities and Economic Development |
Campaign themes
2014
Close's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[3]
Jobs and the Economy
- Excerpt: "To help support family-wage jobs, Senator Close has championed: New, lower tax rates for small businesses that give them the same competitive advantages enjoyed by big corporations."
Education
- Excerpt: "The increase the quality and accessible of education in Oregon, Senator Close has championed: More classroom teachers to address Oregon’s dangerously large class sizes Longer school years, adding back to instruction time after years of cut-backs."
Public Safety
- Excerpt: "In the pursuit of a safer, more secure Oregon, Senator Close: Cracked down on human trafficking by sponsoring Senate Bill 673 with Democrat Senator Betsy Johnson Supported increased mental health funding to help troubled people and to keep our communities safe."
Elections
2014
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Oregon State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 11, 2014. Sara Gelser was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Betsy Close was unopposed in the Republican primary. Close also ran on the Libertarian ticket and Gelser also ran on the Working Families Party ticket. Gelser defeated Close in the general election.[4][5][6]
The Oregon State Senate was a battleground chamber that Ballotpedia identified as having the opportunity to switch partisan control in 2014. The Oregon Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of two seats, which amounts to 13.3 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. District 8 in the Senate was identified by Ballotpedia and The Oregonian as a battleground district that could determine control of the Oregon State Senate. Incumbent Betsy Close (R) was defeated by Rep. Sara Gelser (D-16) in the general election. Close, from conservative Albany, was appointed to the chamber to replace Frank Morse (R), a more moderate Republican who retired. Gelser has served in the House for four terms, representing the liberal college town of Corvallis.[7] Before the general election, Gelser had raised $630,000, compared to $408,000 for Close. Gelser received more than $160,000 from the Senate Democratic campaign fund as well as donations from several union organizations.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Sara A. Gelser |
55.7% | 27,828 | |
| Republican | Betsy L. Close Incumbent | 43.8% | 21,922 | |
| None | Miscellaneous | 0.5% | 250 | |
| Total Votes | 50,000 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Oregon scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the 77th Oregon State Legislature, second session, was in session from February 3 to March 10.
- Oregon Farm Bureau: 2014 State Legislative Summary
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family farmers and ranchers.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the 77th Oregon State Legislature, first session, was in session from February 4 to July 9.
|
Endorsements
2014
In 2014, Close's endorsements included the following:[9]
|
|
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Close was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Oregon. Close was one of 18 delegates from Oregon bound by state party rules to support Donald Trump at the convention.[10]
Delegate rules
Delegates from Oregon to the 2016 Republican National Convention were elected at a state convention in June 2016. Oregon delegate candidates were required to indicate which presidential candidate they favor, and if selected to participate in the national convention, sign a pledge to support him or her. All delegates from Oregon were bound on the first ballot unless released by their candidate. On the second ballot, a delegate was to remain bound if the candidate received at least 35 percent of the convention vote on the previous ballot. All Oregon delegates were to be unbound on the third and subsequent ballots.
Oregon primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Oregon, 2016
| Oregon Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Donald Trump |
64.2% | 252,748 | 18 | |
| John Kasich | 16.6% | 65,513 | 5 | |
| Ted Cruz | 15.8% | 62,248 | 5 | |
| Other | 3.4% | 13,441 | 0 | |
| Totals | 393,950 | 28 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and Oregon Secretary of State | ||||
Delegate allocation
Oregon had 28 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 15 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's five congressional districts). Oregon's district delegates were allocated on a proportional basis in accordance with the statewide primary vote.[11][12]
Of the remaining 13 delegates, 10 served at large. Oregon's at-large delegates were allocated proportionally in accordance with the statewide primary vote. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[11][12]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Close and her husband, Chris, have four children.[2]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Betsy + Close + Oregon + Senate"
See also
- Oregon State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Oregon State Legislature
- Joint Committees
- Oregon state legislative districts
External links
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Betsy Close on Facebook
- Betsy Close on Twitter
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions via OpenSecrets
Footnotes
- ↑ Watchdog.org, "OR: Former lawmaker comes back to Salem to fill vacated seat," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Project Vote Smart, "Biography of Sen. Close," accessed May 23, 2014
- ↑ Betsy Close, "Issues," accessed August 27, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Official Results - May 20, 2014 Primary Election," accessed July 8, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing," accessed March 15, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Official general election results for 2014," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Daily Journal, "Control of Oregon Legislature will come down to a handful of Senate districts," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Oregon state Senate races top $1 million mark in furious battle for control of chamber," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ Betsy Close, "Endorsements," accessed August 27, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Republican Party, "Delegate Selection Convention Official Results," June 20, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank Morse (R) |
Oregon State Senate District 8 2012–2015 |
Succeeded by Sara Gelser (D) |
