Dawn Rasmussen (Oregon)

Dawn Rasmussen

Democratic Party

Candidate, U.S. House Oregon District 2

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Pacific University, 1989

Personal

Profession

Coach

Contact

Campaign website

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Personal Facebook

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Dawn Rasmussen (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Oregon's 2nd Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Rasmussen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Dawn Rasmussen earned a bachelor's degree from Pacific University in 1989. Her career experience includes working as a coach.

Rasmussen has worked in the following positions:

• Pathfinder Writing and Career Service, president
• Concordia University, adjunct faculty
• Mt. Hood Community College, adjunct faculty
• Oregon Restaurant Education Foundation, director of education and community relations
• Columbia Crossroads Destinations International, vice president of sales
• Travel Portland, travel industry sales manager - USA and Europe

Rasmussen has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce
• Northwest Outdoor Writers Association
• Meeting Professionals International
• Society for Human Resource Management
• Portland Human Resource Management Association
• National Resume Writers Association

Elections

2026

See also: Oregon's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Incumbent Cliff Bentz, Peter Black, Mitchel Knight, Dawn Rasmussen, and Patty Snow are running in the general election for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Cliff Bentz (R)
	Submit photo	Peter Black (D)
	Submit photo	Mitchel Knight (D)
		Dawn Rasmussen (D)
	Submit photo	Patty Snow (D)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

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Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dawn Rasmussen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rasmussen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am announcing my candidacy as a Democratic candidate for this seat in the United States House of Representatives with a commitment to listening to everyday citizens, their needs, and resisting this catastrophic fall into bad policies and lack of representation of you and me envisioned by the current federal administration.

What I am not: A career politician.

But I have experience. And drive. And integrity. And will be undertaking a listening tour to better understand what issues face Oregonians that need to be heard at the national level.

I also have a desire to unite Oregonians together to work towards a better tomorrow.

As a small business owner for 18 years, I have gotten to know people in all walks of life, in all political affiliations. Most of us are right in the middle, and simply want to work hard, live a life of dignity, and provide a better world for us and our children.

By representing the voices of all Oregonians in CD2, I will dedicate my service to helping make those dreams come true.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Agriculture. Farmers and ranchers who are 5th- or 6th generations in on working with the land are suffering - whether it is water scarcity, tariffs, sudden collapse of export markets, inflation, rising fuel costs, ending of subsidies (while non-US-based companies get huge tax breaks), extreme weather events, or wildfires. Ag is the backbone of Oregon, and puts food on our table. Farmers and ranchers deserve more support than what they are getting from the federal level. I am committed to finding ways to support agriculture and removing barriers to help farmers and ranchers flourish without worrying about losing their heritage.
• Healthcare. With the drastic changes authored into the One Big Bad Bill, Medicaid will kick off the most vulnerable Oregonians from critical, life-saving care, not to mention force the closure of rural health clinics and hospitals, meaning many Oregonians in CD2 will have heart-breaking decisions to make when life-saving care is hours away. Given that the Affordable Care Act premiums are going up 75% as of January 2026 due to the expiration of plan credits, many Oregonians will be facing going without care or falling into staggering medical debt.
• Rule of law. I'm a common sense kind of person, and when we have people at the national level violating rules and laws but suffering no consequences, that sends the wrong message to the public. Plus, it sets the stage for a return to the wild west where there are no laws and scofflaws abound. There is no justice in this scenario. Laws are written as a social contract - we agree to obey them as part of the society we live in, and when those rules are violated, there are specific consequences. No one should be above the law. These laws are the underpinnings of the U.S. Constitution, and I believe in the principles set forth by the founding fathers.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Representation of voters, healthcare, agriculture, pocketbook issues

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Any one running for office must understand that they are representing the will of the people. Representation means that the elected official may or may not agree personally with the will of the people, but they are being elected to bring forth that will to be represented in the lawmaking body of the U.S. Congress. This means being accessible, listening to constituents and the electorate, being transparent, having integrity, being accountable, and following through on the oath of office and following the Constitution of the United States of America.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

1. Be accessible. This means listening to constituents during the good, bad, and the ugly. Elected representatives don't get to choose which audiences they want to hear from - it has to be all people.

2. Act in good faith. Understanding the will of the people and applying that into the greater rule and law-making process means acting in the best interests of the PEOPLE, not oneself.
3. Being transparent. No one is perfect, and that means accepting responsibility for errors in judgement and taking responsibility for learning to do better. But it also means being to admit when a decision was wrong.

4. Upholding the U.S. Constitution every minute of every day. There are no exceptions listed in the Constitution, so that means there should be no exceptions in conducting oneself in an elected position in relation to the Constitution.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I recall the moon landings. As a child, they interrupted television broadcasts with media coverage of the space flight, and I thought that we went to the moon every year. I had no idea the significance of these missions until I grew older, but I was drawn to the heroism and fearlessness of the astronauts embarking on these trips so far away from earth. I recall being struck by the fact that when you are in a spacecraft floating in the great beyond, everything and everyone you know is on the big blue marble below, and that put life into a lot of context for me.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

As "the People's House," I believe that the U.S. House of Representatives acts as a constant check on government power while representing and connecting to the electorate. As part of the Great Compromise, the House also provides better localized representation of voters, while also having more frequent elections that requires the elected Representatives to stay on top of issues in their district and what the needs of the voters are. It truly is a representative role.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. At the very least, representatives should have a solid understanding of politics, policy making, how governments work, an ability to forge partnerships, negotiate, excellent listening skills, and a sincere desire to serve the nation and the public. There is something to be said for elected officials who have prior governmental background, but that should not mean a mutual exclusion of someone with little or no service as this role is mean to serve the people.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Unity is the greatest challenge for our nation. With so much polarization, people are devolving to political violence and dehumanizing the opposition. This falls right into the playbook of the current administration. The divisiveness diverts attention to fixing real problems that are holding our nation back. Meanwhile, we are slipping economically, intellectually, militarily, and politically against allies and enemies alike. We have to come back to the middle, learn to have civil conversations, focus on compromise so everyone gets a part of a win, and collaborating once again. Unity, collaboration, and compromise are what built up this nation.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I believe that two year terms are good in as much as that it will take that long to learn the ins and outs of being an excellent representative. The frequency of elections means that all Reps need to be absolutely focused on their constituencies and understand how impending legislation can and will affect them.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I have served in many capacities on boards of directors in the past, and have seen first-hand the need to bring in new blood. I believe it is incumbent upon the person elected to "read the room" and bow out when it is time to do so. However, many people refuse to release their hold on power and cling to office far beyond their own usefulness, so I believe term limits has some merit. How and when still needs to be discussed, but when people become career politicians, they and the office and Congress all stagnate.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Mark Hatfield was a man of his word and incredible integrity; while I might not agree with many of the opinions he held, I did appreciate the embodiment of statecraft he exhibited. For me, I am striving to do what I say, be honest, transparent, intelligent in asking the right questions, and be as informed as possible on issues so I can best serve constituents and Oregonians as a whole.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I was shocked to speak to a rancher who just had to take out a half-a-million dollar loan to just pay their bills. They aren't going to make any money this year. That should tell you the state of agriculture in Oregon right now. One bad harvest, one drought, one wildfire, or one bad tariff / export deal can mean the difference of survival, or putting a centuries-long family farm on the auction block.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Compromise is one of the hallmarks of democracy and policy making. No one party can get 100% of what they want, but by creating a palatable solution where everyone wins with a slice of the pie, we can all come out winners.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Understanding impacts to constituents is the first place to start. As someone who is very fiscally conservative and socially progressive, I believe that we need to have safety nets for the less fortunate while at the same time, ensure that revenues that are raised are spent carefully and wisely. I do believe that tax cuts to the wealthy are not going to ultimately play well to voters NOR to the bottom line of the country's economic health. When the richest .1% get a tax break of $250,000+ and the poorest 20% have taxes go up, things are flipped the wrong way. When we have a happy, large, and economically healthy middle class, the U.S. economy is at its strongest.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

With discretion. The investigative powers should not be misused or used as a political weapon to punish people who disagree with any other branch of the U.S. government. However, when verifiable evidence shows that laws are broken, or the Constitution has been violated, the powers should be enacted.

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is this generation's largest question to answer. It can either tremendously help people and advance science, human learning, and solve social / medical issues, or it can cause disruption, sow dissent, foment confusion or misinformation. Carefully investigating what roles it can play while setting up guidelines keeping in mind that AI can continuously learn from humans is critical so we don't end up having an out-of-control platform that can ultimately harm humanity.

What legislation would you enact related to election administration in the United States?

Election security that would put processing votes out of reach of bad actors, both foreign and domestic.

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Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Dawn Rasmussen campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Oregon District 2	Candidacy Declared general	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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Candidate

U.S. House Oregon District 2

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Footnotes

[show]

Oregon's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jeff Merkley (D)

Ron Wyden (D)

Representatives

District 1

Suzanne Bonamici (D)

District 2

Cliff Bentz (R)

District 3

Maxine Dexter (D)

District 4

Val Hoyle (D)

District 5

Janelle Bynum (D)

District 6

Andrea Salinas (D)

Democratic Party (7)

Republican Party (1)