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Dennis Linthicum
Dennis Linthicum (Republican Party) was a member of the Oregon State Senate, representing District 28. He assumed office in 2017. He left office on January 13, 2025.
Linthicum (Republican Party, Constitution Party) ran for election for Oregon Secretary of State. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024. He advanced from the Republican primary on May 21, 2024.
Linthicum completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Dennis Linthicum was born in Pasadena, California. Linthucum earned a high school diploma from Palm Springs High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1978, a graduate degree from Biola University in 2010, and attended the University of California, Irvine. His career experience includes working as a vice president, economist, and contractor. He has been affiliated with the Oregon Right to Life, Oregon Firearms Federation, and Oregon Republican Party.[1]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Linthicum was assigned to the following committees:
- Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation Committee
- Veterans and Emergency Preparedness Committee
2021-2022
Linthicum was assigned to the following committees:
- Housing and Development Committee, Vice chair
- Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation Committee
- Veterans and Emergency Preparedness Committee
2019-2020
Linthicum was assigned to the following committees:
- Joint Information Management and Technology Committee
- Senate Health Care Committee, Vice-Chair
- Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Oregon committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Education, Vice chair |
| • Judiciary |
| • Joint Legislative Information Management and Technology |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: Oregon Secretary of State election, 2024
General election
General election for Oregon Secretary of State
Tobias Read defeated Dennis Linthicum and Nathalie Paravicini in the general election for Oregon Secretary of State on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tobias Read (D / Working Families Party / Independent Party) | 54.4 | 1,166,447 |
 | Dennis Linthicum (R / Constitution Party)  | 41.9 | 897,704 | |
 | Nathalie Paravicini (Pacific Green Party / Progressive Party) | 3.6 | 76,170 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2,011 | ||
| Total votes: 2,142,332 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Oregon Secretary of State
Tobias Read defeated James Manning, Jim Crary, Paul Damian Wells, and Dave Stauffer in the Democratic primary for Oregon Secretary of State on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tobias Read | 69.4 | 303,089 |
 | James Manning | 22.3 | 97,427 | |
 | Jim Crary | 3.7 | 16,340 | |
 | Paul Damian Wells | 2.2 | 9,425 | |
 | Dave Stauffer | 1.8 | 7,921 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 2,515 | ||
| Total votes: 436,717 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oregon Secretary of State
Dennis Linthicum defeated Brent Barker and Tim McCloud in the Republican primary for Oregon Secretary of State on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dennis Linthicum | 66.0 | 199,243 |
 | Brent Barker | 20.2 | 61,011 | |
 | Tim McCloud | 13.0 | 39,109 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 2,560 | ||
| Total votes: 301,923 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Linthicum in this election.
State Senate
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2024
Dennis Linthicum was disqualified from running for re-election after exceeding 10 unexcused absences during the 2023 legislative session.[2][3] Learn more about the ballot measure that established this rule here.
2020
See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Oregon State Senate District 28
Incumbent Dennis Linthicum defeated Hugh Palcic in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 28 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dennis Linthicum (R) | 72.7 | 54,800 |
 | Hugh Palcic (D / Independent) | 27.1 | 20,444 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 102 | ||
| Total votes: 75,346 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 28
Hugh Palcic advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 28 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Hugh Palcic | 97.1 | 7,012 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.9 | 206 | ||
| Total votes: 7,218 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 28
Incumbent Dennis Linthicum advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 28 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dennis Linthicum | 99.1 | 19,850 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 176 | ||
| Total votes: 20,026 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Oregon State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 17, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 8, 2016. Incumbent Doug Whitsett (R) did not seek re-election.
Dennis Linthicum defeated Todd Kepple in the Oregon State Senate District 28 general election.[4][5]
| Oregon State Senate, District 28 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Dennis Linthicum |
61.59% | 37,119 | |
| Democratic | Todd Kepple | 38.41% | 23,153 | |
| Total Votes | 60,272 | |||
| Source: Oregon Secretary of State | ||||
Dennis Linthicum ran unopposed in the Oregon State Senate District 28 Republican primary.[6][7]
| Oregon State Senate, District 28 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Dennis Linthicum (unopposed) | |
2014
Linthicum ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Oregon's 2ndDistrict.[8] Linthicum lost the Republican nomination in the primary on May 20, 2014. He was defeated by Greg Walden in the primary.[9]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Greg Walden Incumbent |
75.9% | 62,957 | ||
| Dennis Linthicum | 24.1% | 19,936 | ||
| Total Votes | 82,893 | |||
| Source: Results via Associated Press |
||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Dennis Linthicum completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Linthicum's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
With my background as a trained economist and being a former Sr. VP of MIS, a former Oregon Construction Contractor Board license holder, and currently a rancher deeply engaged in land management and sustainability issues, I bring a wealth of technical and managerial expertise to the table.
My extensive experience uniquely positions me to unlock the full potential of individuals and seize service opportunities to achieve positive outcomes for all Oregonians.- An even, open-handed and transparent ethic is needed in Oregon's Secretary of State office where the majority of voters feel uncertain about the validity of the mail-in voter process and a majority of republican voters sense their disenfranchisment from the electoral process.
The current information censorship issues that plague Oregon politics and the frightfully damaged integrity issues that are raised by voters can only be resolved with substantive alterations to the single-party dominance that has eroded public faith.
The public sector will benefit from openness and collaboration rather than resorting to the defensive posture of an information gate keeper who is unwilling to disclose public information. - Effective governance and accountability requires timely and accurate audits from departments and agencies that have a statewide impact. In particular, departments such as Education, Environmental Quality, Water Resources, Transportation, and Justice. These departments typically handle significant budgets and have a direct impact on citizens' daily lives. Conducting regular audits in these areas helps identify areas for improvement, ensures regulatory compliance, and can help the legislative bodies optimize future resource allocations.
- Oregon's apparent disregard for election integrity and related ballot concerns is a spreading canker which is eating into the heart and soul of our representative model of governance. The majority party likes to make claims about "saving our democracy" but their calls are ineffective against the onslaught of corruption that is eating away at the integrity of all party office holders. The pathway to vice, political grift and corruption comes from the majority party’s reliance on their own authority growing from their unique position as the longtime partisan controller of all things governmental. This is economically and socially destructive. My successful candidacy will help shift that lop-sided and oppressive dynamic.
Roger Moorhouse documents in, The Devils’ Alliance, that after the German-Soviet Treaty of Non-Aggression (1939), “Only approved candidates were permitted to stand, all others were removed from the ballot and arrested. … Voting was compulsory, with those spoiling their ballot or refusing to vote risking arrest.”
Repairing this tarnished image will be a primary focus, since public perception and trust in the electoral process has been severely impacted. Transparency and genuine empathy for divergent perspectives is lacking because the office seems to prioritize the majority party's narrative over its fiduciary responsibility. This needs to be corrected to ensure fair and open access to voters.
Secondly, the office is responsible for auditing executive branch offices and departments. The auditing function is a proficiency test for these executive agencies. Like proficiency standards for high-school graduates, audits provide a metric to measure performance and identify areas for improvement. Timely, accurate, and comprehensive audits are necessary to enhance departmental efficiency and service.
The Secretary of State also serves two other major roles, one as a member of the State Land Board and the other, as the chair of the Oregon Sustainability Board.
My rural lifestyle, having lived off-the-grid for 30 years, plus my deep background in the agricultural and ranching communities provides me with strategic insight into issues facing all Oregonians.
The other two individuals, the American President and the English Prime Minister, both serve as examples because, first, they both brought an abundance of astute common-sense. This allowed them to clearly observe, weigh and understand human nature. Secondly, they both had an immensely practical ability to construct positive, large-scale and successful examples of a well-ordered social order which we can proudly hail as being exemplary forms of self-governance.
I'll quote form Thomas J. DiLorenzo's forward to the 2007 copy:
It is remarkable, in reading "The Law," how perfectly accurate Bastiat was in describing the statists of his day which, it turns out, were not much different from the statists of today or any other day.
The French "socialists" of Bastiat's day espoused doctrines that perverted charity, education, and morals, for one thing. True charity does not begin with the robbery of taxation, he pointed out. Government schooling is inevitably an exercise in statist brainwashing, not genuine education; and it is hardly "moral" for a large gang (government) to (legally) rob one segment of the population, keep most of the loot, and share a little of it with various "needy" individuals.
Socialists want "to play God," Bastiat observed, anticipating all the future tyrants and despots of the world who would try to remake the world in their image, whether that image would be communism, fascism, the "glorious union," or "global democracy."
It is interesting to note, these are all personal character traits. No government can never possess, harness, or discharge honesty or equity because these are human traits. These traits belong only to human persons, or individuals.
This is why Jefferson placed so much importance on the individual, and their inherent and sacred rights:
My extensive experience uniquely positions me to unlock the full potential of individuals and seize service opportunities to achieve positive outcomes for all Oregonians.
Additionally, my rural lifestyle (having lived off-the-grid for the past 30 years) plus my deep background in the agricultural and ranching communities provides me with strategic insight into issues facing all Oregonians.
I bring a well-rounded understanding of the issues facing sustainable land use and the symbiotic relationship needed for private sector productivity. This is a vital component of Oregon’s economy and represents a majority of Oregon’s forest, agriculture, and mineral resource opportunities.
They are not in office to control, tax, or regulate their constituents. They are not in office to answer the millions of disparate needs of any group over another group, or any person over any other person – because doing so would require funding and/or resources that government does not have unless government turns itself into an over-bearing confiscator of the lives, liberties and property of some targeted producer.
In short, your representatives are not in office to secure funding for local projects, commonly known as , "bringing home the bacon." Rather they exist in elected positions to to defend your farm, your business or your pocketbook from the progressives who are never satisfied and always want more.
Elected office-holders should remember their duty is to, "save the bacon that is produced and harvested in their communities." Otherwise someone else will be eating high on the hog.
This is particularly true for the Secretary of State's (SoS) office. The public might put their voices behind any number of issues, which the SoS office must treat with the same openness, fairness and frank appraisals that every other initiative or measure are due.
Genuine pride in one's work emerges organically when sincere efforts are made to address serious questions raised by either internal or external interactions. This vibrant response, in turn, will cause a cascading change in internal and external perceptions.
Just as individuals in the private sector value transparent information exchange, so too the public sector benefits from openness and collaboration rather than resorting to the defensive posture an elite, "holder of the keys to knowledge and wisdom."
The information censorship issues that plague Oregon politics can be resolved by my leadership style.
People become fearful and start looking for, or imagining, fraudulent manipulations when legitimate questions have been raised but not appropriately addressed. Often the information is locked away because the truth reflects poorly on those in power. In one specific instance, I requested ballot images for one county. The information was available but hidden behind an unconscionable fee of $982,896.17. In round numbers that is a $1 million fee for data that the public rightly owns and county elections officers are required to keep for two years–so that the public can peruse the data.
Address wholesale transparency is required in order to address this serious problem. Openness on its face will change public perception.
Just as individuals in the private sector value transparent information exchange, so too the public sector benefits from openness and collaboration rather than resorting to the defensive posture of an information gate keeper.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Linthicum’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
A Distinctive Difference in District #28
|
” |
| —Dennis Linthicum’s campaign website (2024)[11] | ||
2020
Dennis Linthicum did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Linthicum's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[12]
Life & Liberty
- Excerpt: "I believe in constitutionally limited government, freedom to assemble and personal independence. I will give voice to these principles in Oregon’s legislature. Oregon is a land of fearless innovators, hopeful pioneers and hard-working dreamers. I will be a voice for each one of you in Oregon’s legislature, ensuring that our liberties are maintained and we all have freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness in our great state."
Property
- Excerpt: "Endless federal over-reach in land, water, timber and mineral resource management is hampering our economy. Natural events, compounded by federal mismanagement and ceaseless litigation, have destroyed giant swaths of our public and private lands. The results are public access road closures, scarred watersheds, lost wilderness habitat and job opportunities. Local control by the men and women who live, work and play in Oregon’s resource-rich environment can bring resilience back into our communities and economies."
Government
- Excerpt: "Oregon’s progressive legislature is renowned for its pork barrel spending, hastily passed ‘emergency’ legislation, partisan totalitarianism, and a penchant for stripping citizens of their right to self-defense. The public is rightfully dissatisfied by Salem because of their deafness to rural Oregon’s needs and spend-thrift cronyism."
Action
- Excerpt: "I will be your voice against bloated bureaucracies. As your state senator, I will stand up for Oregon’s natural opportunities. We are blessed with bountiful timber, water, farmland, ranch land, technology, recreation and mineral resources - plus the people who make our state a wonderful place to live and work. I will fight for your right to pursue these opportunities and make our communities more prosperous in the process."
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.
Endorsements
2016
In 2016, Linthicum's endorsements included the following:[13]
- Doug Whitsett, State Senator
- Gail Whitsett, State Representative
- Oregon Right to Life PAC
- Oregon Firearms Federation PAC
- Tom Mallams, Commissioner - Klamath County
- Colleen Roberts, Commissioner - Jackson County
Noteworthy events
Ineligibility for re-election (2023)
- See also: Noteworthy state legislative walkouts
On February 1, 2024, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled to uphold the decision of the Oregon Secretary of State to disqualify the 10 members of the Oregon State Senate from seeking re-election.[14]
On August 8, 2023, Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade (D) announced that ten legislators who participated in the walkout would be barred from re-election in 2024 under Oregon Measure 113.[15]
In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp (R) said "We believe the plain language of Measure 113 allows for members to run again in 2024 elections. We disagree with the Secretary of State’s determination and will challenge it in court.”[15]
On May 15, 2023, Senators Daniel Bonham (R), Dennis Linthicum (R), and Brian Boquist (I) became ineligible for re-election under Measure 113 when they accrued their 10th unexcused absence following a Republican walkout of the State Senate.[16] Oregon voters passed Measure 113 in 2022.
The walkout began on May 3, 2023, when all but two members of the Oregon Republican Senate caucus were absent from the legislative session preventing a quorum. As of June 1, the following 10 members of the Oregon State Senate involved with the walkout met the 10 unexcused absence threshold and are barred under Measure 113 from re-election:
- Daniel Bonham (R)
- Dennis Linthicum (R)
- Brian Boquist (I)
- Cedric Hayden (R)
- Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp (R)
- Art Robinson (R)
- Kim Thatcher (R)
- Suzanne Weber (R)
- Lynn Findley (R)
- Bill Hansell (R)
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.
2024
In 2024, the Oregon State Legislature was in session from Februrary 5 to March 7.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to animal issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes related to the environment.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Oregon State Legislature was in session from January 17 to June 25.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Oregon State Legislature was in session from February 1 to March 4.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Oregon State Legislature was in session from January 21 to June 26.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Oregon State Legislature was in session from February 3 to March 5. Special sessions were convened from June 24 to June 26 and on August 10.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Oregon State Legislature was in session from January 22 through June 30.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the 79th Oregon State Legislature, second session, was in session from February 5 through March 3. There was also a one-day special session on May 21, 2018.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 79th Oregon State Legislature, first session, was in session from February 1 through July 7. There was also an organizational session January 9.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 22, 2024
- ↑ OPB, "Oregon state senators who walked out this year are making reelection plans," July 6, 2023
- ↑ OPB, "Oregon Supreme Court rules that Republican senators who walked out last year can’t seek reelection," February 2, 2024
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election official results," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed March 9, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "May 17, 2016 Primary Election Abstract of Votes President," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Capital Press, "Walden may be challenged in GOP primary," accessed September 25, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press, "Oregon - Summary Vote Results," May 20, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Dennis Linthicum’s campaign website, “A Distinctive Difference in District #28,” accessed April 24, 2024
- ↑ electdennis.com, "Voter's Pamphlet," accessed April 26, 2016
- ↑ electdennis.com, "Endorsements," accessed April 26, 2016
- ↑ AP News, "Oregon high court says 10 GOP state senators who staged long walkout can’t run for reelection," February 1, 2024
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Oregon Public Broadcasting, "Oregon secretary of state: Senators who walked out can’t run next year," accessed August 10, 2023
- ↑ NPR, "Oregon Republicans' walkouts trigger a new state law on reelection," May 15, 2023
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Oregon State Senate District 28 2017-2025 |
Succeeded by Diane Linthicum (R) |
 |
State of Oregon Salem (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
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| Government |
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