Joe Demers

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Joe Demers

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 17, 2022

Personal

Birthplace

Bloomer, Wis.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Driver

Contact

Personal Facebook

Joe Demers ran for election as chair of the Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners in Oregon. He lost in the primary on May 17, 2022.

Biography

Joe Demers was born in Bloomer, Wisconsin. His professional experience includes working as a driver.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Multnomah County, Oregon (2022)

General election

General election for Multnomah County Commission Chair

Incumbent Jessica Vega Pederson defeated incumbent Sharon Meieran in the general election for Multnomah County Commission Chair on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jessica Vega Pederson (Nonpartisan)	54.0	164,914
		Sharon Meieran (Nonpartisan)	45.2	138,034
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	2,263

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 305,211
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Multnomah County Commission Chair

The following candidates ran in the primary for Multnomah County Commission Chair on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jessica Vega Pederson (Nonpartisan)	41.9	77,529
✔		Sharon Meieran (Nonpartisan)	18.2	33,651
	Submit photo	Sharia Mayfield (Nonpartisan)	15.0	27,713
	Submit photo	Lori Stegmann (Nonpartisan)	12.6	23,210
		Bruce Broussard (Nonpartisan)	7.0	12,895
		Joe Demers (Nonpartisan)	5.2	9,544
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	290

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 184,832
= 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.
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2020

See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Oregon House of Representatives District 49

Zach Hudson defeated Greg Johnson in the general election for Oregon House of Representatives District 49 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Zach Hudson (D / Independent / Working Families Party)	57.3	16,091
	Submit photo	Greg Johnson (R)	42.4	11,912
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	97

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,100
= 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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Joe Demers (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 49

Zach Hudson advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 49 on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Zach Hudson	98.7	4,765
		Other/Write-in votes	1.3	65

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,830
= 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 House of Representatives District 49

Joe Demers advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 49 on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Demers	98.0	2,675
		Other/Write-in votes	2.0	54

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,729
= 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

To view Joe Demers' endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joe Demers did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Joe Demers completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Demers' 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.

The garbage industry has been my career for almost 20 years. Driving the streets and neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon hauling trash to keep our city clean.

I have also driven a tractor-trailer all over the northwest distributing beverages, snacks, and candy to multiple industries. With this product distribution and management skills, I have learned multitasking and customer service on various fronts. Bringing the next level of advancement to you.

With a personal lifestyle of self-discipline and self-sacrifice, I have brought my family to financial independence, which has created a stress free environment and a budgeted means to life.

With these skills, I want to bring the foundation back to our city and rural areas. By doing so, taking regulation on businesses out to the trash, decreasing taxation on our citizens, and fiscal responsibility for our government to work within a means for a reduced budget!

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?

• Safety for Oregonians
• Lower taxation
• No mandatory vaccines

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Taxes, education and development

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Vin Diesel who started as a door to door salesman and became a Hollywood actor. It's one of the best and honorable rages to riches story of a normal guy that I respect. I want to have higher aspirations such as this for a higher standard of success.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Liberty and tyranny by Mark Levin

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

Consistency, America first, people first, selflessness, humbleness, meekness, kindness, gentleness, self control, principal before policy, not above reproach, love your neighbor as yourself.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Financially independent, career consistency, community relations, supply and demand, distribution of goods, family man

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

To write and pass legislation that allows cities to grow and operate by rule of the people. To navigate those responsibilities for the people so they may lead independent lives. With professional handling of laws and finances that have the least amount of impact on the people's lives therein.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A standard of excellence

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

Driving a Stern wheel boat with the captain at the Wisconsin Dalles I was around five years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Fast food 2yrs

What is your favorite book? Why?

Copper scroll by Joel Rosenberg because it's historical relevance to the dead sea scrolls.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. Richards possesses a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and electrical engineering, chemistry, all levels of physics, and human and alien biology. BusinessWeek listed Mister Fantastic as one of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics.[1] He is the inventor of the spacecraft that was bombarded by cosmic radiation on its maiden voyage, granting the Fantastic Four their powers. Richards gained the ability to stretch his body into any shape he desires.

But of course the entirety of it to me would be no joint pain!

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

She works hard for the money

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Raising children, understanding my faith, physical and emotional pain tolerance.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

Unbalance, there should never be lines drawn to make sure there's an overwhelming majority of one party for decision making.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is beneficial, but like all business it provides training along the way and therefore not necessary.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Tax reduction, budget and deregulating government intrusiveness.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

To listen to arguments for and arguments against any piece of legislation from a bipartisan standard. Then coming to a decision based on what best serves the people and not the agenda of a partisan government.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely, any state office held by an individual should be held with respect and dignity. Anyone who is appointed to office should come with renown on the heels of a person with a dignified character. Government cannot be run by one person or one ideal so relationship is necessary for team work in a job that is multifaceted.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Education, tax, land use, transportation.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

Not at this time

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

Mike Nearman

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Yes

Both sitting legislators 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?

A mother of two autistic children needed in home construction of a mechanism used in care for them and could not and still can't get financial backing from the city for a contractor for this special needs project. Under hospice care this should be possible but has caused this family great distress trying to get something done that would greatly improved they're living situation.

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.

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