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Matthew Wand
Matthew Wand is a former Republican member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 49 from 2011 to 2013.
Biography
Wand earned his B.S. in political science from Portland State University in 1997 and his J.D. from Northwest School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in 2000. His professional experience includes working as an attorney.
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Wand served on these committees:
- Judiciary
- Revenue
- Joint Tax Credits, Vice Chair
Campaign themes
Wand's campaign website listed several main issues:
- Jobs: "It is critical that our elected representative make certain that the climate for new long-term, family-wage jobs is strong. Higher taxes, more regulations preventing additional industrial construction, and taxes on gross receipts all hamper jobs growth. Virtually every decision made in government should be viewed through a prism regarding whether it will help or hamper jobs growth, and no actions should be taken that hamper jobs growth at this time."
- Fix the Economy: "In addition, the legislature should embark on a top-to-bottom review over the next few years, and compare our legislative framework with the state laws in other states that are not experiencing one of the highest statewide unemployment rates in the country. When the rest of the country is talking about Oregon’s new cooperative attitude towards business development, then we will know we are on the right track."
- Tax Policy: "Taxes change behavior. That fundamental principle will guide my thoughts on tax policy. A tax on gross receipts (even disguised as an alternate minimum tax), drives businesses with high costs of goods sold out of the state (such as manufacturing and car sales)..."
- Small Business: "Our small business owners are struggling with Oregon’s tax code, with the loss of customers as businesses and customers have lost income and stopped purchasing goods and services. It is a downward spiral. It is not enough to say that the higher taxes are directed only at very large businesses. Large businesses often are the largest customers of small businesses."
- Education Spending: "Education is our highest budget priority, and should never be held hostage to tax increases, or anything else... I support charter schools, sufficient education spending to make certain our schools are excellent, but also tied to demonstrable performance to make sure that schools and districts that are failing are held accountable. Accountability is the key to making certain that our tax dollars are well spent, and that will also increase community support for education because our schools’ credibility will be enhanced."
- Measure 11: "As the victim of a serious felony, a measure 11 offense, I support Measure 11 mandatory minimum sentencing because it gave me the comfort of certainty regarding the punishment that society believed was proper for the offense. There was no chance that a judge having a bad day could break faith with society in favor of a personal preference...If the criminal justice system focuses on rehabilitation to the exclusion of punishment, it reduces respect for the rule of law, and encourages first-time criminals."
Elections
2012
Wand ran for re-election in the 2012 election for Oregon House of Representatives District 49. Wand was unopposed in the May 15 Republican primary and was defeated by Chris Gorsek (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[1][2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Chris Gorsek |
54.4% | 11,459 | |
| Republican | Matthew Wand Incumbent | 45.6% | 9,602 | |
| Total Votes | 21,061 | |||
2010
Wand defeated incumbent Nick Kahl (D) in the November 2 general election.[4]
| Oregon State House, District 49 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Matthew Wand (R)
|
8,967 | |||
| Nick Kahl (D) | 7,857 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Wand and his wife, Anne, have three children -- Adam, Christopher and Julianna.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Matthew + Wand + Oregon + House'"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Oregon House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Oregon State Legislature
- Joint Committees
- Oregon state legislative districts
External links
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings for the Senate," accessed April 11, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Official Results for May 15 Primary election," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Official General Results for 2012," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "2010 General Election Results," accessed April 30, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Nick Kahl (D) |
Oregon House of Representatives District 49 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by Chris Gorsek (D) |
