Melissa Cribbins

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

Melissa Cribbins

Independent, Working Families Party, Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Personal

Birthplace

Eugene, Ore.

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal Facebook

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Melissa Cribbins (Democratic Party, Independent, Working Families Party) ran for election to the Oregon State Senate to represent District 5. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020. She advanced from the Democratic primary on May 19, 2020.

Cribbins completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Melissa Cribbins was born in Eugene, Oregon. She attended Southwestern Oregon Community College, Blue Mountain Community College, and Portland State University for undergraduate study. She earned a graduate degree from the Gonzaga University School of Law. Cribbins' career experience includes working as an attorney, research scientist, and tribal judge. She has been affiliated with the Oregon State Bar, the Association of Oregon Counties, and the National Association of Counties.

Elections

2020

See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Oregon State Senate District 5

Dick Anderson defeated Melissa Cribbins and Shauleen Higgins in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 5 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dick Anderson (R)	49.4	37,807
		Melissa Cribbins (D / Independent / Working Families Party)	46.5	35,620
		Shauleen Higgins (Pacific Green Party)	4.1	3,107
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	72

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 76,606
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 5

Melissa Cribbins advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 5 on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Melissa Cribbins	98.0	15,210
		Other/Write-in votes	2.0	316

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,526
= 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 5

Dick Anderson advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 5 on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dick Anderson	98.3	12,306
		Other/Write-in votes	1.7	208

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,514
= 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 Cribbins' endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Melissa was raised on the Oregon Coast, and her values are shaped by the hard-working people of our area. Melissa has spent her career serving her community as a small business owner, a lawyer, and Coos County Commissioner, and now she is ready to stand up for the Oregon Coast in the State Senate. Coastal communities haven't experienced the same economic recovery as the rest of Oregon, and she's ready to change that. As your Senator, Melissa will work to bring economic growth to the Oregon coast through advocating for equitable access to affordable healthcare, adequate funding for public education, as well as expanding workers rights and job opportunities in Senate District 5. Melissa believes that together, we can improve our communities, not just for ourselves, but for our children and our future generations.

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?

• Building our economy
• Affordable healthcare and reproductive justice
• Funding public education

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As an elected County Commissioner, I have been able to work on a wide variety of topics. I have devoted a lot of my work to energy, environment, and land use issues, including serving as President of Energy Trust of Oregon, as well as on the Land Conservation and Development Commission and Rural Development Initiatives. In addition, I serve on the Environmental Protection Agency's Local Government Advisory Committee, and I am chair of the National Association of Counties' Energy, Environment, and Land Use Committee.

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

The first historical event that I remember was the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. I was in eighth grade when it happened, and I was in the library and saw it explode.

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

My first job was hauling, stacking, and loading hay for my parents on their ranch. I worked in the field and loaded trucks, and I also was responsible for loading and stacking hay in barns. Hay bales weigh 50-70 pounds each, and it is hard, hot, backbreaking work. It taught me the value of hard work. I worked for them until I turned 16 and got a job in town at the grocery store/deli.

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.

See also

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

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Current members of the Oregon State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Rob Wagner

Majority Leader:Kayse Jama

Minority Leader:Bruce Starr

Senators

District 1

David Smith (R)

District 2

Noah Robinson (R)

District 3

Jeff Golden (D)

District 4

Floyd Prozanski (D)

District 5

Dick Anderson (R)

District 6

Cedric Hayden (R)

District 7

James Manning (D)

District 8

Sara Gelser Blouin (D)

District 9

Fred Girod (R)

District 10

Deb Patterson (D)

District 11

Kim Thatcher (R)

District 12

Bruce Starr (R)

District 13

Courtney Neron (D)

District 14

Kate Lieber (D)

District 15

Janeen Sollman (D)

District 16

Suzanne Weber (R)

District 17

Lisa Reynolds (D)

District 18

WInsvey Campos (D)

District 19

Rob Wagner (D)

District 20

Mark Meek (D)

District 21

Kathleen Taylor (D)

District 22

Lew Frederick (D)

District 23

Khanh Pham (D)

District 24

Kayse Jama (D)

District 25

Chris Gorsek (D)

District 26

Vacant

District 27

Anthony Broadman (D)

District 28

Diane Linthicum (R)

District 29

Todd Nash (R)

District 30

Mike McLane (R)

Democratic Party (18)

Republican Party (11)

Vacancies (1)