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Michael Stansfield (Oregon)
Michael Stansfield (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Oregon's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 15, 2018.
Stansfield completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Oregon District 1
Incumbent Suzanne Bonamici defeated John Verbeek and Drew Layda in the general election for U.S. House Oregon District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Suzanne Bonamici (D) | 63.6 | 231,198 |
 | John Verbeek (R) | 32.1 | 116,446 | |
 | Drew Layda (L)  | 4.2 | 15,121 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 484 | ||
| Total votes: 363,249 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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 U.S. House Oregon District 1
Incumbent Suzanne Bonamici defeated Ricky Barajas and Michael Stansfield in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Oregon District 1 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Suzanne Bonamici | 92.2 | 69,774 |
 | Ricky Barajas | 3.9 | 2,945 | |
 | Michael Stansfield | 3.9 | 2,936 | |
| Total votes: 75,655 | |||
| = 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 U.S. House Oregon District 1
John Verbeek defeated George Griffith and Preston Miller in the Republican primary for U.S. House Oregon District 1 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Verbeek | 51.1 | 21,191 |
 | George Griffith | 41.1 | 17,049 | |
 | Preston Miller | 7.8 | 3,228 | |
| Total votes: 41,468 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Michael Stansfield participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on May 7, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Michael Stansfield's responses follow below.[1]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | First, in general our current congressional solutions seem to root themselves in monetary or capitalistic motivations. It is important that our society learns that business was created for the needs of the people and that the people were never intended to be created to serve as the machinery for the needs of business.
Second, with our current segregation of religion the average student in high school learns next to nothing about Islam and the other religions of the world. To fill the vacuum stereotypes and other blatant fabrications have filled the gap. I am against ignorance in all its forms. Ignorance that has led to stereotypes and violence and in general a lack of competent knowledge of world history and events. If we are ever going to call ourselves a tolerant society we need to learn to embrace the diversity of our world with love. Third, as the republic has grown the representation of each individual shrinks as a portion of the population. A real effort needs to be made to give the common person on the street a better voice in their government so that the words WE THE PEOPLE, is more than just a political slogan but an actual reality.[2][3] |
” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | As a member of the United Methodist Church I am associated with the United Nations Human Rights Commission. This is one of many non-profit organizations that have dedicated their lives to help the poor and the hurting around the globe. Part of our work is in Gaza and Palestine supplying water and medical equipment as 97% of the tap water is contaminated my salt, urine and fecal matter. Seeing how cheap life had become I made up my mind to Boycott any products that support the atrocities presently taking place. The religious zeal for Israel is so strong in the United States that to combat any attempted Boycott states like Texas began to force contractors to purchase products from Israel, regardless of the price offered. The contractors and others saw these laws as a violation of their free market rights. Instead of supporting the consumer, congress through HR 2856 and other Anti-BDS laws supported the state and ensured contractors could not seek remedy through the Federal Government. One thing you learn when you voice your opinion about the issues that face Palestinians and Arabs is much of the religious right will accused you of being a racist, an anti-Semite, even though myself and many others on the Human Rights Commission are Jewish. How do you prove why you didn’t buy a product? Under the proposed law if you are a member a Boycott supporting organization, such as the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterians, and you don’t buy the Israeli product you are subjected to significant penalties. Under HR 1697 these penalties carry a minimum of $250,000 in personal fines and 20 years in prison, which is significantly stronger than your average person convicted of murder. A penalty inflicted against volunteers acting on their religious convictions for sole purpose of muzzling the Israeli opposition and allowing their human rights violations to continue without public awareness. And because of the overly religious and nationalistic zeal of the Christian Right these laws our congress and supreme unopposed. For all intense and purposes the first amendment of our Constitution is dead.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[3]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Michael Stansfield answered the following:
What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?
| “ | It was once unique, but now it is a cesspool of those who speak many words and say nothing, of those who lack dreams and seek to suppress the dreams of their opponents, whose endeavors and self-interests have thrown away the beauty of great things and real change in favor of lining their own pockets.[3] | ” |
| “ | I would prefer a government of political outsiders from all walks of life and the entire political spectrum to the elitist and superficial government we have today.[3] | ” |
| “ | To see itself not as a nation, but as a member of humanity. That our greatest is not in our wealth, but in ourselves. And our greatest minds are those that in reality no one hears and no one knows.[3] | ” |
| “ | Foreign Affairs[3] | ” |
| “ | If it were up to me the people would have direct control over the law creation process and there would be no need for a representative.[3] | ” |
| “ | I believe that the pay and term limit of each congressional officeholder should be established through their state government and the people they represent. These standards set in place should not change for the sitting congressional representative, but any change should go into affect with the arrival of a new representative so that the political majority of the state does not suppress their minority if elected.[3] | ” |
| “ | Redistricting has often been a method to ensure the majority of one political party over another so that the party controls its members and they are not subordinate to the people they represent. There are better options available.[3] | ” |
| “ | Everyone longs for power, to control those under them. But if we are to have real government of, for, and by the people a real change in the structure of our government is needed.[3] | ” |
| “ | There hasn't yet been a representative like me in congress. ;)[3] | ” |
| “ | The story of a man who was kicked out of several churches because he dared to challenge the hate of the Christian Right against Islam, Palestinians, and Arabs in general.[3] | ” |
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Oregon's 1st Congressional District election, 2018
- Oregon's 1st Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Michael Stansfield's responses," May 7, 2018
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
