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Mike Nearman
Mike Nearman (Republican Party) was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 23. He assumed office on January 12, 2015. He left office on June 10, 2021.
Nearman (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Oregon House of Representatives to represent District 23. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Nearman was expelled from the Oregon House of Representatives on June 10, 2021, after video footage surfaced in which he helped protesters enter the state Capitol building on December 21, 2020, resulting in injuries and property damage.[1] Click here to learn more.
Biography
Nearman earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Western Oregon University and a bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from Marquette University. His professional experience includes working in the fields of software engineering and technical support.[2] Nearman has also served as the Polk County Republican Central Committee Chair.[2]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Nearman was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Oregon committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Human Services and Housing |
| • Joint Legislative Information Management and Technology |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Nearman served on the following committees:
| Oregon committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Consumer Protection and Government Effectiveness |
| • Higher Education, Innovation and Workforce Development |
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
2020
See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Oregon House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent Mike Nearman defeated Sean Scorvo, Alex Polikoff, and Scott Clawson in the general election for Oregon House of Representatives District 23 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mike Nearman (R) | 58.3 | 23,884 |
 | Sean Scorvo (D)  | 34.9 | 14,292 | |
 | Alex Polikoff (Pacific Green Party / Progressive Party) | 4.3 | 1,770 | |
| Scott Clawson (L) | 2.4 | 963 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 37 | ||
| Total votes: 40,946 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 23
Sean Scorvo advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 23 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sean Scorvo | 98.1 | 5,663 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.9 | 112 | ||
| Total votes: 5,775 | |||
| = 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 23
Incumbent Mike Nearman advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 23 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Nearman | 98.7 | 8,586 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 117 | ||
| Total votes: 8,703 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Oregon House of Representatives District 23
Scott Clawson advanced from the Libertarian convention for Oregon House of Representatives District 23 on July 6, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Scott Clawson (L) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Pacific Green Party convention
Pacific Green Party convention for Oregon House of Representatives District 23
Alex Polikoff advanced from the Pacific Green Party convention for Oregon House of Representatives District 23 on June 6, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Alex Polikoff (Pacific Green Party) |
| ||||
| = 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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2018
General election
General election for Oregon House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent Mike Nearman defeated Danny Jaffer and Mark Karnowski in the general election for Oregon House of Representatives District 23 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Nearman (R) | 54.4 | 17,971 |
| Danny Jaffer (D) | 43.3 | 14,317 | ||
| Mark Karnowski (L) | 2.2 | 738 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 37 | ||
| Total votes: 33,063 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 23
Danny Jaffer advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 23 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Danny Jaffer | 100.0 | 4,513 | |
| Total votes: 4,513 | |||
| = 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 23
Incumbent Mike Nearman defeated Kris Morse Bledsoe in the Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 23 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Nearman | 74.0 | 5,708 |
 | Kris Morse Bledsoe | 26.0 | 2,009 | |
| Total votes: 7,717 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Oregon House of Representatives 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 Mike Nearman defeated Jim Thompson, Alex Polikoff and Garrett Leeds in the Oregon House of Representatives District 23 general election.[3][4]
| Oregon House of Representatives, District 23 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Mike Nearman Incumbent |
52.85% | 17,563 | |
| Independent | Jim Thompson | 37.22% | 12,370 | |
| Pacific Green | Alex Polikoff | 5.74% | 1,906 | |
| Libertarian | Garrett Leeds | 4.20% | 1,395 | |
| Total Votes | 33,234 | |||
| Source: Oregon Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Mike Nearman defeated Beth Jones in the Oregon House of Representatives District 23 Republican primary.[5][6]
| Oregon House of Representatives, District 23 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mike Nearman Incumbent |
57.89% | 5,284 | |
| Republican | Beth Jones | 42.11% | 3,843 | |
| Total Votes | 9,127 | |||
2014
Elections for the Oregon House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 11, 2014. Wanda Davis was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Mike Nearman defeated incumbent Jim Thompson in the Republican primary. Davis also ran on the Working Families Party ticket. Mark Karnowski ran as a Libertarian candidate, while Alex Polikoff ran as a Pacific Green Party candidate. Nearman defeated Davis, Karnowski and Polikoff in the general election.[7][8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Nearman |
52.8% | 14,474 | |
| Democratic | Wanda Davis | 36.1% | 9,891 | |
| Green | Alex Polikoff | 4.6% | 1,271 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Karnowski | 2.5% | 679 | |
| None | Miscellaneous | 4.1% | 1,116 | |
| Total Votes | 27,431 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Mike Nearman |
63% | 4,263 |
| Jim Thompson Incumbent | 37% | 2,501 |
| Total Votes | 6,764 | |
Endorsements
In 2014, Nearman's endorsements included the following:[10]
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Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mike Nearman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Nearman's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[2]
Strong, Focused, Conservative Leadership
- Excerpt: "Mike Nearman believes voters deserve to be represented by someone focused on creating jobs, limiting taxes and ensuring we have a strong education system for our children—all while not sacrificing conservative principles."
A Man of His Word
- Excerpt: "Mike won’t sacrifice his principles when the political winds shift. As your representative, he will unite his core values with basic common sense as he carefully reviews and votes on legislation."
Advocate for Common Sense Government Reforms
- Excerpt: "Mike believes taxpayer funded programs should be regularly analyzed for their cost-effectiveness and whether they would be better run by the private sector. Government projects that run over budget should be audited and administrators should be held accountable."
Fighting for Life & Traditional Marriage
- Excerpt: "Mike has always been strongly pro-life and pro-traditional marriage."
Strong Supporter of Gun Rights and Enforcing Our Laws
- Excerpt: "Mike believes that legal immigration is part of what has made this country great. That’s why he believes in protecting our borders and enforcing immigration laws already on the books. He’s also a tireless advocate for preserving our Second Amendment rights."
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.
Noteworthy events
|
|---|
| Coronavirus pandemic |
| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.
|
Nearman announced on a radio show on May 7, 2021, that he was sick with COVID-19.[11]
Charges of official misconduct and trespassing; expulsion from the state House (2021)
Charges
On April 30, 2021, Nearman was charged with official misconduct in the first degree and trespassing in the second degree. The charges were related to a December 21, 2020, incident where Nearman allegedly let demonstrators into the state capitol via a side door. The protestors then struggled with police officers once inside the building, with five being arrested.[12]
Nearman pleaded guilty to official misconduct in the first degree on July 27, 2021. The charge of trespassing in the second degree was dismissed due to a plea agreement. Nearman was sentenced to "18 months of bench probation... [and] 80 hours of community service work."[13] He was also ordered to pay "$2,700 in restitution for the damage caused to the building" and was banned from the state capitol and its grounds.[13] Nearman appeared on The Lars Larson Show that day and said, "I don’t think I committed a crime, and I don’t think I did anything wrong...The legal bills were stacking up...It made more sense to pay and do a little community service rather than pay twenty or thirty thousand more to attorneys."[14]
Expulsion
On June 4, 2021, Oregon Public Broadcasting published a December 16, 2020, YouTube video of Nearman telling a group of people to text him if they wanted access to the state capitol. According to the video, Nearman said, "There might be some person’s number which might be [his cell phone number], but that is just random numbers... that’s not anybody’s actual cell phone. And if you say, ‘I’m at the West entrance’ during the session and text to that number there, that somebody might exit that door while you’re standing there."[15]
A special House committee voted 6-0 to expel Nearman on June 10, 2021. Following this vote, the state House passed the resolution of expulsion by a vote of 59-1, with Nearman voting against the resolution.[1] According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, Nearman was the first person in history to be expelled from the Oregon Legislature. Nearman said in a prepared statement, "Expelling me will not make the building any safer. What will make everyone safer is if legislative leadership, beginning with the Speaker and the Senate president, admit that what happened in this building on December 21st was wrong and never should have happened. They never should have excluded the public from the public’s building."[1]
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.
2021
In 2021, the Oregon State Legislature was in session from January 21 to June 26.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to animal issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes related to the environment.
- Legislators are scored on their stances related to taxes, economic development, housing, environmental regulations, and business.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
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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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 78th Oregon State Legislature, second session, was in session from February 1 through March 3.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 78th Oregon State Legislature, first session, was in session from February 2 through July 6.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Nearman is married to Debora Nearman.[2]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Oregon House of Representatives District 23 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 OPB, "Oregon House expels state Rep. Mike Nearman, plotter of Capitol incursion," June 10, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Official campaign website, "About Mike," accessed April 24, 2014
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Official Results - May 20, 2014 Primary Election," accessed July 8, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing," accessed March 17, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Official general election results for 2014," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Nearman for Oregon, "Endorsements," accessed August 29, 2014
- ↑ OBP, "GOP lawmaker charged in Oregon Capitol protest has COVID," May 7, 2021
- ↑ The New York Times, "Oregon Lawmaker Who Let Protesters Into State Capitol Is Charged in Breach," May 1, 2021
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Fox 12 Oregon, "Former Oregon state representative pleads guilty to official misconduct, banned from Capitol," July 27, 2021
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Oregon Republican who opened door to rioters pleads guilty but denies blame: ‘I don’t think I did anything wrong’," July 28, 2021
- ↑ OPB, "Video appears to show Rep. Mike Nearman explaining how he’ll open the Oregon Capitol ahead of protests," June 4, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Thompson (R) |
Oregon House of Representatives District 23 2015-2021 |
Succeeded by NA |
}}
