Oregon House of Representatives District 35 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Oregon, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Oregon House of Representatives District 35 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Oregon House of Representatives District 35

Farrah Chaichi defeated Daniel Martin in the general election for Oregon House of Representatives District 35 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Farrah Chaichi (D / Working Families Party)	67.2	14,365
	Submit photo	Daniel Martin (R)	32.6	6,963
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	58

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,386
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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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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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?

Farrah Chaichi (Democratic, Working Families)

Housing is a human right! Housing is an essential need of every human being, yet many of us are severely burdened by the cost of housing. Worse still, families and neighbors who can't afford housing are criminalized simply for trying to survive. Whether you're sleeping in a tent, a vehicle, on a couch, or in your own house, housing is a human right and I will fight to make sure that it is treated like one. Establishing a right to rest, expanding renter protections, and implementing real rent control will be my highest priorities.

Healthcare is a human right! Oregon has made significant improvements to our healthcare system by making it both more accessible and affordable. Still, so many in our community do not have the healthcare they need. Whether people are uninsured or underinsured, our profit-driven healthcare system leaves hundreds of thousands of Oregon families to suffer needlessly. Even during this horrific pandemic, about eight percent of all Oregon families still don't have any health insurance. We need a single-payer – Medicare for All style – system where everyone is completely covered, and no one is left out. That is what I will fight for, because people's lives depend on it.

A Habitable Planet is a human right! Climate change is no longer a problem of the future. We are living through worsening heat waves, historic wildfires, droughts, and many other extreme weather events that are only going to get worse unless we make a just green transition away from fossil fuels now. This means regulating big polluters while creating good jobs and ensuring that we have a safe landing place for workers currently employed in fossil fuel industries. We need everything from regenerative agriculture to renewable energy production, climate smart transportation to waste management, and a focus on environmental justice for our society to be sustainable.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Farrah Chaichi (Democratic, Working Families)

I am personally passionate about making sure that people thrive, not just survive, free from oppression and exploitation. There are many policies that are important to me which defy easy categorization. For example, the Right to Rest is a policy I am very passionate about. It involves criminal justice, housing, public safety, and even healthcare. Our current practice of forcibly removing and destroying homeless people's meager shelters is cruel, inhumane, and counterproductive. As a renter, a woman of color, and a longtime advocate for the rights of all people, I think I can help bring urgency and direction to solving one of Oregon's most pressing humanitarian crises.

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

Farrah Chaichi (Democratic, Working Families)

I'm a lifelong resident of Beaverton and advocate for human rights. I served on the Beaverton Human Rights Advisory Commission from 2014 through 2019, where I became more involved in local politics and gained a depth of knowledge about issues affecting our community. I advocated for increased police accountability and respecting the rights of people who are homeless. I have fought for stronger environmental protections and increasing democracy and accountability in our political system. If elected, I would be the first Iraniain-American to serve in the Oregon Assembly. As a member of the Democratic Party of Oregon State Central Committee since 2016, I have experience collaboratively drafting policy, garnering support for it and arguing its merits on the floor of a large assembly. I have shown up locally to be a voice for the people for the last 8 years and I’m ready to take that experience to the legislature.

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

Farrah Chaichi (Democratic, Working Families)

I believe state legislators must work for the people and not wealthy special interests and big business. Because legislators are responsible for making decisions on a broad number of issues, and since no individual can be an expert on all topics, it is vital that legislators stay informed by seeking out reporting on and testimony from people who experience the issues being addressed, and consulting with experts in the field. Legislators must be principled, even when it is difficult. While it might sound obvious, public officials must also show up for work.

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

Farrah Chaichi (Democratic, Working Families)

My first job was at Dollar Tree, where I was a cashier and cleaned the aisles of stray merchandise. I worked there for two years while in high school, and for two summers off from college. Though it didn't pay well and people were not always kind, I sometimes look back at that time of my life with fond memories. The experiences and the friends I made while working there are unforgettable, as were the bonds that were strengthened since one of my coworkers was a good friend. But it was also my first experience working for a large corporation where we were subject to decrees from corporate headquarters, who were largely removed from day-to-day operations. It was the first place where I learned that the people on the ground actually doing the work were in the best position to understand our own needs, but we were the last people consulted when the company was making decisions that affected our work.

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

Farrah Chaichi (Democratic, Working Families)

Earth, Wind & Fire - September

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

Farrah Chaichi (Democratic, Working Families)

I think it is beneficial for state legislators to have prior experience with politics and/or government, but I don't think it should ever be a requirement. People from marginalized communities who have historically been kept out of government would never be on equal footing if we had such a requirement. But you don’t have to be in government to have experience with government. Being a watchdog for local politics, submitting testimony on legislation, reaching out to elected officials, being active with your local political party and showing up to community meetings are all valuable learning opportunities for anyone hoping to be a member of a legislature.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Farrah Chaichi (Democratic, Working Families)

I favor a fair and unbiased process for redistricting, one that has voters choose their elected officials and not elected officials choosing their voters. So long as electoral districts are around, I favor using ranked choice voting and proportional representation for their elections. I think having a neutral or independent redistricting commission is a reasonable remedy to the problems of a partisan redistricting process.

But every Oregon legislator, regardless of what district they represent, votes on policy that affects every Oregonian, not just the constituents of their district. Geographic electoral districts may have been useful when the best way for people across our expansive state to work together on legislation was to elect a representative locally and then send them to a centralized State Assembly. But in modern times of telecommunication that is no longer necessary. Instead, gerrymandering is such a serious problem that it is undermining the integrity of our representative democracy and people's faith in the very concept.

I think all voters would be better served if electoral districts were replaced with proportional voting at-large, so that one party cannot as easily entrench itself into power with gerrymandering and strategic electioneering. Because of the longstanding and widespread use of gerrymandering, electoral districts today are a larger impediment to representative democracy than they are a benefit. Above all, I favor genuinely proportional representation.

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

Farrah Chaichi (Democratic, Working Families)

No. I was asked to run to serve in the legislature as a voice for the people. I am not running for this seat out of personal ambition. Nonetheless, I didn’t foresee running for this office, so while I currently have no interest in running for a different political office, I also cannot predict what the future may hold.

See also

More about these elections:

• Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2022

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