Oregon House of Representatives District 49 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 49 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

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• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Oregon House of Representatives District 49

Incumbent Zach Hudson defeated Randy Lauer in the general election for Oregon House of Representatives District 49 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Zach Hudson (D / Independent Party / Working Families Party)	52.1	10,955
		Randy Lauer (R)	47.8	10,052
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	27

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,034
= 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?

Zach Hudson (Democratic, Independent, Working Families)

Support public safety and reduce unauthorized camping by getting resources to East County and better coordinating resources between the state, county and cities.

Support education, including increased mental health supports for students and expanded vocational pathways.

Stand up for working families by increasing access to affordable housing, medical care and childcare.

Randy Lauer (R)

Homelessness Epidemic. The problems of Portland are filtering East into neighborhoods and workplaces at a drastic rate. East County needs a leader that will stand up for the families and businesses, elevate their feedback and suggestions, and take action at the State level. East County needs a leader that will break the mold of services coming out of Portland and Multnomah County, and will actually advocate for the houseless communities who desperately require services that will support them off the streets.

The Need For Public Safety. The Portland-Metro area is making national headlines for the increasing crime rates with no resolution in sight. Criminal activity is on the rise with zero accountability. The streets of East County are no longer safe and this needs to change! Randy plans to be the leader on the frontlines at the State level to demand change, as well as the necessary and deserving support the men and women in Public Safety need to keep East County streets, children, families and businesses safe. Randy is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all people in East Portland, Fairview, Wood Village, North Gresham, and Troutdale through strong partnerships with the local public safety jurisdictions.

A Logical & Rational End to the Pandemic Response. The regulations and mandates from Governor Brown and the staff at the Oregon Health Authority, have gone on long enough. COVID-19 and the continuous strains may impact us for a long time, but that does not mean the overreaching and authoritarian mandates should be tolerated any longer. 

In the United States, as the leader of the free world and one of the superpowers in global medical response, medical mandates and regulations are irrational and simply unacceptable. Randy will be a leader for East County to protect his community's freedom of medical choice and what it means to be a Free American.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Zach Hudson (Democratic, Independent, Working Families)

I have worked on legislation to help those experiencing homelessness, to support labor unions, to protect wildlife, to expand education options, to reduce the price of prescription mediation and to improve our election system. I plan to continue working in these areas. As Vice Chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, I look forward to introducing legislation to protect our air, soil and water, and as a teacher and a member of the Education Committee, I plan to introduce a bill to support underfunded school districts.

Randy Lauer (R)

Areas of legislation I am passionate about while heading into my first year with the legislature are centered around homelessness and community safety. It will be my goal to author legislation making it a requirement for non-profits who receive state funding for their homeless and social service work to require measurable items tracked to justify the need for tax dollars. There will be metrics that each non-profit will need to hit in order to continue to receive funding from the state. The social services provided are extremely important to help the individuals who are in need of these services but be allowed to go unchecked, provides a hole around accountability when we try to measure the success or failure of such programs.

Community safety legislation will be another area of immediate focus for me during my first year. Further legislation making it more of a serious crime to steal, sell, scrap, and purchase stolen catalytic converters will be key moving forward. Also, continued focus on supporting our local and county police by offering state of the art training and equipment to better keep our communities as safe as possible. All the while doing what I can to encourage legislation to no longer limit the polices ability to uphold law and order in all corners of Oregon.

If I can do anything to help bring back the safe and secure nature of Oregon, it will be my honor to bring such ideals back to Salem.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Randy Lauer (R)

I look up to people like my parents, my grandparents, and those who came before me serving their country and community to create a better home for future generations. My grandparents understood what it meant to be a family and what it meant to provide. My mother and father took what they learned from their parents and instilled in me and my siblings the very same work ethic and value for hard work. This is something I have worked to ingrain in my kids as well.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Zach Hudson (Democratic, Independent, Working Families)

I am inspired by the political philosophy of John Rawls. I like his idea that justice isn't just a set of consequences for our actions, but a system where everyone can thrive. He writes that to design such a system, we have to imagine we could be born into any place in our society. We could be born to a poor family or a rich one; we could be born any race, gender or sexuality; we could be born with any talents or disabilities. Knowing that we could start out anywhere, what kind of a society would we wish for? I know I would want a society with a strong social safety net, good schools for every student, and an economic system that allows anyone to succeed.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Randy Lauer (R)

I believe all elected officials need to lead with honesty, integrity, and honor. Building a foundation while incorporating these 3 tenets will help to create an elected official who we can trust to make decisions based on the collective good for everyone in the community. Someone who leads with these 3 ideals helps to create an environment where no problem can be defined as insurmountable, no obstacle too large to work through, and past. The product of these tenets, in my opinion, is hope.

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

Zach Hudson (Democratic, Independent, Working Families)

I remember the Challenger space shuttle exploding on takeoff. I was in second grade. We were all excited for the launch because there was a teacher on board.

Randy Lauer (R)

The first real historical, or world event, I remember paying attention to was Gulf War 1. I had just turned 10 years old when Iraq invaded the country of Kuwait. While I was too young to fully understand the world implications such a war was to have on a global scale, it helped to light the fire for service I would later try to build upon as a young adult.

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

Randy Lauer (R)

My first legal job was back in 1995, when I was 15 years old, working during the Christmas season for Zumiez at Clackamas Town Center. Due to it being a seasonal job, I was only employed for 3 months. But, holy cow was it a good 3 months! I not only received a paycheck that helped pay for ski passes on Mt. Hood, I also received a discount as an employee so I was able to buy all new snowboarding gear that season as well! An all around great experience. Technically, my first job was when I was 14 helping my dad by working for his construction and excavation company. I learned how to work around heavy equipment, the value of hardworking, and the importance of earning a wage. With the money earned that summer, I purchased my very first snowboard and bindings set.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Randy Lauer (R)

Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. There is something so relatable to the struggles of a 16-year old Holden Caulfield and what an adolescent goes through while dealign with the difficulties and dark places of the psyche and the world around them.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Randy Lauer (R)

To be completely honest and vulnerable here, an area of struggle for me is my addiction to alcohol. I have been sober for 10 years this coming November but my addiction is something I work to control everyday. With the love and support from my wife, my kids, my family and friends, and the continued ficus on serving my community, lends me the hope I need to not only beat my alcohol addiction, but to also overcome it and thrive. My drive for service is what keeps me motivated to be a better man, husband, father, and community leader.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Randy Lauer (R)

The governor and legislature's relationship is that of a symbiotic nature. One cannot exist without the other in our form of government and one cannot govern without the assistance from the other. A good partnership is what will be paramount for moving Oregon out of the current state we find her in.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Randy Lauer (R)

Rising inflation and cost of goods, homelessness, crime, drug deaths, and a ballooning housing market are all key indicators that Oregon is in for a tough road ahead. That is why it is important we work together now, not 10 years from now, to find realistic and creative ways to find an end to these markers of a struggling economy. With that being said, working together for the good of all of Oregon, I think, will be the difficulty over the next decade. We've done some really damage in the Pacific Northwest over the past few years and building the trust back between neighbors, communities, and elected leaders will be the mountain we will all have to climb to get back on the right track.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Zach Hudson (Democratic, Independent, Working Families)

Yes, absolutely. No legislator can get anything passed on their own. Every bill has a team behind it. I have worked hard to build relationships, including those across the aisle. My primary bill in 2021 was co-chief-sponsored with a Republican colleague.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

Zach Hudson (Democratic, Independent, Working Families)

I currently serve on the House Education Committee, the House Economic Development and Small Business Committee, the Ways and Means Subcommittee for General Government and I am vice chair for the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee. I enjoy all these committees because they are interest areas of mine, particularly Education, because it is my career, Environment, because it is such a pressing issue for our future, and Economic Development because it provides jobs.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Zach Hudson (Democratic, Independent, Working Families)

I was canvassing and I knocked on a door and got into a conversation with the person living there. She told me about how she had previously been homeless. Because ending homelessness is such an important issue to me, I asked what had been the most important thing that helped her get off the streets. She talked about her case worker, and how having one person who believed in her and would move mountains to help her succeed was what helped her the most. I want to make sure someone like that is available to anyone who needs help.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Randy Lauer (R)

I believe compromise is the cornerstone of any good governing body. I do not go into this office thinking that I have all the answers, but what I do know is I will always seek out those who have part of the answer to help me in coming to a well rounded and acceptable decision for the community. Working across party lines, working together for a desirable outcome while keeping the collective good for everyone in HD-49, will be my guiding light, my driving force behind every vote I cast.

See also

More about these elections:

• Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2022

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