Rachel Rand

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

Rachel Rand

No Party Affiliation

Elections and appointments

Last convention

August 5, 2024

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

1992 - 2000

Personal

Birthplace

Portland, Ore.

Religion

Zen

Profession

Software engineer

Contact

Campaign website

Rachel Rand (Democratic Party) ran for election for President of the United States. She lost as a write-in in the Democratic convention on August 5, 2024.

Rand also ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Oregon's 3rd Congressional District. She lost in the Democratic primary on May 21, 2024.

Rand completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

On June 28, 2025, Rand notified Ballotpedia that she had changed party affiliation from the Democratic Party to no party affiliation.

Biography

Rachel Rand was born in Portland, Oregon. Rand served in the U.S. Navy from 1992 to 2000. Her career experience includes working as a software engineer and jazz musician.

Elections

2024

See also: Oregon's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024

Oregon's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Democratic primary)

Oregon's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Oregon District 3

Maxine Dexter defeated Joanna Harbour, David Walker, Joe Meyer, and David Frosch in the general election for U.S. House Oregon District 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maxine Dexter (D)	67.7	226,405
		Joanna Harbour (R)	25.2	84,344
		David Walker (Independent Party / Progressive Party)	3.1	10,245
		Joe Meyer (Pacific Green Party)	3.0	10,106
		David Frosch ()	0.7	2,459
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	810

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 334,369
= 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 U.S. House Oregon District 3

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Oregon District 3 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maxine Dexter	47.3	47,254
		Susheela Jayapal	32.8	32,793
		Eddy Morales	13.4	13,391
		Michael Jonas	2.4	2,359
		Nolan Bylenga	2.1	2,138
		Rachel Rand	0.9	856
		Ricky Barajas	0.6	649
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	430

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 99,870
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jeremiah Campion (D)
• Theodore Gwynn (D)
• Earl Blumenauer (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Oregon District 3

Joanna Harbour defeated Gary Dye and Teresa Orwig in the Republican primary for U.S. House Oregon District 3 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joanna Harbour	55.0	13,948
		Gary Dye	27.1	6,869
		Teresa Orwig	17.0	4,303
		Other/Write-in votes	1.0	258

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,378
= 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

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rand in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rachel Rand completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rand's 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.

I was a jazz musician in the US Navy. After the Navy, I taught myself software engineering while living on the streets of Seattle under the Space Needle. I've gone on to have a 20 year career coding software. I've been doing political writing almost daily for a decade.

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?

• Climate Change - My platform has evolved over the last decade to encouraging Generation Z to have significantly less children to fight climate change and the inevitable end of oil.
• Oil is a fuel and a substance that we pave our roads and shingle our houses with. It will run out and our population is predicted to be over 10 billion by the end of the century. My calculations suggest that if people around the world have 1/4 of the children of the normal replacement rate, we would get to 2 billion people worldwide by 2099.
• Many scientists are suggesting that our farming practices are depleting top soil at a rate that is unsustainable, yet the number of children we are having and our perceived goals for a "sustainable lithium economy" are persistent in our society. I challenge that these numbers to not add up. Reducing population seems to be the only answer. The brief carbon savings realized during 2020 would not be enough to overcome our agricultural problems.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I feel that the severity of climate change and related issues dwarfs any other problems we have. If Generation Z can show us that they are reducing population and I get elected, I promise to propose bills that will support them and what I'm calling the "new economic system" that would inevitably happen because of the population decline. Without the need for new housing, there are going to be many unemployed people and the housing market will be disrupted. Human activity causes climate change. We would then need to restructure things to live more locally. I'm suggesting a massive extension of what is commonly known as the food stamp program which I see as the gateway into this new economy.

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

Sting, Geddy Lee, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten. Perhaps I should have put more working into playing the bass instead of the trombone LOL!

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

The Two Income Trap, Energy and Civilization, Contact, Interstellar, Mr. Money Mustache

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

There are many types of elected officials. I am a high level idea person. Some people have a law background. Some people are negotiators. I am a jack of all trades type of person. My music, career experiences and lifestyle represent many different cultures from around the world. Being a representative is part of politics.

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

Tenacity.

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

I believe the primary job of a US Representative is to ensure that our society remains civil.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Inspiring Generation Z to have less children. I see this as keeping a civil society in the drawdown years.

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

Viewing Apollo 17 on the TV and getting stung by a hive of bees.

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

Janitor. 2.5 years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Way of Zen. I was reading this in the 1990's and doing a lot of meditation. The idea that words are abstractions of the truth is a key concept in my life. The idea of approaching things with a beginners mind.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Ellie from Contact. I like her tenacity and intellect.

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

At Last We Meet Again recorded by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

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

Social networking. I spend a lot of time developing political theories and my networking presence has been a struggle for me.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

I like the diversity of representation.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, we need a large group of people with prior government experience.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Transitioning away from the idea of having two long range electric cars in every driveway. I feel this is repeating our old problems of producing more machines that are slightly more energy efficient.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I am in favor of how our government is currently organized. I think that attempting to alter this system is a waste of precious time.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Rep. Earl Blumenauer. I ran "against" him for this position twice. Earl has been a key player in the development of our bicycling and light rail systems in Portland Oregon. I'm proposing a huge expansion in our bicycling culture through the use of semi-electric two and three wheel devices.

Both sitting representatives 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?

I'm frustrated from hearing so many stories of work requirements to get benefits like SNAP. No one works too well without food. I'm suggesting a system where there are no requirements and the elimination of jobs that are policing these policies.

Tell us your favorite joke.

I like the line from Star Wars "loose wire joke".

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

Yes. I identify with being a moderate Democrat.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

If Generation Z can prove that they are reducing population, I will put a host of new bills in the hopper to support this new economy I'm proposing. On day one, I'll introduce a bill to force employers to allow people to work from home if possible. I'll also introduce a bill to legalize marijuana on the federal level. I have a hunch that growing cannabis may be a key part of our agriculture in the future.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

I'm not quite sure what this question is getting at, but I have hopes that my office in DC will be able to conduct research with leading businesses. I would hope that we could be united in fighting climate change instead of each other.

What committees interest you?

Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Ways and Means, Science Space & Technology

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I am a strong supporter of financial transparency. Problems are hard enough to find solutions for. We need as many transparent facts as we can get.

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.

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Rachel Rand campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	President of the United States	Lost convention	$0	N/A**
2024*	U.S. House Oregon District 3	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. House Oregon District 3

Website

Footnotes

[show]

Oregon's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jeff Merkley (D)

Ron Wyden (D)

Representatives

District 1

Suzanne Bonamici (D)

District 2

Cliff Bentz (R)

District 3

Maxine Dexter (D)

District 4

Val Hoyle (D)

District 5

Janelle Bynum (D)

District 6

Andrea Salinas (D)

Democratic Party (7)

Republican Party (1)