Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Ramiro Navarro Jr.
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Ramiro Navarro Jr. (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) ran for election to the Oregon House of Representatives to represent District 21. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022. He advanced from the Democratic primary on May 17, 2022.
Navarro completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Ramiro Navarro Jr. was born in Portland, Oregon. Navarro Jr. served in the U.S. Army from 2008 to 2011. He earned a military citation from the U.S. Army in 2009 and attended Chemeketa Community College. Navarro Jr.'s career experience includes working as a veterans program coordinator, a peer support specialist, a certified mechanic with the U.S. Army, and a certified dual shield MIG welder with R&S Welding Mentors. He has been affiliated with Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Main Street Alliance of Oregon.[1][2]
Elections
2022
See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Oregon House of Representatives District 21
Kevin Mannix defeated Ramiro Navarro Jr. and Michael Morrow in the general election for Oregon House of Representatives District 21 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kevin Mannix (R) | 51.4 | 13,115 |
 | Ramiro Navarro Jr. (D / Working Families Party)  | 45.6 | 11,646 | |
 | Michael Morrow (L) | 2.9 | 738 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 26 | ||
| Total votes: 25,525 | |||
| = 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 21
Ramiro Navarro Jr. defeated Robert Husseman in the Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 21 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ramiro Navarro Jr. | 63.8 | 3,394 |
| Robert Husseman | 34.7 | 1,848 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.5 | 78 | ||
| Total votes: 5,320 | |||
| = 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
- Dave McCall (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 21
Kevin Mannix defeated Kyler McNaught in the Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 21 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kevin Mannix | 85.8 | 4,712 |
| Kyler McNaught | 13.6 | 749 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 28 | ||
| Total votes: 5,489 | |||
| = 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
To view Navarro's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
2020
See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Oregon House of Representatives District 25
Incumbent Bill Post defeated Ramiro Navarro Jr. in the general election for Oregon House of Representatives District 25 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bill Post (R) | 56.6 | 20,421 |
| Ramiro Navarro Jr. (D / Working Families Party) | 43.3 | 15,613 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 57 | ||
| Total votes: 36,091 | |||
| = 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 25
Ramiro Navarro Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 25 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ramiro Navarro Jr. | 97.7 | 5,094 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.3 | 122 | ||
| Total votes: 5,216 | |||
| = 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
- Dylan Juran (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 25
Incumbent Bill Post advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 25 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bill Post | 98.7 | 7,366 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 95 | ||
| Total votes: 7,461 | |||
| = 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
To view Navarro's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ramiro Navarro Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Navarro's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
My name is Ramiro Navarro Jr, or RJ for short. I'm a born and raised Oregonian and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran. I joined the military at 18 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and served as a gunner on deployment. Coming home from combat I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD which led to an abuse of alcohol and Marijuana and eventually an 18-month sentence in prison for Marijuana. I continued to struggle with mental health following my release with the addition of struggling with homelessness and recidivism. What helped me to get on a path to recovery was a housing-first model Criminal Justice Reinvestment program which supported me in getting clean and sober enough to ask for help. That's when I reaffirmed my oath to serve and I haven't stopped giving back to our community since.
- Veteran Services: Oregon Veterans struggle with suicide, homelessness and hunger at a disproportionate rate. We need to be doing more so our Veterans have access to their benefits and mental health resources so they can enjoy the life they've fought for.
- Education: Students and Teachers are struggling in our school system that is severely underfunded. Let's get education, including pre-k childcare, back on track so youth can have the education they need and teachers can have the resources they need to provide it.
- Environment: We've all seen the impacts of climate change and it's past time that we get serious about reducing our carbon footprint by advocating for renewable energy jobs and transportation.
All three that I previously mentioned. Being a Veteran who understands first-hand how we fail our troops returning home in Oregon, I know more can be done. Being the son of a Salem-Keizer School Teacher and a student in the Salem-Keizer Public School System, I know how teachers are struggling and how students are calling for help. Being a mechanic in the military I understand the impact transportation has on our environment and how switching over to environmentally friendly modes of transportation and energy could help us build a cleaner Oregon where residents can breathe non-toxic air and drink non-toxic water.
My mother. She was a single mom with 6 children on a teacher's salary and somehow still managed to provide for us. She also would never turn someone away who asked for help, which is a value instilled in all 6 of us that we continue to practice and pass on to our children to this day.
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. It's a story about a young shepherd who goes off on a journey in pursuit of his dreams guided by his heart. A great book that helped shaped my philosophy around pursuing my goals, especially when it's for all the right reasons.
I believe firmly in Abraham Lincoln's words that the government should be "...of the people, by the people, and for the people." An important characteristic of an elected official should likewise be that they are of the people, meaning that they are involved in their community and engage with their community. I am not one who wishes to be representing my community from an ivory tower and I think most would agree that is an important characteristic in a leader/elected official.
I'm very community-oriented. I believe being engaged in the community helps to hear what issues are really impacting the people and that helps understand how to advocate effectively from first-hand experience. Living by the mantra that it takes a village, I do all I can to improve that village.
The core responsibilities of someone elected to this office are to set public policy, adopt the state's budget, review administrative rules and enact laws.
I'd like to leave a legacy where people have clean drinking water and clean air to breathe.
9/11. I was a 6th grader at Claggett Creek Middle School the first year it was built and remember how frozen the class was as we watched the second plane hit on the T.V. in homeroom.
My first official job was working right here in Keizer at the McDonalds on River Rd. I worked there for 9 months at 17 because my grandmother had broken her foot and couldn't work so I helped pay rent.
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. It really shaped my philosophy around following my dreams and being true to myself.
Batman. The Dark Knight. The World's Greatest Detective. The Caped Crusader. Or Batsy, if you're a Joker fan...
Whatever song I'm sure my daughter is going to sing a million times today
My mental health. I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD returning from combat and turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with my symptoms. Now that I have a diagnosis, I get counseling through the V.A., Peer Support through other Veteran Service Organizations and my new addiction is kayaking on the Willamette or otherwise enjoying the therapeutic benefits of time in nature.
I believe an ideal relationship is one of mutual respect where the legislature can rely on the governor and the governor can rely on the legislature to be good co-equal branches of government. This balance of power can lean too far in one direction where the Governor vetoes laws and it can lean in the other direction where the Senate refuses to confirm appointments. Basically, an ideal relationship is one that is cohesive.
Climate change and our environmental impact. Here in Salem, the heat waves have increased the algae blooms in the drinking water system which can be poisonous. Private wells nearby are testing high in arsenic content which some attribute to fertilizers and industrial waste. To this day residents are afraid of getting into the Willamette River because they believe it to be poisoned beyond repair due to a history of toxic dumping. The heatwaves have also dried the land which leads to destructive wildfires. These climate and environmental issues are going to continue to get worse if we continue failing to effectively address them.
Oregon doesn't have a unicameral state legislature.
I believe it's beneficial. Being on the board of the Salem Area Mass Transit District has given me the opportunity to be a representative of my community while getting familiar with Roberts Rules of Order and being on the Senate Bill 973 IMPACTS committee has given me the opportunity to know other representatives and where they are willing to compromise. However, I feel career politicians are not beneficial in government as some tend to be too rich to empathize with the real issues impacting their constituencies.
Yes. Having good working relationships can be the difference between getting your constituents clean drinking water or them needing to treat it daily for the foreseeable future. I try to build good working relationships early on because you never know when you might need help with something vital and it's important to know you have people you can rely on to get things done for your community.
I support Oregon's process of a bipartisan redistricting commission
Veterans and Emergency Management
Education
Business and Labor
Agriculture, Land Use and Water
and
Representative Paul Evans. I recall overhearing a conversation when I attended a hearing on a Veterans Memorial and advocates from the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) were there. Rep. Evans showed up and a member from the VFW shouted "YOU CAME! I knew you would...) I would want to model myself after Rep. Evans who shows up for his constituents in a way that elicits excitement but not surprise. Rep. Evans is also the voice of reason on many occasions that a lot of people respect him for. They might not have voted for him but they respect his stance on many issues and that is a sign of a great leader when you can advocate for the best interests of your district as a whole regardless of whether they voted for you or not.
There's many. But if I had to choose one it would be that of 16-year-old McNary High School student Ishaq Saleem who was shot and killed in Salem. When his Representative was contacted about what could be done to prevent more shootings, the Representative responded with, "Not in my District. Not my problem." It was deeply disturbing to see this elected official, my elected official, refused to care about a child whose parents were his constituents simply because he was killed a few streets outside of his District. That forever changed my mindset of not wanting anything to do with politics.
Why did the egg cross the road??? Because he was chicken (Just heard that one from my 7-year-old).
I believe the legislature should oversee and grant the use of emergency powers in extenuating circumstances. For example, Oregon's Governor declared a state of emergency to address a tap water crisis where drinking water had become poisonous. This activated National Guard troops who were able to truck in clean drinking water.
Absolutely. I faced a lot of pushback when organizing events in college or pushing for policy to help Veterans and if I had failed to compromise, then none of it would've happened. Personally, I don't find it too difficult to compromise. First, you have to know who you're talking to and then you can find common ground where there's not much to compromise on because both parties were heard in the beginning. For example, I sit on the SB973 IMPACTS committee to improve people's access to community-based treatment and services. It took months of compromising with other committee members to draft policies that would make the most impact on improving people's access to services while limiting what funds could be used for. In the end, I believe we all walked away from the table happy and now we meet every few months to review the amazing success of the initiative.
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.
2020
Ramiro Navarro Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Navarro's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I'm a combat veteran, a father, and a community servant. After my deployment to Iraq in 2009 I struggled with reintegration and used marijuana to cope with my PTSD. That landed me in prison for 18 months back when Marijuana was illegal without a medical card. Now I work at a nonprofit that provides mental health services to veterans who struggle to cope as I have. I also host a boot camp for youth called the Oregon Veterans Youth Challenge every summer to help youth pursue higher education either through the military, college, or trade school. I volunteer with my fellow veterans giving Toys to Tots every year and much more. I come from an immigrant background and worked in the fields of Keizer, Gervais, St. Paul, and Newberg growing up. As a certified welder, I'm a fan of trades. As someone who's experienced the effects of bad policy, I'm not a fan of idle politicians that's keep us from Moving Forward Together as a community. Being born and raised in Keizer I know the struggles of the community and will work diligently by addressing issues important to House District 25 like Veteran suicide rates, youth mental health resources, homelessness, education, justice reform, and the renewable energy.
- Veterans continue to be forgotten in Oregon resulted in record suicide, homelessness and poverty rates. I want to change that to give our Veterans the support they need coming home.
- Student success includes education when it comes to trade options. I'd like propose renewable energy trades be taught in schools to give students better job opportunities. Part 1 of 2
- As a Mechanic in the Military, I'm familiar with engine components and would like to propose Tax Credits for individuals who convert their existing vehicles from gas to electric using trained technicians. Part 2 of 2
Veterans Issues, Education, Justice Reform, Mental Health Services, and Renewable Energy.
I'd say my Mother. I can only imagine what it's like raising kids on your own after your spouse has been deported but somehow she managed to do it with a smile and while working for the Salem-Keizer School District. Every day I strive to raise my kids how she raised me and I can only hope that I'm as strong a parent for them and she was for us.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Though less political and more moral I think the book does a great job of explaining how people can be from completely different worlds and still care for each other.
I think one of the most important is that an elected official listens. We have this saying in the ARMY, "I might not like what you're saying but I'll always fight for your right to say it." That's important because voices are most definitely not being heard right now during this crisis which is when we should be listening more intently.
Dedicated, Determined, Punctual, and Detail Oriented.
Listening and speaking to all people in the district. Not just the ones you're comfortable with.
One where children aren't afraid to go to school, women aren't afraid to be themselves, minorities aren't afraid to go out in public and veterans aren't afraid to go on living.
9/11. I was 11 at the time and seen it on the news walking out the door to school. Then I remember the T.V. on in my homeroom at Claggett Creek Middle School showing the news as we were all watched in horror as that second plane hit.
My first job was harvesting Marionberries and strawberries. I did that seasonally from the time I was 10 up until the time I was 16
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho because of the beautiful message it tells.
Too easy, Batman.
Homesick by Kane Brown
My compassion. I'm the type of person that if I'm eating a sandwich and see someone starving, it becomes our sandwich. That's made it difficult for me to become other people's definition of successful but I measure success as a journey, not a destination. So every day that I fight injustice because I care so much for others, is a success for me.
I believe the House of Representatives is the most important as all bills that call for increased revenue must be introduced into the House before being voted on in the Senate.
I believe it's beneficial for state legislators to have effective previous experience in government or politics.
Corporate interests. When public policymakers listen to corporations more than they do their voters, they are compromised and will fail to represent the voters over their donors.
I believe an ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature is one where everyone is working together to not halt progress on very important issues by means of walkouts or vetoes.
Absolutely. For example, I have built relationships with other legislators to address issues of Veteran suicide rates. As a state representative, I could build on that relationship to not only help the Veterans in my district but also all across the state.
I favor a process where the people pick their politicians, not the other way around. This would take independent redistricting commissions, getting corporate interests out of local elections, and protecting voters against discrimination.
Veterans and Emergency Preparedness(of course), Health Care, Behavioral Health, Housing, Education and Agriculture and Land Use all really would be right up my alley.
Absolutely. I'm not quite sure what leadership role but wherever my voice is needed I would oblige.
Fellow Veteran and champion for vets, Rep. Paul Evans.
Not at the moment.
I honestly wouldn't know where to begin with all the impactful stories I've heard of veterans struggling with homelessness, children not receiving justice in school, individuals struggling with mental health issues and people not having access to health care. Residents are definitely struggling in our district, especially non-English speaking residents that have been hit the hardest by lack of leadership from elected officials.
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Oregon House of Representatives District 21 |
Personal |
Footnotes
Current members of the Oregon House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Julie Fahey
Majority Leader:Ben Bowman
Minority Leader:Lucetta Elmer
Representatives
District 1
Court Boice (R)
District 2
Virgle Osborne (R)
District 3
Dwayne Yunker (R)
District 4
Alek Skarlatos (R)
District 5
Pam Marsh (D)
District 6
Kim Wallan (R)
District 7
John Lively (D)
District 8
Lisa Fragala (D)
District 9
Boomer Wright (R)
District 10
David Gomberg (D)
District 11
Jami Cate (R)
District 12
Darin Harbick (R)
District 13
Nancy Nathanson (D)
District 14
Julie Fahey (D)
District 15
District 16
Sarah McDonald (D)
District 17
Ed Diehl (R)
District 18
Rick Lewis (R)
District 19
Tom Andersen (D)
District 20
Paul Evans (D)
District 21
Kevin Mannix (R)
District 22
Lesly Muñoz (D)
District 23
Anna Scharf (R)
District 24
Lucetta Elmer (R)
District 25
Ben Bowman (D)
District 26
Sue Rieke Smith (D)
District 27
Ken Helm (D)
District 28
Dacia Grayber (D)
District 29
Susan McLain (D)
District 30
Nathan Sosa (D)
District 31
Darcey Edwards (R)
District 32
Cyrus Javadi (D)
District 33
Shannon Isadore (D)
District 34
Mari Watanabe (D)
District 35
Farrah Chaichi (D)
District 36
Hai Pham (D)
District 37
Jules Walters (D)
District 38
Daniel Nguyen (D)
District 39
April Dobson (D)
District 40
Annessa Hartman (D)
District 41
Mark Gamba (D)
District 42
Rob Nosse (D)
District 43
Tawna Sanchez (D)
District 44
Travis Nelson (D)
District 45
Thuy Tran (D)
District 46
Willy Chotzen (D)
District 47
District 48
Vacant
District 49
Zach Hudson (D)
District 50
Ricki Ruiz (D)
District 51
Christine Drazan (R)
District 52
Jeffrey Helfrich (R)
District 53
Emerson Levy (D)
District 54
Jason Kropf (D)
District 55
E. Reschke (R)
District 56
Emily McIntire (R)
District 57
Greg Smith (R)
District 58
Bobby Levy (R)
District 59
District 60
Mark Owens (R)
Democratic Party (36)
Republican Party (23)
Vacancies (1)
