Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Jesse Smith (Oregon)
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Jesse Smith (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Oregon House of Representatives to represent District 18. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2022
See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Oregon House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Rick Lewis defeated Jesse Smith in the general election for Oregon House of Representatives District 18 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Rick Lewis (R) | 71.1 | 24,352 |
 | Jesse Smith (D)  | 28.8 | 9,863 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 40 | ||
| Total votes: 34,255 | |||
| = 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 18
Jesse Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 18 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jesse Smith | 97.4 | 3,595 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.6 | 96 | ||
| Total votes: 3,691 | |||
| = 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 18
Incumbent Rick Lewis advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 18 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rick Lewis | 99.1 | 7,048 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 67 | ||
| Total votes: 7,115 | |||
| = 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 Smith's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jesse Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I am a husband and Dad, web developer, self-published author, musician, and Nature lover from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I believe in democracy, freedom, equality, the basic rights and dignities of all human beings, and the need to protect our natural environment. I look forward to serving the people of the great State of Oregon.
- People working together can improve the world by consciously creating positive social change.
- "Of the people, by the people, for the people" are founding principles of American democracy. These are the values that we all share. In the modern era, "for the people" means providing services for the people: especially for those people who are most in need.
- We hold compassion in our hearts, for ourselves and for others, so we may love our neighbors as ourselves. We wish to live our lives with dignity; and we believe that everyone else has the right to live with dignity, too. We wish to be treated with respect; so, following the Golden Rule, we live out our intention to treat others with respect as well. Let's bring compassion, dignity, and respect to the realm of politics, where it has been sadly lacking for far too long.
I care about public education. By providing the best possible education for everyone, we help create equality of opportunity; we create a culture based on good citizenship; and we provide for the future stability and growth of the economy. I care about the rights and welfare of all workers, in all industries, and I believe that all work should pay a living wage in conditions of safety and dignity. I care about the natural environment, and I believe that good stewardship is essential. We must act now to slow global climate change and to mitigate the effects which are already upon us; and we must protect natural habitats and open spaces. And I care about the provision of public services, from social services and health care to infrastructure: including providing broadband Internet to rural communities, so they can participate in the economy of the future.
My book "Principles for a Self-Directed Society" is the most complete overview of my thoughts on political philosophy and economic policy; but my views on certain details have evolved somewhat in the time since I originally wrote it, some 14 years ago or more.
When I was a kid, I saw "Les Miserables" in the theater in Seattle. My parents owned the soundtrack on cassette tape, and I knew all the songs by heart. That story probably embodies my core personal values better than anything I could say about myself: the forgiveness, the compassion, and the willingness to stand up and fight for what's right in the face of insurmountable odds.
When I was a kid, I saw "Les Miserables" in the theater in Seattle. My parents owned the soundtrack on cassette tape, and I knew all the songs by heart. That story probably embodies my core personal values better than anything I could say about myself: the forgiveness, the compassion, and the willingness to stand up and fight for what's right in the face of insurmountable odds.
The most important characteristic for an elected official is an attitude of service. We serve on behalf of the people of our district, including those who don't vote and those who voted for our opponent. The job is to do our best for everyone.
I do think it helps to have a well-thought-out and more or less internally consistent world view. But internally consistent does not mean unchanging: I think that as rational human beings, our views on certain details will naturally evolve over time as we mature and learn more.
I would like to use my creative approach, passion, energy, and idealism to benefit the people of the great State of Oregon.
I think the core responsibility of this office is to approach the work as an act of service on behalf of all the people of the district.
If I can help one person, I will have made a difference. If I can help many people, I will have made a great difference. If I can help those who cannot help themselves, I will have made the greatest difference of all.
When I was 15 years old I got a summer job working at the local McDonald's for $4.25 an hour. I rode my bicycle to work. Most of my co-workers at that job were adults, many of whom were trying to support their families on minimum wage income. One of my co-workers was an immigrant who also worked a second job at a chicken farm. Working at a fast-food restaurant for minimum wage in the early 1990s, I learned about the fundamental inequities of our economic system, and made me believe in the necessity of change.
Goodness gracious, I read a lot of books. I have a number of favorites. You want me to pick just one?
There was a Union officer in the Civil War named Theodore A. Dodge. He lost a leg at the Battle of Gettysburg, fighting for the Union and against slavery. After the war, he traveled to Europe, studied ancient original sources from antiquity, and retraced the route Hannibal Barca had once taken through the Alps with his army and their war elephants. Resolving a number of contradictions in those ancient texts was a puzzle, and solving that puzzle became Dodge's driving purpose. With only one leg, Dodge crossed the Alps, following in the footsteps of Hannibal. Dodge went on to write a whole series of books, but his book about Hannibal is the most personal. As he tried to soothe his body and heal his mind from the horrors of war, writing that book gave his life a new direction. I love Dodge's book about Hannibal, not just for the story it tells, but also for the story of hope that it represents.
There was a Union officer in the Civil War named Theodore A. Dodge. He lost a leg at the Battle of Gettysburg, fighting for the Union and against slavery. After the war, he traveled to Europe, studied ancient original sources from antiquity, and retraced the route Hannibal Barca had once taken through the Alps with his army and their war elephants. Resolving a number of contradictions in those ancient texts was a puzzle, and solving that puzzle became Dodge's driving purpose. With only one leg, Dodge crossed the Alps, following in the footsteps of Hannibal. Dodge went on to write a whole series of books, but his book about Hannibal is the most personal. As he tried to soothe his body and heal his mind from the horrors of war, writing that book gave his life a new direction. I love Dodge's book about Hannibal, not just for the story it tells, but also for the story of hope that it represents.
Today, I'm going to say Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise.
This morning the old spiritual hymn "Down By the Riverside" popped into my head for no obvious reason.
"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield down by the riverside, and I ain't gonna study war no more."
"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield down by the riverside, and I ain't gonna study war no more."
I don't want to complain. We all have struggles. Everyone's struggles are valid. I feel very grateful to be where I am today.
An ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature would be collaborative, with the governor and legislature asking each other for ideas, information, and assistance: with the branches working together to achieve shared policy goals and priorities.
There is a lengthy list of serious challenges we must face here in Oregon. Homelessness has skyrocketed in the past few years: we must improve the economy and find housing for those without. Our public schools rank very poorly relative to the other States in the nation: we must do better for the children and for the future of our great State. Global climate change is upon us: we must act now to slow its onset; and we must act now to plan for its effects: including its impacts on dwindling water resources, and the potentially deadly effects of heat waves. We must ensure that rural households have access to reliable Internet services; and we must ensure that urban households have access to healthy food. In all areas, we must support the well-being of the people.
No, I am not in favor of a unicameral legislature. As we learned in grade school, our democratic system of government was designed as a system of checks and balances. Although a state legislature with a single house would be able to rush through legislation in every session, that's not a benefit. It would result in poorly considered laws. At worst, a legislature with minimal deliberation or balance could result in the passage of laws that disregard human rights. In Oregon's bicameral legislature, we have a slow-moving deliberative body acting as a check on the fast-paced larger body, specifically so we can ensure that laws will be written for the long term.
Look, I'm biased with regards to this question, because I'm a candidate for office with no previous government experience. That said, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't believe there is a place in the legislature for newcomers. Newcomers bring fresh ideas and a new approach. Newcomers bring change. That's what I'm here for. I do think it's necessary for politicians to possess certain leadership skills and qualities; but I believe it is possible to learn those basics outside of the political sphere. For myself, I have a business degree, and years of experience as a small business owner. That business experience has taught me how to wade through regulatory language, financial statements, tax rules, project management terminology, contracts, and so on: all the basics that I will use in my work in the legislature. The other key skill required for work in the legislature is the ability to listen to and work with other people; and again, that's an essential part of any business. I believe a business background is a reasonable substitute for previous government experience for a state legislature candidate.
Absolutely! It's beneficial to build relationships with other legislators in one's own party, so you can work together to get things done; and it's beneficial to build relationships with legislators in the opposing party, so you can build relationships that you can rely on later when it's time to find areas of agreement and compromise, and work together to get things done. Above all, the other legislators are people, and we all need to recognize one another's shared humanity.
When district boundaries are drawn, the people who live in a given district should easily understand why the boundaries were drawn in a certain way. District boundaries should follow geographical features whenever possible; and when they don't, the district boundaries should be drawn in the simplest shape possible. Neighbors should be in the same district as each other. Adjacent small towns should be in the same district as each other. Gerrymandering complex computer-generated district boundaries to enshrine the power of a certain political party undermines democracy itself.
I would love to be on the Environmental Committee and the Education Committee.
I really admire State Representative Courtney Neron of Wilsonville, who took on a challenging race and flipped her district from red to blue. That's an example I would love to emulate.
Let's see how this one goes.
I was speaking to a local teacher who was expressing frustrating with the funding for public education. Our public school teachers have been working really hard without a raise for a long time under stressful conditions, and yet this teacher was so selfless that she kept talking about the need for supplies and facilities. My takeaway was that improving Oregon's public education is not about any one person or line item: the entire system requires additional support.
I have also spoken to local farmers who are concerned about the impact of the new law that guarantees overtime protections to agricultural workers. Personally, I support that law, because I believe in the principle of providing equal protections for all workers, regardless of their industry.
How do you catch a unique rabbit?
Unique up on it.
Unique up on it.
Nearly seven thousand Oregonians lost their lives to Covid-19.
To put that in perspective: the number of Oregonians who died of the coronavirus pandemic is greater than the combined populations of Mt. Angel and Hubbard, here in my district, put together. That's a tremendous loss of human life.
I think it's worth mentioning here that my Republican opponent, the current incumbent for this seat, spent most of the past two years trying to impeach the governor over mask mandates. And when I saw his voting record, when I saw the things he's been supporting in the legislature, that was the day I first decided to run against him.
Yes, I believe that compromise is necessary. I am aware that on both sides of the political spectrum these days, compromise is viewed as a form of "dealing with the Devil." But compromise is the fundamental nature of shared power. Our public systems are designed to encourage compromise. If one side has the votes to do whatever they want, then they probably will. Otherwise, it's better to compromise than to sit around complaining about the other side and getting nothing done. Of course, a successful compromise requires both parties to agree, so I understand that it's not always possible. But let's at least stay open to the possibility.
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 18 |
Personal |
Footnotes
Current members of the Oregon House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Julie Fahey
Majority Leader:Ben Bowman
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
Hoa Nguyen (D)
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 (37)
Republican Party (23)
