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OPB asked candidates for Congressional races the same questions on key issues in the state. Answers are provided verbatim but responses were limited to 150 words. Read Libertarian candidate Joseph Christman’s responses to the same questions.
To start, please give us your name and basic biographical details, including your current position or job, any elected offices you have held and any key facts you would like voters to know about you.
My name is Joe Christman. I am a software developer who works at a large semiconductor company and I am a director of the Libertarian Party of Oregon. I was born in Washington and have lived in Oregon since the age of 4. I decided to run because I was horrified by my government’s enablement of the genocide in Gaza. I have never hated my government as much as this in my life, and I’ve been a Libertarian since I was a teenager, so that’s not nothing. I was particularly outraged by Suzanne Bonamici voting in favor of military funding for Israel and her enablement of the Biden/Harris administration’s policy of unqualified support for the Gaza genocide.
Why should you be elected to represent this district?
I should be elected because the Democratic Party has failed the state while the Republican Party is a complete clown show. Suzanne Bonamici has failed to stand up to the Biden-Harris administration even as it has enabled a genocide, and the Republicans are arguably even worse on that front. I am not beholden to Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Joe Biden or Benjamin Netanyahu.
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What is the most pressing challenge facing your district? What is your proposed solution to that problem? Please be specific.
Oregon Congressional District 1 is pretty representative of the country in that it is a mix of Urban and Rural. I suspect the biggest issue most people are facing everyday is inflation. As a Libertarian, I want to reign in the Fed and dramatically reduce spending, especially on military ventures reducing the need for money printing.
Who won the 2020 election?
Joe Biden seems to be a fair answer.
Will you commit to certify the 2024 election results, regardless of the victor?
Sure, not that I think anyone actually will care all that much about my opinion on the matter.
Would you support a federal ban on abortion? Why or why not?
No, I am pro-life, but I think it is clearly a state issue under the constitution.
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Intel has close connections with the Israeli government and the nation itself and is one of the largest employers in the state. What is your stance on the ongoing war in Gaza and Intel’s connections to the region?
I have to decline to answer this one fully due to a conflict of interest, but the “war in Gaza” is no war, it is a genocide.
Immigration is one of the most prominent issues in the Republican party’s national platform. How has immigration impacted your constituents directly or indirectly? Please be specific. Would you support the bipartisan immigration bill negotiated earlier this year if it returns? Why or why not?
Immigration is an issue that tends to be a hot button one. I do think Immigration restrictionists’ point that we should know who enters the country is quite fair, and I also believe that the country’s immigration system should primarily serve current citizens. That said, I don’t believe there is any need to villianize immigrants; most of them improve our community and came with good intentions.
I think our immigration system should focus less on economic migration and more on things like family unification. Our current immigration system seems to emphasize giving American corporations a de facto near slave labor force to compete with American citizens, and that is wrong.
As for the specifics of the immigration bill earlier this year, there seem to be good and bad aspects of it, and I think I would have to do a lot more research to develop a strong opinion on it. In general, I think we should have a secure border and an immigration system that unites families instead of separating them.
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The U.S. House of Representatives is fiercely divided and even if Democrats retake the House, it will likely be extremely close in terms of the majority. What is your track record of working with the other party – or people within your own party with whom you disagree – to pass meaningful legislation?
As a Libertarian I at least on paper share values with members of both parties. I am anti-war, anti-taxes, pro-Second Amendment rights, and pro-Civil Liberties. Of course, in reality, both parties rarely actually serve any of these values. I feel like “bipartisan” or “nonpartisan” is often used as a synonym for “good” in the media, but often it’s actually quite bad. The Iraq War was bipartisan. The current funding for the Gaza genocide is bipartisan. I think what’s needed in congress more than anything is someone who is willing to say no. That said, I will of course be willing to work with both Democrats or Republicans whenever they present something that aligns with my values.