BEND, OR -- Republican candidates for Oregon’s Second Congressional District discussed hot topics at a Thursday forum, but the incumbent chose not to appear. Challengers Katherine Gallant and Mark Cavener took park in the virtual event - Cavener appearing from inside his car. Congressman Cliff Bentz currently represents CD2, a district with new boundaries this election. Moderator Matt McDonald, from Central Oregon Daily News, said Bentz did not respond to repeated requests from the League of Women Voters to participate. 

Pandemic Response

The candidates were asked what they felt the federal government’s role is in responding to a pandemic. Gallant responded, "Stay out of our business. We can’t expect the federal government to understand who we are, where we are." Cavener repeatedly referred to a "Plandemic" and said, "They need to stay out of things like the pandemic. There was no pandemic. OK? It was fake. When you look at the numbers and the definition of Pandemic, it was not."

Climate Change

On climate change, they were asked how best to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Mark Cavener responded, "It’s just another way to steal our money. It’s a bunch of hooey." He went on to claim he has evidence the deadly 2020 fires near Phoenix, OR were intentionally set so the government could take over private land, saying, "We think that all these wildfires of the last two years were due to climate change? It’s a bunch of BS. It was a controlled burn." Katherine Gallant said she supports more local control of forest management, "We need to take care of our forests. We need less regulations and we need more input from our communities."

Gun Control

They were also asked whether they would support legislation to curb gun violence. Gallant said new laws won't work, "We have to do more about developing a culture that is conducive to less crime." Cavener said, "Maybe a law that requires everybody to bear an arm? Now, I think that if everybody had ‘em there probably would be very little gun violence."

 

The two Republican challengers hoping to unseat Rep. Bentz in the Primary agreed on a number of other issues, including support for many Trump-era policies. Both said Joe Biden is not the duly elected President. They attacked the incumbent on multiple occasions; Cavener called Bentz a "RINO" ["Republican In Name Only"] several times. They also both said they would agree to debate any opponent if they win the Primary. And, if elected, they both committed to holding town halls across the vast Second Congressional District. 

Thursday's forum was hosted by City Club of Central Oregon and the League of Women Voters of Deschutes County. Click HERE to watch the full GOP CD2 forum and others. 

 

Photo: (top right) Moderator Matt McDonald, Central Oregon Daily News; (bottom left) Katherine Gallant; (bottom right) Mark Cavener