October 14th, we will have candidates for State Senator Position 25th District, State Representative 47th District, and State Representative 51st District.
State Legislative candidates – meet the people who want to serve you
State Senator – 25th District
Chris Gosek – Democratic Representative Chris Gorsek was first elected to represent House District 49, which includes Fairview, Troutdale, Wood Village, North Gresham, Rockwood and some of East Portland, in 2012. In addition to his job as a state representative, Chris continues to teach geography and criminal justice full time at Mt. Hood Community College.
Justin Hwang, Republican candidate, is a local restaurant owner who has lived in East Multnomah County since 2003. Born in South Korea in 1984, Hwang obtained his U.S. citizenship when he was 18 years old and in 2006 he opened his first restaurant in Gresham called Joy Teriyaki. He now owns and operates over 30 restaurants in the Portland Metro area. Justin sits on multiple boards, including Mount Hood Community College Foundation, Mount Hood Medical Center Foundation, Korean Society of Oregon, and the Korean War Memorial Association.
State Representative – 47th District
Diego Hernandez is the Democrat incumbent who assumed office in 2017. His current term ends on January 10, 2021. Hernandez is also a member of the Reynolds School District school board, representing Position 2 in Oregon. He received a BA in Political Science and Ethnic Studies. After college, Diego received his Master’s in Social Work at Portland State University. He is the co-founder of Momentum Alliance.
Ryan Gardner, Republican candidate, was born in Provo, Utah. He earned an undergraduate degree from Ricks College in 2002. Gardner's career experience includes working in the foodservice, mortgage, manufacturing, and construction industries, and working as an entrepreneur and licensed general contractor.[
Ashton Simpson, Working Families Party candidate, grew up in Houston, Texas and came to Portland after serving honorably in the United States Air Force. He was honorably discharged and is a disabled veteran. After earning his degree in Community Development from Portland State University, he joined Colas Construction, as a Project Engineer and is now the Community Asset Director at Rosewood Initiative in East Portland.
State Representative 51st District
Janelle Bynum, the Democrat incumbent, lives in Happy Valley with her husband and children. Janelle operates her family’s small business, running four restaurants in our community. Her experience includes product development in hybrid vehicle technology and working with global electronics suppliers in Mexico, Taiwan, and France.
Jane Hayes, Republican candidate, is the third child of seven, a twin, born in a Spanish-speaking community in Brownsville Texas to a Mexican-American family. Jane has an associate’s degree from Clark College in early childhood education, and has worked and volunteered for much of her life in education.
Don Crawford, Libertarian Party candidate, is an Educator, Professor, school administrator, self-employed publisher. He taught K-12 through university, managed charter schools, and published his own curriculum. He has a BA in Psychology from Occidental College (1972), Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Univ. of Oregon (1994).
Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsd--rqj8rHdM7WJOcRsT2i14YO8jABreg
