Oregon democratic gubernatorial candidate Patrick Starnes, right, speaks to local leaders and residents at Side A Brewing in La Grande on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. 

LA GRANDE — Patrick Starnes said campaign finance reform is the first step that needs to be taken before Oregon can successfully address some of its most pressing issues.

The Democratic candidate for governor is running as if the finance reform he is pushing for were already in place. Starnes is accepting donations of no more than $1,000 and is not taking contributions from corporations or political action committees.

“We need to get big money out of Oregon politics,” Starnes said during a Friday, Jan. 21, meeting with members of the Union County Progressives. “I am modeling my campaign on what I am proposing.”

Starnes is one of many candidates seeking to succeed Gov. Kate Brown as governor. Brown, Oregon’s governor since 2015, cannot run for reelection because of term limits. Starnes, a professional cabinet maker from Brownsville, ran for governor as an Independent candidate in 2018 when he also made campaign finance reform his centerpiece issue. He said Oregon is one of five states that have no limits on campaign donations. Of the 45 states with limits, Starnes said 10 have a $1,000 donation restriction and 20 do not allow corporate or political action committee donations to campaigns.

“The person with the most small donations does well,” he said. “In my opinion that is the way it should be.”

Starnes said once campaign finance reform is in place Oregon will have a much better chance of addressing issues, including homelessness, health care and wildfires. He explained that individuals and corporations with deep pockets could no longer persuade politicians to stop efforts to make improvements by giving large campaign donations.

He believes campaign finance can be achieved because polls indicate that Oregonians overwhelmingly support it. To make his point he noted that the foundation for campaign finance reform was laid in 2020 when voters passed Measure 10. The measure, which amended the Oregon Constitution to allow for campaign financing reform, passed with 78% of the vote, Starnes said.

Homelessness is another issue that is a big part of his campaign platform. Starnes is proposing that funding for addressing homelessness could be raised by instituting a vacancy fee that would apply to Oregon structures, including abandoned homes and stores. Money from the fee would then go to the Oregon Shelter Fund that pays for homeless services.

The candidate has a firsthand understanding of homelessness because he earlier spent two days and nights living among the homeless in Eugene to see what it was like. Starnes was struck by how the number of visible homeless people jumps in the evening when libraries and restaurants close.

“A lot of them come out of the woodwork,” he said.

Starnes also said he would work hard to address climate change as governor. He said that he supports a proposal to amend the state constitution so that money from the state gas tax can be used to support low cost, high-quality public transportation across the state and reduce the number of people driving alone.

On the health care front, Starnes said he is alarmed that 300,000 Oregonians do not have health insurance because employers do not provide it and they make too much money to qualify for coverage under the Oregon Health Plan or coverage provided by the federal government’s Affordable Care Act.

Starnes said he would like to take steps to make sure the Oregon Health Plan is available to all Oregonians, guaranteeing every Oregonian access to heath care and reducing the burden Oregon’s public schools and businesses face as they provide health insurance for employees.

Wildfires are another issue Starnes is focusing on during his campaign. Starnes said he would push for full funding for the Oregon Conservation Corps, an Oregon Department of Forestry program that was created by Senate Bill 762.

The work of Oregon Conservation Corps crews includes making sure trees and vegetation around homes is removed to protect them from wildfires.

“It puts more boots on the ground,” he said.