PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Democrat Janelle Bynum are not the only candidates looking to represent Oregon Congressional District 5.
The district includes the majority of Clackamas County, all of Linn County and stretches across the Cascades to Deschutes County – including Sisters and Bend.
There are four others, including Independent candidate Brett Smith. A pipe-fitter, welder, inventor and former school bus driver, he is now the maintenance director for a healthcare facility in Oregon City and lives in Molalla.
On this week’s Eye on Northwest Politics, Smith voiced his displeasure with the two-party system due to a lack of representation. This is also his reason for running for office.
“I don’t look at Congress or anybody in there and feel like they represent me or my family or my neighbors or my friends,” he said. “It’s a sentiment that I hear all across the district when I talk to people. And it doesn’t matter where these people come from or their background or their political affiliation.”