Emerald editor Bayley Sandy sat down with Congressman Peter DeFazio and Republican Nominee Art Robinson, the two candidates for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, earlier this week to discuss issues ranging from the legalization of marijuana to creating jobs for Oregonians. The two are vying for the 4th Congressional District, which encompasses Eugene, Springfield, Roseburg and Corvallis.
Tuesday, Nov. 4 is the general election day, and ballots are due by 9 p.m. that day. Oregon is a vote by mail state, but if you would rather hand in your ballot in and skip the stamp, there will be ballot boxes placed around the EMU.
Each candidate answered the following questions:
1. If elected to congress, what would be your top priorities? (DeFazio 0:19, Robinson 0:22)
2. Students continue to be faced with rising fees and loan costs. What will you do to improve this situation? (DeFazio 6:17, Robinson 0:43)
3. Students need jobs, both while they are in school and when they graduate. What will you do to increase the number of well paying jobs in Oregon? (DeFazio 3:50, Robinson 2:15)
4. A popular issue in Oregon and across the nation has been the legalization of marijuana. Subsequently, this issue has made its way onto our ballot. Where do you stand on this issue? (DeFazio 8:18, Robinson 4:14)
5. The nation seems paralyzed by partisan politics. What would you do to foster bi-partisan solutions to the problems facing America? (DeFazio 10:04, Robinson 5:49)
6. Many University of Oregon students are impacted by immigration. Where do you stand on the DREAM Act and on the treatment of immigrants in this country? (DeFazio 13:27, Robinson 11:10)
7. What would you do to address violence against women both on campus and in homes? (DeFazio 14:43, Robinson 13:13)
8. Closing remarks. (DeFazio 16:31, Robinson 14:40)
Congressman Peter DeFazio was elected into the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986. He is the longest serving house member in Oregon’s history, and if re-elected he will have served his 30th year by the time the next election rolls around. He received a Master of Arts from the University of Oregon, and served in the United States Air Force. DeFazio currently holds the position of Ranking Member on the Committee on Natural Resources, and he sits on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
DeFazio Video
Art Robinson has been the Republican Nominee for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District since 2010. Robinson received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego. Before running for Congress, Robinson was a faculty member at UCSD, and later became one of the co-founders of the Linus Pauling Institute (formerly the Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine) at Oregon State University.
Robinson Video
Editors Note: There are cuts in the film purely for time saving and stylistic purposes. No content has been intentionally cut, however during the DeFazio interview at approximately 12:15 our camera malfunctioned and we lost 10 seconds of content.