Occupation: State Representative; Republican Whip

Occupational Background: USAF Colonel, retired, 27 years; served in command, leadership, staff, and diplomatic positions in Vietnam, Germany, and Yugoslavia; served on Air Force staff and in Office of Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon

Educational Background: MA in International Affairs, University of Arkansas; BA in Journalism, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Air Command & Staff College; National Defense College

Prior Governmental Experience: State legislator since 2003 - Vice Chair of House Judiciary and Education committees; Ways & Means Committee, Education and Public Safety subcommittees; State Commission on Children & Families; Chief Justice's Special Courts Advisory Committee; Education Commission of the States; former chairman of the Deschutes County Commission on Children & Families and Deschutes County Republican Party

Community Service: Served on Homeless Leadership Council; multiple veteran organizations; Sunriver Board of Directors; member of Sunriver Christian Fellowship Church; former youth sports coach and PTA officer

Family: Married to fourth generation Oregonian, Josie Coffey; son, Todd, lives in New Bern, NC, with his wife and our grandson

Gene Whisnant
Leadership with honesty and integrity

I am a strong advocate for Central Oregon families. I fight to keep our communities safe from criminals and predators, believe our students deserve a 21st century education, and strongly support Oregon's natural resource industries.

I believe in:

Individual freedoms, personal responsibility and a strong free market economy.
Effective, accountable, transparent and frugal state government.
Focusing on building Oregon's economic prosperity.
Protecting the rights of property owners.

Lower taxes, job creation and economic development will help ensure stable funding for a quality education system; provide care for seniors, military veterans and the most vulnerable in our society; expand public safety programs to fight meth, hold criminals accountable, and address illegal immigration.

Above all, I believe Oregonians deserve honest leadership that will look out for our citizens and taxpayers; not government bureaucracies.

I value your support,
Gene Whisnant

(This information furnished by Gene Whisnant.)