State Representative

Ben Cannon photo

Ben
Cannon

Democrat (DEM)
Working Families (WFP)
Independent (IND)

Occupation: State Representative, Elementary School Teacher

Occupational Background: 6-8th grade teacher, Arbor School of Arts and Sciences; Coro Fellow in Public Affairs

Educational Background: BA, Washington University; BA and MS, Oxford University (Rhodes Scholarship)

Prior Governmental Experience: Oregon State Representative, 2007-2010

Community Involvement: Oregon Bus Project, Board Member; City Club of Portland

Dear Neighbor,

I am proud that during my three years as a legislator, I have helped strengthen public education, protect our environment, and make state government more transparent and accessible. Yet many challenges remain:
- Economic opportunity is too limited and too unequal.
- Vital public services, including our schools, are constructed on an unstable fiscal foundation.
- Safe water, clean air, and a stable climate remain aspirations, not achievements.
- In a lawmaking process dominated by special interests, the public interest too often goes unmet.
CHANGES WE NEED

I am a middle school teacher, a father, and a Portlander. I am running for re-election because I think we can do better.

We can expand health care access and lower costs.

We can reverse the trend of spending more on prisons than on higher education.

We can reverse the trend that makes Oregon’s class sizes the nation’s second-highest.

We can stabilize public services by reforming the kicker, creating a rainy-day fund, and budgeting for 2020, not just 2012.

POLITICS AS UNUSUAL

These changes will be difficult, and they will require a different type of politics. I am the only Oregon legislator who refuses to accept campaign contributions from special interests. Never a penny from PACs or corporations. Instead, my support comes from hundreds of individuals, most of them contributing $20 or less.

Join the Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, American Federation of Teachers- Oregon, the Oregon Nurses Association, SEIU Local 503, Basic Rights Oregon PAC in supporting Ben!

For more about Ben, including more endorsements and detailed positions on issues, visit www.votebencannon.com and www.repbencannon.com or call 503-389-7678.

(This information furnished by Friends of Ben Cannon.)