Chuck Thomsen

Charles William Thomsen (born January 20, 1957) is an American Republican politician from the US state of Oregon. He currently serves in the Oregon Senate, representing District 26, which includes all of Hood River County and parts of eastern Multnomah County and northeastern Clackamas County.

Chuck Thomsen
Member of the Oregon Senate
from the 26th district
Assumed office
January 11, 2011
Preceded byRick Metsger
Personal details
Born (1957-01-20) January 20, 1957
Hood River, Oregon
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKristi
ProfessionOrchardist

Early life and career

Thomsen was born in Hood River, Oregon, and graduated from Hood River Valley High School and then attended Willamette University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and economics.[1][2] Thomsen returned to Hood River where he worked as an orchardist, raising pears and apples.[1]

Political career

Thomsen was appointed to the Hood River Planning Commission in 1990, and then elected to the Hood River County Board of Commissioners in 1994. He was re-elected to the commission four times and served until 2010.[1][2] In 2010, Thomsen ran for the Oregon State Senate seat held by Rick Metsger, who vacated the seat to run for Oregon State Treasurer. In the 2010 general election, Thomsen defeated Democrat Brent Barton 53%–47%.[3] His support and advocacy in animal-related measures saw him labeled as a 2011 "Top Dog" by the Oregon Humane Society.[4]

On December 11, 2020, Thomsen and 11 other state Republican officials signed a letter requesting Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum join Texas and other states contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election in Texas v. Pennsylvania. Rosenblum announced she had filed in behalf of the defense, and against Texas, the day prior.[5]

Recall effort

From June 20, 2019, all 11 Republican state senators for Oregon, including Thomsen, refused to show up for work at the Oregon State Capitol, instead going into hiding, some even fleeing the state. Their aim was to prevent a vote on a cap-and-trade proposal that would dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to combat climate change. The Senate holds 30 seats, but 1 is vacant due to a death. Without the Republican senators, the remaining 18 Democratic state senators could not reach a quorum of 20 to hold a vote.[6][7]

The walk-out led to one of Thomsen's Hood River constituents, Lara Dunn, to file a petition for a recall of his seat on March 5, 2020. “Senator Chuck Thomsen broke his promise to represent us in the Legislature,” Dunn wrote in a prospective petition. “He stopped going to work but still collected his taxpayer-funded salary and daily stipend. He must be recalled and replaced by someone who will show up and fight for our jobs, our schools, our healthcare and our future.” Thomsen's opponents pointed to comments Thomsen had made to Oregon Public Radio regarding his plans to head for warm weather if a walkout occurred, and that he'd packed polo shirts and shorts.[8]

In order to force a recall election, Dunn's petition effort needed to gather 9,025 valid signatures by June 2, according to the Secretary of State's Office.[9] The recall effort failed.[10]

Personal

Thomsen owns Thomsen Orchards in Hood River, where he lives with his wife, Kristi. The couple has two grown daughters.[1][2]

References
  1. "Chuck Thomsen". ChuckThomsen.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  2. "Chuck Thomsen". Project VoteSmart. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  3. "2010 Oregon Legislature Election Results". OregonLive.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  4. 2011 Oregon Humane Society Legislative Scorecard Archived June 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine at the Oregon Humane Society
  5. Tess Riski (December 13, 2020). "A Dozen Oregon Republican Lawmakers Urged the Attorney General to Support Texas Lawsuit Undermining U.S. Election Results". Willamette Week. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  6. "Oregon Republicans walk out on state Senate over climate change bill as governor threatens police roundup". CBS News. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  7. Osborne, Mark; Youn, Soo (June 23, 2019). "Oregon's Republican state senators go into hiding over climate change vote amid militia threat". ABC News. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  8. VanderHart, Dirk (March 4, 2020). "Oregon Republican Walkout Spurs Recall Attempt, Campaign Complaint". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  9. "Recall Chuck Thomsen". March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  10. "Effort Fails To Recall Oregon Republican For State Senate Walk-Out". opb. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
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