Claudia Howells text unfairly smears Tom Andersen in HD 19 race

It's getting close to the Oregon primary election day, May 17. Per usual, the nastiness is ramping up in campaign attack ads. 

Here's an example.

Today I learned the identity of the person who's been sending text messages wrongly accusing Tom Andersen, the Salem city councilor running in the Democratic primary for House District 19 against Brad Witt, of being weak on abortion rights.

It didn't take much sleuthing, since Claudia Howells identified herself in the text message. Howells' husband, Bradd Swank, lost badly to Andersen in a 2014 City Council race, so this raises the question of whether retribution is a motive for Howells. Or maybe she just doesn't like people not named Brad/Bradd. Here's the 2014 election result and the text message.

Tom Andersen vigorously disagrees with what Howells says.

It's almost beyond belief that Tom Andersen isn't pro-choice when it comes to abortion. Claudia Howells must know this, yet she sent out the text message.

Probably she'll come up with the pitiful excuse that the text speaks of pro-choice voting records, not being pro-choice. But that's B.S.

If Andersen never has had a chance to vote on an abortion rights bill, because he hasn't been a state legislator as Witt has, obviously he doesn't have a pro-choice voting record.

This is a sleazy attempt to smear Tom Andersen. No other way to describe it. Claudia Howells should apologize to Andersen and promise never to do something like this again.

Comments

[Brian Clem]

I’ve heard about this today from both campaigns and am looking into it. Having tried unsuccessfully to get the Andersen campaign to stop going negative and see if I could mediate I am not holding my breath.

I am also waiting for your blog posts on the name calling and false accusations against Brad Witt by Andersen campaign supporters. 😁

Specifically I would love one about the false claim that a home I have personally visited him in is I believe the word was “unoccupied”

Sure will be glad when the primary is over and friends can stop fighting over nothing and focus their fire on the actual opponent.

Brian Clem
Former Rep. for HD21
Jan. 2007-Dec. 2021

[Brian Hines]

Brian, I realize that you're a supporter of Brad Witt, which is fine. In my view, there really isn't anything to look into as regards the text message. It's all there in print. The Witt campaign strongly implies that he is pro-choice and Tom Andersen isn't. That isn't true. So in this case it is the Witt campaign that is being sleazy.

As regards claims by the Andersen campaign that aren't true, I haven't heard of these. But that doesn't mean they don't exist. The "carpetbagger" accusation is familiar to me, because Witt has been living elsewhere except for the home he used in Salem when the legislature was in session. Now he is claiming that as his primary residence.

I sympathize with those who say, correctly, that Tom Andersen has been living and working in the Salem area for quite a while, serving as an unpaid city councilor since 2014, while Brad Witt has essentially swooped in at the last moment to file for HD 19 as a Salem resident. That strikes me as a valid campaign issue.

[Brian Clem]

The carpetbagger attack is fair game, though I find the literal name calling a little childish. It reminds me of Trump giving all his opponents demeaning nicknames.

The outright lie was Jim Schepke saying he still isn’t living in the house and it’s “unoccupied” when I have personally visited him there and I know that is not true. No complaints from Brad and no apology from Jim were to be found.

The reason I said I was looking into it was Tom wrote me early Sunday, alerting me to the robocall (I hadn’t heard it) and essentially asked me to help make sure the robocall stops (or perhaps be modified to be more clear) which from what I am told it already has completed.

In reflecting on the content - I think the rabid Tom supporter may miss another interpretation of Claudia’s message than just assuming it means Tom is not Pro-Choice. The other alternative reading is that Brad has actually fought the fight and cast the votes for 17 years in the very House that they are both asking to be elected to and Tom can only talk about what he would do in the future.

Tom introduced actions around climate change in the City and campaigns effectively on that but since he did not (apparently?) do the same for pro-Choice resolutions Claudia’s message seems to be Brad is the one who has taken action and cast tough votes and Tom is left to just make promises.

Having cast those same votes myself, I can assure not all were fun - my Mom didn’t talk to me for quite awhile over one the reproductive equity act.

Anyway, 8 more days then we can focus on the actual opponents.

[Bradd Swank]

Hi, I'm Bradd Swank. I opposed Tom Anderson when I ran against him because when we talked the campaign in which I ran against him, he noted that I lived in the house to the "wap and the crazy lady". Anderson said these just to me. Not sure anyone else heard them. But, the comments were both racist and sexist. I do not believe people with those views about people belong in public office. So I opposed him at the time and continue to support candidates without such racist and sexist views.