Former State Rep. Liz VanLeeuwen has filed for the Republican nomination for District 4, U.S. House of Representatives.
Her Democratic opponent is veteran Peter DeFazio of Springfield.
“My platform is that people should have a choice,” VanLeeuwen said. “We can’t just let him have a free run.”
VanLeeuwen, 76, said she had waited for other Republicans to file but when no one else stepped forward, decided it was something she had to do.
“I didn’t even tell our kids about it,” VanLeeuwen said. “James (her son) didn’t know about it until yesterday.”
Calls of support have already started coming in, VanLeeuwen said.
A conservative, rural-oriented person, VanLeeuwen said Commissioner John Lindsay garnered a sizeable percentage of the vote in his bid to unseat DeFazio two years ago.
A teacher by training, VanLeeuwen and her husband George are grass seed farmers near Halsey.
VanLeeuwen served nine terms in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1981 to 1999.
According to information that will appear in the Voter’s Pamphlet, she served on the Linn Soil and Water Conservation Board, vice-chair of the South Santiam Watershed Management Area Local Advisory Committee, Linn County Commission on Children and Families, Benton, Lane, Lincoln and Linn Regional Strategies Board, Western States Legislative Forestry Task Force, Pacific Northwest Economic Region Board, numerous legislative committees including Ways and Means, Governor Straub’s Day Care Task Force, Linn Court Appointed Special Advocates, Mid-Willamette Valley Air Pollution Authority Advisory.
Her community involvement includes American Agri-Women, Alliance For America, American Legion Auxiliary, AWANAS, Linn Extension Association, 4-H clubs, Future Farmers of America, Peer Court, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Chambers of Commerce, Farm Bureau, Citizens for a Drug Free Oregon, Grange, OSU’s Jackman Foundation, Sunday School and Bible School teacher, Women for Timber, Third Force for Forestry and Oregon Women for Agriculture.
VanLeeuwen said the first vote taken by any elected official in either state or national office is the most important of his or her entire tenure.
“It is that first vote that establishes the leadership for that particular body,” VanLeeuwen said. “That person has absolute power in terms of developing committees, chairmanships, etc.”
It is from those committees that all legislation and activity comes, VanLeeuwen said.