Occupation: Software Engineer

Occupational Background: Full-stack Software Engineer at PGE, Thermofisher, and Intel, designing and building collaborative, custom, in-house web applications

Educational Background: Hillsboro High School; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Bachelor of Science, Management

Prior Governmental Experience: Banks School District Budget Committee, since 2012

I’ve seen communities in Northwest Oregon struggle to balance the legacy of their agricultural and natural resource economies with needs from new industries and more people. There’s room for both here, not letting the perfect be the enemy of the better. I’ll bring people together to collaborate and seek solutions that work for everyone.

My family began moving to Oregon in 1880, with my great-grandparents and my great-granduncle Simon Benson. Benson transformed the local logging industry, replacing oxen and railroads with Steam Donkeys and Cigar Rafts (AKA tractors and barges). He donated his timber wealth for Benson Bubblers, Benson Polytechnic School, and Multnomah Falls. An Army brat, I live rurally (gravel road, limited Internet, septic tank, well). I went to Hillsboro High when it was the only high school in town and Hillsboro had just 16,000 people.

I will work to protect us from Federal overreach like ICE, vote-by-mail suppression, and tax breaks for the rich. Incumbent multimillionaire and Koch Brothers beneficiary Darcey Edwards sponsored GOP’s out-of-touch initiatives like bills to undermine medical judgment and women’s freedom managing pregnancies (HB4087); gut environmental protections (HB3103); and raise utility rates and give hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks for data centers and big tech in North Plains (SB1586). I’m a big “No” to all that.

As a legislator, I will be a workhorse, not a show horse. I won’t sponsor legislation or spend my time in committees yelling at the clouds, virtue signaling, or arguing with the referees. I’ll work with my 59 colleagues to focus on what we can do for you – for more jobs, for fully funded education, for rural transportation, and for your happiness.

Website: https://GoingDeepForOregon.org

Endorsed by US Senator Jeff Merkley
Endorsed by Ron Frame, Chairman of Banks School Board
Endorsed by Oregon League of Conservation Voters

ADDITIONAL NOTES

More about Simon Benson

My first two legislative priorities will be to 1) undo the trickle-down effects that the Federal changes tax cut for the rich last year had on Oregon’s taxes by disconnecting Oregon’s tax code from the federal code, and 2) redefine corporations to prohibit corporate campaign contributions like Hawai’i has done.

Edwards is in her first term. In 2024 she filed 30 days before the primary filing deadline on the day that her predecessor, Brian Stout, dropped out and endorsed her.

Medical societies overwhelmingly opposed the Federal version of Oregon HB4087 that she co-sponsored, “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.”

Here’s Edwards’ full Legislative record. There are many votes of hers I disagree with, and picking just three to mention in the pamphlet was a challenge. Also on my short list: she’s OK with ICE being masked and w/o badges or visible ID, voting NO on HB 4138.

She voted NO on HB 4128, which establishes a 90-day waiting period before large institutional real estate investors can purchase single-family homes, so Oregonians aren’t competing with Wall Street to buy a home. Edwards is a realtor. She has sold almost $200 million in real estate since 2012. The higher the price, the more money she makes.

One more: Edwards voted NO on HB 4127, which picks up the tab for Planned Parenthood affiliates in Oregon for reproductive health services that the Trump administration cut from Medicaid in July, 2025.

Finally, a stylistic note: Most statements in the Voters Pamphlet are written in third person: “Mary will work to… Joe will be a workhorse…” That’s because the candidate doesn’t write them. But while I’ve gotten feedback, I’ve typed every draft in my own voice and my own style. Let me hear your voice!