GOP House Nominee Banged for Backing Obama

In June, businessman Joel Haugen won more than 70 percent of the vote in a contested Republican primary to carry the party's banner in this fall's race to represent Oregon's 1st congressional district.

But Haugen's name may not appear on the fall ballot as a Republican.

That's because many of his fellow partisans are upset with the fact that Haugen is an outspoken supporter of Democrat Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency.

Obama, says Haugen, is right on the issues and far more likely than Republican John McCain to unite the country.

And he's been saying it for some time.

Before the June primary in the Portland-area district – which is represented by Democrat David Wu – Haugen informed Republican officials of his enthusiasm for Obama's candidacy. And that fact was reported in the local media.

Since his nomination, however, the progressive Republican who identifies with Republicans like former President Teddy Roosevelt and old-school Oregon Republican leaders such as former Governor Tom McCall and former Senator Mark Hatfield has been attacked and ostracized by members of his own party.

Neal Lockhart, a veteran GOP activist in the district, recently informed Haugen that, "As a lifelong member of the Republican Party, I am stunned that you would actually think ... anybody that is a true Republican would even think of helping you."

"You are not a real Republican, you are a shill," Lockhart told Haugen. "You are exactly what I have warned everyone about. Please do us a favor, quit the party."

Haugen may do that.

The Republican nominee now says he is considering giving up the GOP line and running as the candidate of the Oregon Independent Party. Founded a year ago, the Independent Party has more than 22,000 members and is this year running a number of candidates for federal, state and local offices in Oregon.

Comments (24)

1. Doesn't Haugen know that "McCain has the BIG MO" now?!?!??!

   heheh

   Posted by Maskdelta at 07/25/2008 @ 2:34pm

2. Haugen should stay in it and tell those Fascists to leave

   Posted by danos714 at 07/25/2008 @ 2:52pm

3. I don't think he should leave the Republican Party. He should work to change the Republican Party.

   Posted by P. J. Casey at 07/25/2008 @ 3:44pm

4. ah the big tent of the republican party!

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 07/25/2008 @ 3:50pm

5. Posted by frankgrits at 07/25/2008 @ 2:58pm

   Who's Joe Lieberman endorsing even campaigning for, for President, FRANK?

   Posted by Maskdelta at 07/25/2008 @ 4:08pm

6. Real Life is stranger than fiction....indeed! You can't make this stuf up! There are TRUE IDIOTS in this beautiful world.......meet Joel! IF I am among the power brokers of the Oregon Indy party, I will say to Mr. Haugen: "We appreciate your interest but please go found your own Oregon Idiot Party!" Posted by 2HAPPY at 07/25/2008 @ 4:19pm

   But that's what Frankgrits does.

   He says he is a Democrat but is voting Republican.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 07/25/2008 @ 4:43pm

7. Hopefully Mr Haugen will do the right thing and represent a party that is more in line with his political views. He obviously deceived Republican primary voters who deserved to know that he dislikes Republicans. Good riddance! Posted by lvliberty1 at 07/25/2008 @ 4:26pm

   I thought you guys were ok with Frank voting Republican even though he is a Democrat? I thought it was only intelligent to vote for the person you think will be the better leader regardless of your party? I didn't know that you are only allowed to vote for people IN your party.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 07/25/2008 @ 4:48pm

8. I see how it works now. When it is a Democrat crossing over to vote Republican, he is intelligent and is just doing his job in voting for the person who the person to be President. When a Republican crosses over to vote Democrat, he is a liar, a deceiver of the American people, a hack and a moron. Hmmmm. Oh well.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 07/25/2008 @ 4:54pm

9. Joel is welcome to vote for whoever he wants, even Nader or McKinney....but to go public? That boy is just dumb as a door knob! Posted by 2HAPPY at 07/25/2008 @ 5:58pm

   I admit it is dumb to go public with it. Only because it hurts him politically. However, is it a candidates job to do what is best for his party or what is best for the country? What is best for the country may not always be what is best for the party. Sometimes you have to forsake the party to do what is best for the country.

   Let's say you held public office and you had a Republican nominee who was a no good screw up. He had never done anything right. You saw that if he got into the Presidency not only would he do nothing. He would in all likelihood do bad things to this country. Then you have a Demo. He isn't spectacular but he would still do positive things for the country. Would you vote for the Republican who you KNOW will do damage to the country? Or would you vote for the Demo who you know would help the country? This is you as a politician. And my examples have nothing to do with the current candidates at all these are entirely hypothetical.

   I think it's the candidates job to do whatever he thinks is best for the country regardless of party. His ideals are probably still Republican it's just he thinks McCain will do damage to the country by becoming President. I think it is admirable of someone to reject their party AND their chance in politics to do what they feel is right for the whole. It is not something to be scoffed and and derided. I have no problem with Liebermann for instance because I just think he was doing what he thinks was right. Whether I agree with him or not is irrelevant. If his reasons for doing it were altruistic then I have no right to criticize.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 07/25/2008 @ 7:05pm

10. I'm Joel Haugen's campaign manager and would like to clarify that he is not changing his registration or rescinding the Republicans' nomination for Oregon's 1st Congressional District. With that said, he is enthusiastic about potentially receiving the support and endorsement of the Oregon Independent Party.

    I would also like to state that in no way is Joel attempting to demonize the Oregon Republican Party with his actions. In fact, we sympathize with the predicament this situation has created for GOP leadership. Joel is simply supporting issues and individuals he believes in, as he feels the nation's well-being takes precedent to that of the party.

    Posted by sarahtiedemann at 07/25/2008 @ 9:49pm

11. A candidate who says that he will vote for someone of an opposing party has no business representing that party.----Posted by lvliberty1 at 07/25/2008 @ 6:12pm |

    So Joe Lieberman should not be allowed to caucus with the Democrats or have ANY committee chairmanships under a Democratic majority....right?

    Posted by Maskdelta at 07/26/2008 @ 07:40am

12. I love that in this fair state the Republican Party is falling to pieces, and like Republicans across the country, its members are whining away. The unfortunate other side is that Wu will probably win reelection.

    Posted by onthehelm at 07/26/2008 @ 12:58pm

13. It's great that you're loving how Obama is cleaning WcCain's clock on a daily basis 2Happy. It's great that you're seeing your party pushed out of power by a wide range of folk disgusted by its failures from energy policy, to Iraq and Afghanistan, to Katrina/Rita, to the Justice Department's politicization, and well, the list is near endless.

    I'm LOVING that you right wing tub thumpers have a goofball octagenarian fascist as your standard bearer to lead you all bravely into the political wilderness.

    LOVING IT!!!!!!!

    Posted by tnathant at 07/26/2008 @ 5:04pm

14. It's funny to me that Sen. McCain is still attacking Sen. Obama for not admitting the 'surge' was successful. Sen. Obama has said repeatedly that our troops always complete every task we ask of them, and has never questioned the ability of our military, only adding that many other agents figure in to the level of stability we see in present day Iraq. Sen. McCain considers this a bad judgment call on Obama's part. What's funny is that Sen. McCain, as well as most of the nation it seems, has forgotten the worst judgment decision of all, that he, along with many others in our Congress made, which was to invade Iraq in the first place. When will he admit that crucial mistake in judgment that he made? Regardless of political interests, we as a nation can not afford to forget that decision. So unless Sen. McCain still believes the Iraqis have wmd's, or that their government worked with al Qadea and supported them in their attacks on our country,or that Iraq was such an immediate threat to the U.S. that we had to redirect our attention from the real culprits of our tragedy, who our still free and growing, he owes the American people an apology for this very badly misguided judgment call. Unfortunatly Sen. McCain, this was the most important test of this entire 'War on Terror' saga, and you failed, while Sen. Obama was head-of-class. So the next time Sen. McCain decides to flaunt his 'great judgment', just remember why any decision ever had to be made with our troops in Iraq. Remember why Sen. McCain thought it was so important we invade Iraq instead of finishing what we started in Afghanastan (not on the border of Iraq, by the way), and the 'judgment' he used in that decision. With the truths about statements supporting the Iraqi invasion completely destroying their credibility, what was his judgment based on?

    Posted by mikeba at 07/26/2008 @ 6:20pm

15. As much as I think you Libs are wimps

    Posted by 2HAPPY at 07/26/2008 @ 4:46pm

    let's step outside, tough guy.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/26/2008 @ 6:30pm

16. IF he does all that, he just may win, as McCain-Lite!

    Posted by 2HAPPY at 07/26/2008 @ 6:07pm

    MCBAMA "08

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/26/2008 @ 6:31pm

17. and you get $750 million for the company's remaining assets.....

    Posted by 2HAPPY at 07/26/2008 @ 6:16pm

    actually, you should be sad that so few people can read enough to understand.

    anyways, save the trees (farms).

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/26/2008 @ 6:34pm

18. Fox also confirmed our information that Edwards was not a registered guest at the hotel and that security escorted him out after our reporters' attempt to question him.....

    Posted by 2HAPPY at 07/26/2008 @ 6:22pm

    doesn't it make you drool?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 07/26/2008 @ 6:35pm

19. Lovin it Hap..?? Too funny ... The right wingnuts on here keep takin' the Lemons and Keep makin lemonade... Your candidate will lose.. Love that??

    YOUR administration will go down in history as the most corrupt and inept EVER.. Love that ..??

    Now thank god your focusing on "the Edwards story"... This is just the type of hard hitting shit we all need to focus on..! Economy in the tank... 2 endless wars.... Genius... You my friend are the doorknob.. (not to mention a racicst).

    Posted by Vvf1969 at 07/26/2008 @ 6:40pm

20. As much as I think you Libs are wimps

    Posted by 2HAPPY at 07/26/2008 @ 4:46pm

    lol... a Gen-u-wine Internet tough guy... too funny. Owning the Complete Chuck Norris Anthology dosen't make YOU a man HAPP... but if it keeps you warm...

    Posted by Vvf1969 at 07/26/2008 @ 6:58pm

21. Then your candidate should leave the Republican party whom he supposedly represents and not present a contradictory message to his constituents.

    Posted by lvliberty1 at 07/26/2008 @ 3:57pm | warn this person

    It seems to me that this line of reasoning ignores the fact that a resounding 70% of Republicans in D1 voted for him in the primary. His issue positions were outlined in the Voters' Pamphlet, on the web, and in several newspapers, and he had already made his endorsement of Obama public by that time. A vast majority of D1 Republican voters selected him as their candidate with that knowledge readily available, so what I take from this situation is that perhaps Joel's thinking is more in line with a majority of Oregon's Republican voters than is the thinking of their own party's leadership.

    For those interested in reading more about Joel's positions on the issues, I encourage you to check out the website:

    http://www.joelhaugenforcongress.com/issues.html

    Posted by sarahtiedemann at 07/26/2008 @ 6:59pm

22. 2HAPPY, thank you for researching the issues and being involved in this discussion! Joel's definitely a centrist. As for which party he belongs in, since he just won 70% of the Republican vote in the primary, perhaps there is a misconception about where on the political spectrum the average D1 Republican falls at this point.

    And as for education, I believe Joel makes several additional statements, including that No Child Left Behind isn't working and should be eliminated. He advocates for more public/private partnership to improve our schools, and within his community he has worked extensively in building school/business mentorship programs.

    A key element of his plan is also addressed by his broader belief in national service. Through his proposal to popularize and incentivize national service, programs such as Teach for America could be expanded, and our schools can be bettered through the addition of more teaching assistants, which will lower student/faculty ratios and provide improved instruction. His service program provides schools, clinics, public works, etc. with a more affordable source of labor devoted entirely to strengthening our communities and infrastructure.

    I can also tell you this: I'm not only his campaign manager, but was also in his 8th grade science class... I won't say how long ago. He was a fantastic teacher, and I absolutely trust him to work in the best interests of our schools.

    Posted by sarahtiedemann at 07/27/2008 @ 6:50pm

23. Awwww, 2Happy, you're to be almost forgiven for the transparency of your envy, because it can't feel good to see your doddering, bitter candidate alienating more and more people every time he opens his mouth.

    You must not have been paying attention to Obama's Berlin speech, where he took position after position that were antithetical to those your failure of candidate holds.

    Besides which, it's WcCain that's confused about his positions on a virtually daily basis, coming ever closer to those Obama has long held. Now WcCain has to resort to ad hominem attacks. So presidential, don't you think?

    I know that you righties have a hard time with reality's well known liberal bias, but I'm LOVING how across the board your candidate is losing hearts and minds daily.

    I sure do understand your natural envy.

    Posted by tnathant at 07/27/2008 @ 8:17pm

24. 2HAPPY, selective editing won't rescue your failed, flailing candidate. But it's fun to watch you go through the motions, kind of like the WcCain campaign which has officially moved into late summer high-whine mode.

    Whining has become such a staple of rightie electioneering, I can see how it's a knee jerk response to the near total collapse your party is facing.

    What else you got left after failures abroad and at home?

    LOVING IT!!!!!!!!!

    Posted by tnathant at 07/28/2008 @ 9:03pm