Thank you for the opportunity to respond, and for your work to promote fair and honest elections. As a policy, I do not sign campaign pledges; however, I want to make clear my commitment to strong ethical behavior both in my current position and on the campaign trail. Throughout my nearly 15 years an elected public servant, I have been vigilant and dedicated to campaigning with the utmost degree of integrity and respect. I will continue to hold myself and my campaign to the highest ethical standards. In Congress, I’ve worked hard to support measures that would increase government and campaign ethics wherever possible, which includes; Campaign finance reform: Citizens United was one of the worst Supreme Court decisions of all time. Although Congress can’t reverse this decision without a constitutional amendment, there is more we can do to regulate campaign fundraising and spending, like increasing disclosure requirements and incentivizing small donors. Increased anti-corruption measures: I’m a strong advocate of requiring presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns, and stopping the “revolving door” of former elected officials becoming high paid lobbyists. Stopping the spread of disinformation: Disinformation has been flooding campaigns in recent years both from foreign actors and those right here in our communities. I’m committed to calling out and stopping this disinformation whenever I see it, and holding those who reinforce it accountable. Improved civic education for students: A more informed electorate will help promote a more ethical and fair political world for generations to come. Please reach out with any specific questions regarding ethics and campaigning, I’d be happy to answer them. suzanne@bonamiciforcongress.com503-208-1228

Signers of this pledge should also refrain from using the government to shut out third-party candidates — and their entire political parties — from the ballot, and also refrain from having the government subsidize and promote the two major political parties’ operations. Finally, signers of the pledge should not accept invitations to public debates that do not include invitations to candidates that are not members of the Republican or Democratic parties. In my opinion, the efforts of government officials, proponents of election ballot measures, and the media, to exclude and hinder 3rd party candidates from the ballot and from the public discourse, represent the greatest threat to our democracy, and free and fair elections. The voters deserve much better than what the two major parties and their supporters are presenting.

I cannot sign onto a pledge that gives me 2 hours to respond to something I may not even know took place. “The timing of my communications will allow my opponents to have a two-hour opportunity to respond to any claims I make concerning their positions or qualifications to hold office.” If I do not know my opponent has done the above, how am I to respond? Who is going to police this information? This is quite unreasonable. Consider the amount of social media there is: Facebook…. Virtually unlimited numbers of groups and reposts…. Twitter, gab.ai, codias, Instagram, youtube, parlor, linkedin… the list goes on and on and on. Furthermore, when an organization insists on referring to our form of government as a democracy, which it is not, I must take pause. Your website is title Our Democracy Oregon…. The US Constitution states, Article 4, Section 4, The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.