Election 2022: Jerry Rust faces Boomer Wright to represent southern coast in Oregon House

With the newly drawn district lines in place, Oregon House District 9 includes Charleston, Coos Bay, North Bend, Reedsport, Dunes City, Florence and Mapleton.

Jerry Rust, running as a Democrat, is vying for the role, challenging Republican Boomer Wright, who currently represents the district.

Jerry Rust

Rust, a Democrat living in Florence, is hoping to challenge Wright. He grew up in Douglas County and also is a retired educator with years of experience in public schools.

Rust started the Hoedads Cooperative, a worker-owned tree planting and forestry labor cooperative based in Eugene. He went on to serve on the Lane County Board of Commissioners for two decades. He’s a guardian of Lane County’s covered bridges and led a statewide effort to preserve them.

County Commissioners are nonpartisan and he wants to continue to work across the aisle, Rust said.

“People are sick and tired of partisan politics,” Rust said. “I know that for sure.”

At first, he didn’t intend to run for office. Last year, his wife died of cancer. But then – when no Democrat ran in the primary – he was encouraged to give it a shot.

“So, I was sitting, kind of glum, counting my vegetable seeds,” Rust said. “This last spring, I got a call from Democrats (in Coos and Lane) that urged me to file for this seat.”

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He’s concerned with issues such as transportation, housing, senior services, veterans, and protecting a woman’s right to choose. If elected, he said voters can expect him to focus on befriending legislators up and down the Oregon Coast.

“I'm well aware that sometimes we feel over here, like we get stepped on by the population centers of the state,” Rust said. “I want to make sure that I'm going to defend coastal values, rights and prerogatives.”

According to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, Rust's campaign raised just over $11,000 this year, as of Oct. 3. It has spent just over $6,500 so far.

Learn more about Rust on his campaign website: https://rustforhouse.org/

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Boomer Wright

Boomer Wright, a Republican who lives near Reedsport, is hoping to be reelected to represent District 9.

Wright was raised in Lorane. He spent 31 years in public education in various roles including teacher, coach, principal and superintendent. He continued to substitute teach at the Siuslaw and Reedsport School Districts after retiring.

“I've lived on the coast for over 50 years and I wouldn't live anywhere else,” Wright said. “My focus is always on family, faith and freedom. Those are the major things I believe in.”

Currently, Wright serves on the House Interim Committee On Behavioral Health, Early Childhood, Education and Veterans and Emergency Management as well as the Joint Interim Committee On Gambling Regulation. He said all those issues are part of his background “in one way or another.”

Since joining the Legislature in 2021, Wright has helped bring in millions of dollars to the district to support libraries, Mapleton’s water system and fund other special projects. He’s also worked to ensure veterans have transportation services to the coast and Veterans Affairs facilities for medical treatment.

There are five specific issues Wright hopes to continue to work on if reelected: affordable housing, workforce, childcare, education and homelessness.

According to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, Wright's campaign raised just nearly $49,000 this year, as of Oct. 3, in addition to about $1,000 from the previous year. It has spent about $22,500 so far.

Learn more about Wright on his campaign website: https://www.boomerwright.com/

Contact reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick at Tatiana@registerguard.com or 541-521-7512, and follow her on Twitter @TatianaSophiaPT.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon House District 9: Jerry Rust faces Boomer Wright in 2022 race