William C. "Bud" Pierce (born October 3, 1956[1]) is an American physician and politician. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon in the 2016 special election.[2][3]
Bud Pierce | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 3, 1956 Wiesbaden, West Germany |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Selma Moon
(m. 1981; died 2020) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of California, Riverside (BS) University of California, Los Angeles (MS, PhD, MD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine CorpsUnited States Navy Reserve |
| Years of service | 1979–1985 (Active) 1989–1997 (Reserve) |
| Unit | .png){kind=spacer} United States Marine Corps Reserve |
Early life and career
editPierce was born in Germany and raised in Riverside County, California. His father worked as a public school custodian and his mother was a homemaker. He graduated from Moreno Valley High School in 1974 and attended college at the University of California, Riverside, graduating in 1979, and medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles, receiving a Ph.D. in 1985 and M.D. in 1987.[3][4] He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from 1979 to 1985, and moved to Salem, Oregon in 1994, where he currently works as an oncologist and hematologist. Pierce is also a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University and College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Northwest.[3]
Political career
edit2016 gubernatorial election
editIn March 2015, Pierce announced he would explore a campaign for governor.[5] He won the Republican primary for governor on May 17, 2016, and received about 48% of the vote, defeating his closest challenger, businessman Allen Alley, by nearly 20 points.[6] Pierce faced incumbent governor Kate Brown in the general election in November.[7]
In May 2016, Pierce endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.[8] However, in September he released a statement stating he "was hopeful that Donald Trump would rise to the occasion and unify the party and nation during the general election. As each day goes by, more of the opposite has taken place. At this point in time I need to see more from Donald Trump in the way of specific policy proposals and a more inclusive tone in order to vote for him."[9][10] Following the release of video footage showing Donald Trump making lewd comments about women, Pierce condemned the comments, stating, "Mr. Trump's comments are degrading, unbecoming, and unacceptable, period."[11][12][13]
In September 2016, during a debate with Kate Brown, Pierce generated controversy and boos from the audience for saying educated women are less susceptible to domestic abuse.[14][15] He later apologized for his remarks.[16][17][18]
On November 8, 2016, Pierce lost to Brown, receiving 43% of the vote.
2022 gubernatorial election
editOn November 30, 2020, Pierce announced he would be once again running for governor in the 2022 election. In his announcement, he criticized Governor Brown (who was term limited in 2022), saying, "Oregon is currently suffering under the guidance of an oppressive and poorly performing governor."[19]
Political positions
editPierce opposed Oregon Ballot Measure 97 in 2016. It would have imposed a gross receipts tax on C Corporations with sales exceeding $25 million.[20][21] In 2016, Pierce called for a more moderate Oregon Republican Party.[21]
He is against vaccine mandates saying in February 2022, regarding COVID-19 deaths, "Most of those were 65 and over, past working age. Few people of working age have died, and society shouldn’t be brought to a halt." "It’s time to end the mandates."[22]
Personal life
editPierce married Selma Moon Pierce on June 6, 1981. The couple had two children and attended Salem First Christian Church in Salem, Oregon. Selma Pierce was also involved in politics; she ran for Oregon's 20th House district in 2018 and 2020, losing both times to Democrat Paul Evans.[2][3] Selma died after being struck by a car in Salem in 2020.[23]
Electoral history
edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bud Pierce | 171,158 | 47.66 | |
| Republican | Allen Alley | 103,388 | 28.79 | |
| Republican | Bruce Cuff | 41,598 | 11.58 | |
| Republican | Bob Niemeyer | 35,669 | 9.93 | |
| Republican | Bob Forthan | 4,290 | 1.19 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 3,020 | 0.84 | |
| Total votes | 359,123 | 100 | ||
| Democratic | Kate Brown | 1,008,558 | 50.90% | |
| Republican | Bud Pierce | 854,924 | 43.14% | |
| Independent Party | Cliff Thomason | 48,262 | 2.44% | |
| Libertarian | James Foster | 46,049 | 2.32% | |
| Constitution | Aaron Donald Auer | 19,537 | 0.99% | |
| write-ins | 4,281 | 0.22% | ||
| Total votes | 1,981,611 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Christine Drazan | 85,255 | 22.99 | |
| Republican | Bob Tiernan | 66,089 | 17.82 | |
| Republican | Stan Pulliam | 41,123 | 11.09 | |
| Republican | Bridget Barton | 40,886 | 11.02 | |
| Republican | Bud Pierce | 32,965 | 8.89 | |
| Republican | Marc Thielman | 30,076 | 8.12 | |
| Republican | Kerry McQuisten | 28,727 | 7.74 | |
| Republican | Bill Sizemore | 13,261 | 3.57 | |
| Republican | Jessica Gomez | 9,970 | 2.69 | |
| Republican | Tim McCloud | 4,400 | 1.19 | |
| Republican | Nick Hess | 4,287 | 1.15 | |
| Republican | Court Boice | 4,040 | 1.09 | |
| Republican | Brandon Merritt | 3,615 | 0.97 | |
| Republican | Reed Christensen | 3,042 | 0.82 | |
| Republican | Amber Richardson | 1,924 | 0.52 | |
| Republican | Raymond Baldwin | 459 | 0.12 | |
| Republican | David Burch | 406 | 0.11 | |
| Republican | John Presco | 174 | 0.05 | |
| Republican | Stefan Strek | 171 | 0.05 | |
| Total votes | 370,910 | 100 | ||
References
edit- ^ Theriault, Dennis C. (July 31, 2015). "Republican doctor, taking on Kate Brown, pours $250,000 into campaign". The Oregonian (OregonLive.com). Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ a b "About Bud". Bud Pierce for a Better Oregon. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "William C. "Bud" Pierce, MD, PhD" (PDF). Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ AP (September 10, 2015). "Bud Pierce Announces Bid For Oregon Governor". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ Kullgren, Ian K. (March 16, 2015). "Republican doctor from Salem contemplates gubernatorial run". The Oregonian (OregonLive.com). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ a b "May 17, 2016 Primary Election Results". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ Theriault, Denis C. (September 18, 2015). "Kate Brown makes clear she's running for governor". The Oregonian (OregonLive.com). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ Dooris, Pat (May 4, 2016). "Oregon Republicans react to Trump's likely nomination". KGW. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ Roth, Sara (September 20, 2016). "Gov. candidate Bud Pierce now undecided on Trump". KGW. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (September 20, 2016). "5 Things You Didn't Know About Bud Pierce – The GOP nominee for governor just yanked his endorsement of Trump". Willamette Week. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ Friedman, Gordon (October 10, 2016). "Bud Pierce, Greg Walden denounce Trump's lewd comments about women". Statesman Journal. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ Manning, Rob (October 8, 2016). "Republican Bud Pierce Denounces Comments In 2005 Donald Trump Video". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ KOIN 6 News Staff (October 8, 2016). "Bud Pierce responds to Trump's lewd comments". KOIN 6 – Watching out for you. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Phillips, Amber (October 1, 2016). "GOP Oregon gubernatorial candidate: Educated women aren't susceptible to sexual abuse". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ The Associated Press (October 2, 2016). "Oregon gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce booed for sexual violence remark". The Register-Guard. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ Mapes, Jeff; Parks, Bradley W. (October 1, 2016). "Pierce Booed For Sexual Assault Remarks, Later Apologizes". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ Donovan, Laura (October 7, 2016). "A Man Running for Governor Tried to Argue That Women in This Demographic Cannot Experience Abuse". ATTN. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ Field, Andrew (October 7, 2016). "Oregon Governor candidates debate in Eugene over state issues". Daily Emerald. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (November 30, 2020). "The 2022 Governor's Race Is Officially Underway: Dr. Bud Pierce Declares His Candidacy". Willamette Week. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ Lindsey, Gerald (August 21, 2016). "Kate Brown supports Measure 97; vote for Bud Pierce". Statesman Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Hubbard, Saul (September 15, 2016). "Gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce calls for moderate Oregon GOP". The Register-Guard. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
- ^ Gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce says it's time to stop fearing COVID-19, News Review, Carisa Cegavske, February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ^ Ramakrishnan, Jayati (December 1, 2020). "Selma Pierce, wife of gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce, struck and killed by car". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 1, 2020.