Portland’s self-styled political “watchdogs” have struck again, says Alex McHaddad, this time taking aim at rural Oregon leaders with what he calls misleading headlines and selective outrage. In his editorial, McHaddad criticizes the Oregon Capitol Chronicle for a pattern of targeting rural lawmakers while ignoring the realities of representing vast, diverse districts.
Cliff Bentz in the Crosshairs
The latest example, McHaddad argues, is a story about Congressman Cliff Bentz of Ontario, elected in 2020 to represent Oregon’s sprawling 2nd Congressional District — 165 cities, 21 counties, multiple time zones, and vastly different geographies.
The Chronicle’s headline — “Oregon’s US Rep. Cliff Bentz outspent every House member on Trump inauguration weekend” — is framed, he says, to imply wrongdoing without evidence. While the piece listed travel expenses, it lacked full context that Bentz’s office later provided: the costs were tied to an annual in-person legislative planning session that coincided with the presidential inauguration, and additional staff were sent to Washington to handle over 1,000 constituent ticket requests and coordinate visits.
Instead of seeking comment from local elected officials in CD2, the Chronicle quoted Kate Titus, head of Portland-based Common Cause Oregon, who suggested the spending “seems shockingly high.” McHaddad notes that almost the entire advisory board of Common Cause Oregon lives in the Willamette Valley — far from Bentz’s district.
A Pattern with Rural Legislators
McHaddad claims this is not an isolated case. In May, the Chronicle ran a story about State Representative Bobby Levy that, according to him, demonstrated her strict compliance with ethics laws despite the provocative headline. Again, the paper turned to Titus for comment instead of speaking to constituents or community leaders in Levy’s Eastern Oregon district.
In both instances, McHaddad says the underlying message was the same: “rural bad, therefore rural legislator bad.”
Urban Voices on Rural Issues
For McHaddad, the recurring reliance on Portland-based advocacy groups to weigh in on rural matters underscores a bias in state political coverage. He argues that organizations like Common Cause have little stake in the districts they critique and that their involvement signals “contempt for rural communities” from urban-centric media outlets.
The Cost of Misrepresentation
McHaddad warns that sensationalized headlines and selective sourcing will alienate readers and erode trust, leading to declining subscriptions and revenue for Oregon newspapers. He challenges editorial boards to “overcome your hatred for rural communities” and ensure that Eastern Oregon voices are included when reporting on Eastern Oregon affairs.
“Next time you think you have a story to report about Eastern Oregon, get a comment from someone in Eastern Oregon,” he writes.
Editor’s Note: Alex McHaddad is the President of Right Now Oregon, LLC. In 2019, Cliff Bentz sponsored legislation he wrote in the Oregon Senate. McHaddad was also employed by Bobby Levy’s campaign and legislative office at various points between 2020–2024.
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