In a statement today, Mike Erickson, Republican candidate for Oregon’s Congressional HD 6, drew another distinction between himself and his Democrat opponent Andrea Salinas. Erickson is against tolling, and Salinas voted for 2021 HB 3055, a bill that approves a toll between I-5 and I-205 (House Bill 3055, page 57). 

Erickson’s campaign highlighted Salinas’ support for tolling in a series of ads. KGW’s Pat Dooris featured the ad in a segment that analyzed political advertising. Dooris confirmed that Salinas did vote for tolling (Oct 26, 2022). This corrected Dooris’ previous conclusion that the claim wasn’t verifiable (Oct 18, 2022).

In an Oct 20 tweet, Salinas cited the Channel 8 story, calling Erickson’s claim “utter nonsense.” Democrats then used Dooris’ segment to fundraise for Salinas, saying she never supported tolling.

Former State Representative Julie Parrish responded to Salinas’ post with her own tweet. “Your March letter is a little late to the party after your 2021 vote to move to toll forward. If you don’t read the bills in Oregon, unlikely you’ll read what you vote for in Congress,” Parrish commented.

“Oregonians are already struggling to pay bills under the tax and spend policies of one-party rule. Adding a toll as high as $4.40 a day for commuters between Wilsonville and Salem increases the burden,” Erickson said. “This could add up to over $1,000 a year.”

The Erickson campaign responded by saying, “The Democrats were using the KGW story in fundraising emails claiming our ads are ‘bogus.’ In a time where ballots have been mailed, voters must know where candidates stand on the issues. Salinas’ votes show that she has and will continue to vote for tax increases.”

Original source can be found here.