About
Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020 to serve Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District, a heavily rural area where voters opted to reelect Trump by a wide margin. He won reelection in 2022 with 66% of the vote.
In 2021, Bentz had just been sworn in for three days before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. But once Congress reconvened to continue the Electoral College certification process, he voted against certifying President Biden’s win.
Before serving in Congress, Bentz was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2008–18 and the Oregon State Senate from 2018–20. He is also a former member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a coalition of corporations and politicians responsible for developing and promoting right-wing, pro-corporate model legislation adopted at the state level.
January 6, 2021
- Just hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Bentz joined 146 other congressional Republicans in refusing to certify Biden’s win of the 2020 presidential election.
- According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, Bentz was sheltering in place during the Jan. 6 insurrection and reportedly “declined to say whether he thinks Joe Biden is the rightful president-elect.”
- Bentz voted against impeaching Trump for his role in instigating the attack on Congress and the Capitol, and for fanning the flames once the riot broke out.
- Bentz voted against establishing a House committee to investigate the genesis of the violent assault that disrupted the congressional proceedings underway that day.
The Big Lie
- In a statement announcing his decision to vote against certifying Biden’s electoral win, Bentz said that although he would back the peaceful transfer of power, he continued “to empathize with those whose frustrations with the electoral system remain unresolved. I share their frustrations, and as the Representative of Oregon’s Second District, I will do my best to address their concerns.”
Top contributors for the 2024 election cycle.
The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families.
| Organization Name | Total | PACs | Individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Wood | $12,800.00 | $0.00 | $12,800.00 |
| Murphy Forest Products | $12,000.00 | $0.00 | $12,000.00 |
| National Assn of Broadcasters | $11,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| State of Oregon | $10,100.00 | $0.00 | $10,100.00 |
| National Assn of Home Builders | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Republican Governance Group | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| San Manuel Band of Pom Indians | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | $10,000.00 |
| Republican Main Street Partnership | $9,000.00 | $5,000.00 | $4,000.00 |
| American Crystal Sugar | $7,500.00 | $7,500.00 | $0.00 |
| Pacific Seafood Group | $7,500.00 | $7,500.00 | $0.00 |