Barton warchest doesn't scare Flores

State Rep. Linda Flores (R-Clackamas), isn’t worried about her well-funded, energized young Democratic opponent at this point, according to campaign aide Dawn Phillips.

Flores’ opponent, Brent Barton has amassed over $50K so far, plus $12K in pledges, despite being entirely unknown and new to the 51st District. But Phillips said the campaign has not been surprised by Barton’s early momentum.

“Look, he’s got a primary to get through, and he’s new and doesn’t really have a name yet in the community, and this happens a lot on Oregon,” Phillips said. “And (Flores) is certainly no stranger to running races that reach $300,000 dollars, so it’s extremely early, and we’ve been fundraising and getting (Flores’) message out there,” she said, adding that constituents have been enormously supportive of Flores’ tough stance on illegal immigration.

Flores has received some recent attention for her opposition to a proposal that seeks to afford undocumented students in-state college tuition, as opposed to the much higher, international student rates. But according to Phillips, the tuition issue is simply the tip of the iceberg.

“She’s been out in front in the legislature over the past few years pushing for sensible immigration reform in the state, including the driver’s license issue, voter registration, security issues that would create greater coordination between our law enforcement and their federal partners, and she’s pushed to deny state benefits for illegal immigrants,” Phillips said.