Erickson fights off DPO allegations of misrepresenting endorsements

The Democratic Party of Oregon accused 5th Congressional District candidate Mike Erickson (R-Lake Oswego) of repeatedly misrepresenting his endorsements, releasing a list of incidents involving what it believed to be Erickson’s misleading statements about support he has received from political officials in the state.

The accusations date as far back as 1988, when the DPO says Erickson misrepresented an endorsement from a U.S. senator. The most recent of the Democrats accusations is from May, when they believe Erickson falsely claimed that Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) was supporting his candidacy by attending a fund raiser.

“In my lifetime I have never seen a candidate brazenly fabricate so many different stories debunked by so many different people,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said.

But Erickson’s campaign claims that the Republican is a victim of smear politics.

“The Democratic Party of Oregon is attempting to run a non-issue based campaign by tossing out false accusations against Mike Erickson,” Erickson campaign manager Jeff Harvey said.

The Democrats pointed to two instances from earlier this year which they believe Erickson misled voters. The first occurred in March when Erickson mailed out fliers listing his supporters from his past congressional run in 2006. One of those supporters listed was Oregon Right to Life, who did support Erickson in 2006, but was planning on endorsing his primary opponent, Kevin Mannix, in 2008. Later, Right to Life executive director Gayle Atteberry told The Oregonian that she was upset about the mailing because it implied that Erickson once again had her group's support.

Harvey says that the mailer clearly stated the endorsement was for a past election cycle.

“On the mailing list it explicitly said, ‘In 2006, Erickson was endorsed by so and so,’” Harvey said, noting that the mailer, which was sent in February, was simply citing the most recent election cycle, since Oregon Right to Life and many other political groups had yet to endorse in the 2008 primaries.

The second revolves around a $1,000-a-plate fundraising dinner in May at Erickson’s house. Harvey said 55 people showed up, including Walden and U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). The DPO has since claimed that Walden has been distancing himself from the Erickson campaign. But according to Harvey, Walden knew exactly what he was getting into.

“The invitation had Walden’s name and Blunt’s name,” Harvey said. “Greg came with Roy, spoke just as long as Roy did, and said Mike was a great candidate.”

Harvey said that Walden has yet to endorse Erickson in the 5th Congressional District race. He also said there were no plans for Walden to attend future fundraisers for Erickson.

The DPO's earliest issues with Erickson date back to more than 20 years ago. The first comes from his use of a 1987 letter sent to Erickson from then Democratic Gov. Neil Goldschmidt. According to the DPO, Erickson misconstrued the letter to be a form of endorsement from the governor for the position of Student Assembly President at Portland State University, and Erickson was disqualified from the election.

The other accusation is that Erickson tried to pass off a letter from former U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield, which was a note of encouragement, as a campaign endorsement.

Tuesday's DPO claims follow an email it sent last week accusing Erickson of lying about his employment record at Fred Meyer. Democrats said that these events show that Erickson has a pattern of misrepresenting himself to voters.

“In every sector of his life you see Erickson making false claims,” DPO spokesman Marc Siegel said. “He’s not only prolific at making lies, he’s bad at it.”

Democrats in Oregon and in the nation's Capitol have said that Erickson is trying to create an illusion of support from his own party, even though he does not have the backing of some Republicans.

Social conservative groups, including Oregon Right to Life, called on Erickson to drop his congressional bid after allegations were made public that he may have paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion. His primary opponent, Kevin Mannix, has decided not to back Erickson in the general campaign.

“I think it’s time for Mike Erickson to tell the truth about the lack of support he’s receiving from Republicans, much less Independents and Democrats,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Yoni Cohen said.

Erickson’s campaign wants to put the past behind them, and look forward to the election.

“The voters in the 5th Congressional District deserve to hear candidate’s positions on issues, something Mike has been doing all summer,” Harvey said. “Mike Erickson is not going to base this campaign around smears and misinformation.”