PolitickerOR Olympic Special: Matt Lindland

State House candidate Matt Lindland PORTLAND— Matt Lindland (R-Eagle Creek) had just spent his entire Saturday walking the town of Sandy before he finally made it to the Weston Kia dealer on southeast Stark Street. His white "Lindland for District 52" t-shirt was slightly sweaty, and he made a bee line past the barbeque his supporters were enjoying on his way to the front desk of the dealership. After a long day of campaigning, it was time to go to work. His weekly radio show on professional mixed martial arts reaches out to 750,000 Oregonians, and it was almost time to go on the air.

Name recognition won’t be a problem for Lindland, who is running for the state legislature, his first political office. His resume may be slim on the politics side, but it’s got other things on it. Like an Olympic silver medal. And a winning record as a professional mixed martial fighter. Not to mention coach of the International Fight League’s Portland Wolfpack, manager for 30 professional fighters, his own apparel line (called Dirty Boxer), owner of TeamQuest MMA Fitness, co-owner of Sportfight, a Rose Garden fight promoter, and radio personality. Mixed martial arts and campaign events may not be natural bedfellows, but what better way for a community to come together to talk taxes and catch the latest pay-per-view fight?

“Tonight is the 170 pound welterweight title fight,” Lindland said excitedly as he sorted through notes. He only had a few minutes to transition from candidate to commentator.

Lindland is a mixed martial arts fighter, which is a fast-flying combination of martial arts and professional wrestling. He hasn’t fought since July when he managed to win in Los Angeles while battling pneumonia. Maybe the sickness was a sign of being stretched thin, but such is the life of the Republican nominee to replace state Rep. Patti Smith. District 52, which was formerly seen as a relatively safe Republican seat, has seen a resurgence in Democratic registration. And with House Democrats looking to push their slim 31-29 majority in the Oregon House to a veto-proof 36-24 margin, the pressure is on.

“Keeping this seat Republican is essential,” said Lindland’s campaign manager Tootie Smith.

If Republicans want to keep the seat, they are going to have to fight for it. That’s ok with Lindland — he's used to it.

Lindland grew up in the Redland area east of Oregon City. A talented athlete, he excelled in wrestling. He says his discipline and determination are what eventually got him to the University of Nebraska, and onto the wrestling team there, where he was a Big-12 champion.

He moved to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and made it to the finals of the Olympic Wrestling Trials in 2000. After he was tripped in the finals, he took the judges to court and eventually won a spot on the Olympic team. His determination to see his Olympic dream through landed him the silver medal. It also landed him his nickname: “The Law.” Lindland says he took up mixed martial arts after he left the wrestling mats because it seemed like the next logical step.

“It’s a natural progression,” Lindland said. “The skills you use in fighting are the same principles that apply. You have to know how to train, know how to compete.”

The progression between ultimate fighting and Oregon politics is a little more vague. Maybe the same principles apply in the political arena as well.

“Well, it’s been a fight so far,” Lindland said as he laughed, trying to compare the two. “The primary was tough. I thought I’d just get out there, focus on the issues, but when I started winning on the issues they started to attack. I equated it to walking into the ring with your hands down, getting punched a few times, and then you start fighting.”

He better have his hands up in the general election. As Democrats strive for the seat, Lindland will have to face a tough challenge from Suzanne VanOrman of Hood River. But he thinks his message speaks to the self-reliance of the people in District 52.

He hopes his message of lower taxes and no new taxes will speak to people being squeezed by the economy and squeezed by the state. By refocusing the state’s money, he believes more can be accomplished. And if other Republicans are working as hard as he is, Lindland said he has faith that they won’t be relegated to vocal minority status.

“I don’t know if we’re going to become a minority,” Lindland said. “I think there’s still hope.”

Lindland’s known for maintaining an optimistic outlook; it’s something his campaign manager Smith thinks sets him apart. Smith is a former representative for District 18, and she saw Oregon through its toughest budget crisis 2001. In 2003, she wrote the legislation that eventually allowed for professional wrestling and mixed martial arts events to legally take place in Oregon. It was a jobs thing, she said. That legislation cleared the way for Sportfight, Oregon’s first sanctioned mixed martial arts promoter, which is owned and run by Lindland. Now, five years later, Smith is fielding phone calls and talking to donors from her office in Lindland’s gym.

“The guys coming through the hallway are some of the nicest people I’ve ever been around,” Smith said of the fighters Lindland coaches.

If elected, both Smith and Lindland will be spending a lot less time at the gym. And if Lindland is spending more time in Salem come January, he thinks that no matter what the balance of the House looks like, he can bring about some changes for his district.

“As a businessman, I’ve learned to work with a variety of different people,” Lindland said. “You just have to work professionally.