The NY Times looks at Senate District 3 Candidate Jessica Gomez

"When I read the New York Times article I was unhappy they implied that women had gone too far with their power in the Oregon legislature. Actually I think Democrats have gone too far."

                                                 State Senate Candidate Jessica Gomez

Candidate Jessica Gomez was quoted in the New York Times in an article about women in power in Oregon. Oregon is "off the deep end." 

Gomez at Medford Starbucks

The article cited her as an example of a woman pushing for a retreat from current policies that had become too progressive under the leadership of other women. The story included a big photo of Gomez.

The national spotlight is on her because she doesn't fit neatly into a partisan category. 

She is a pro-choice Republican, with some instincts and attitudes that seem more in tune with Democrats than Republicans. She says she voted for Hillary, not Trump. She had been a registered Democrat less than two years ago. She is politically complicated, explaining she is "in the middle. I am trying to bridge that divide."  

For example, she said supports a woman’s right to an abortion, but also supports the Measure 106 on the November Oregon ballot, the anti-abortion measure advanced by Oregon Right to Life. The measure would prohibit state money from being used for most abortions for people receiving Medicaid, and it prohibits the state paying for a health benefit insurance plan that includes abortion as one of its services, e.g. those of state employees. Click. Ballotpedia This puts her out of step with the Oregon legislature, with its many women members.

The article included this section:

Click: NY Times

     "Some Republican women, like Jessica Gomez, a business owner in southwest Oregon who is running for office for the first time, are sharpening the argument: Women in power in Salem have accomplished some admirable things, she tells voters, but they've gone too far.

'We need to support women's rights and women's health and those things are important, but when you have a legislature that really just pushes that off the deep end, I think people have an issue with it,' said Ms. Gomez, who has described herself as 'pro-choice' on abortion in her race against a male candidate for an open seat in the State Senate."

I asked Gomez if the newspaper quoted her correctly. She said yes. But she added that she thought they got the emphasis wrong, and the problem wasn't women who went off the deep end, it was Democrats.

I asked what she meant by "off the deep end?" 

She cited abortion as an example, saying the issue was "very complex," but that she was going to vote "yes" on the anti-abortion measure on the ballot.

Gomez was making a distinction. Abortion choice is a woman's right, but tax money to pay for abortions, directly or indirectly, was too much an affront to people who had strong convictions against abortion.

Right to Life anti abortion initiative

"Many people feel strongly against abortion. Having those people pay for it with their tax money seems wrong."

She explained. "The state provided money that specifically was set aside to provide abortions for people getting Medicaid. There was even money set aside for undocumented people who were not eligible for Medicaid to pay for an abortion. I think leaving abortion as a choice is important. I don't think that I as a legislator I should make that choice for her. It should be between the woman and her doctor."

She said she understood her position might not please everyone--or indeed anyone. She would likely not be considered sufficiently anti-abortion by some, but also not sufficiently willing to assure abortion access to please others. 

Her Democratic opponent Jeff Golden read Gomez's quote in the Times and says this is an area where he and Gomes differ. Golden has a longstanding record of supporting both reproductive rights and financial access to abortion. He says the current policy serves Oregon women:

     "Hearing Jessica say the influence of Oregon's women leaders 'just pushes that off the deep end' tells me we're far apart on the two issues the Times article features: reproductive rights and sexual harassment.

Golden

The article points out that our legislature 'passed a far-reaching bill last year guaranteeing and expanding access to contraception, abortion and postpartum care.' If you want abortion to be 'safe, legal and rare'--I do--that's good legislation. It makes sure that economically-stressed women aren't blocked from legal abortion services (and sometimes driven to back-alley alternatives). And full access to contraceptive services clearly makes abortion rarer by reducing unwanted pregnancies. Nothing 'off the deep end' about it.

There's also been a welcome and overdue push to eliminate sexual harassment in the Capitol by making sure women aren't punished or further mistreated when they come forward with complaints. Part of that is making sure that their cases will be heard by neutral parties who won't bury information to protect harassers. 'Off the deep end? No. Basic common sense."

Gomez has a narrow path. Current Republican orthodoxy is to oppose all, or nearly all, abortions.  Gomez is outside that orthodoxy. Ballot Measure 106 provides a narrow route partially to both support and oppose abortion. It reduces financial access to the procedure, not the procedure itself, and the ballot title treats it as a taxpayer issue--Stop Taxpayer funding of Abortion Act of 2018--not a health care issue or a rights issue. It introduces a third party to the decision between a woman and her doctor--the feelings of people who oppose the procedure.

It makes her position complex, complicated, and a difficult political message to communicate. Jeff Golden has a simpler, clearer message: it is a health care issue and a woman's right to make it.

Still, it is what Gomez says she believes and is comfortable with, so that is her message. She is an uneasy Republican, but this issue may help her present herself as Republican-enough, at least to the 48% of the GOP who voted for her opponent in the primary election. She needs a solid turnout from them to win this election.