“In America, we as U.S. citizens have the right to get sick if we want to, right?” said Anna Kasachev in an Oct. 9 campaign Q&A session on her Facebook page, according to Willamette Week. Kasachev is a member of Russian Orthodox sect, Old Believers, located near Woodburn, and she is currently running for state representative.
Alongside Kasachev are Harmony Mulkey, who is running for the state senate in Beaverton, and Brittany Ruiz, running for McMinnville City Council. All three are skeptical of vaccines and seek to be elected on the platform that no Oregonian (or American) should be required to get a vaccine.
Ruiz was also challenged in a tweet on Oct. 14 by Hollywood actress Leah Remini, who claimed that Ruiz wants to gain influence for the Church of Scientology. “Her sole purpose for running is to secretly represent Scientology and gain influence for this destructive cult’s activities,” The King of Queens star wrote.
Bob Snee is a board member of Oregonians for Medical Freedom, a group that lobbies against increasing rates of vaccination.
“The women you’ve named and others, likely were inspired to run because they didn’t like what they saw and heard from elected representatives, both privately and in legislative hearings and chambers,” Snee told Willamette Week. “There are many Oregonians who believe strongly enough in medical freedom that the vaccine issue makes them single-issue voters.”
As of right now, being able to return to a normal way of life for many Americans rests on an effective and competent vaccine for COVID-19. The effects of a vaccine could be thwarted, however, by lax regulations. According to Willamette Week, Oregonians for Medical Freedom has contributed small amounts to several republicans who opposed HB 3063, a bill that would have tightened up rules for vaccination exemptions.
Democrats are taking a different approach and using opponent’s positions of vaccines to damage their reputations during campaigns. One mailer from the Democratic Party of Oregon says, “Our Future depends on a lot of science and a safe vaccine. Denyc Boles doesn’t believe in either.”
Boles opposed HB 3063 as a member of the House. She told Willamette week “My kids all received vaccinations. I believe in science. I also believe parents should have a say over their children’s healthcare.”
Democrats, in turn, are trying to link these types of debates to the response of republicans nationally to the COVID-19 crisis.
Executive Director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, Meghan Cavanaugh told Willamette Week, “Our candidates trust public health experts and science. They are running against Republican incumbents who are questioning the science behind vaccines. The anti-vaccine movement both threatens public health and is entirely out of step with the position of most Oregonians, who have made clear that they trust scientific experts.”
Tim Knopp, state senator in Bend, is also opposed to increasing vaccination rates. In 2019 he sponsored a bill to forbid employers from requiring employees to be vaccinated as a condition of employment and he also voted against a bill that would have required the disclosure of vaccination rates.
At a 2019 rally, Knopp was quoted saying “When the government can send you a mandate that you have a medical procedure that you do not want, there is no freedom in America.”
Knopp maintains that he is not anti-vaccine. Instead, he told Willamette Week, “I am for informed consent-which is part of the Democrat platform, by the way.”
According to the Willamette Week article, most American support expanding vaccine laws. A survey done by Pew Research in 2016 discovered that 79% of Republicans and 83% of Democrats agreed that healthy school children should be vaccinated. However, it’s still a mystery whether these numbers will hold firm as trust in a COVID-19 vaccine has waned.
If democrats are successful in defeating Boles and Knopp, as well as keeping seats away from Kasachev, Mulkey and Ruiz, they will not only be able to stop future GOP walkouts, but also clear the path for stricter vaccination requirements.
By Kyra Young
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