Bernard John "Ben" Westlund II was an American politician in the US state of Oregon.
21 Facts About Ben Westlund
2.
Previously, Westlund served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as a Republican from 1996 to 2006, as an independent from 2006 to 2007, and then as a Democrat.
3.
Ben Westlund dropped his Republican party affiliation to run for Governor of Oregon in the 2006 election, but dropped out of the race in August.
4.
Ben Westlund worked as a business analyst, and ran businesses in mining, ranching, and agriculture.
5.
Ben Westlund was born in Long Beach, California, and his family moved to Oregon when he was a teenager.
6.
Ben Westlund graduated from Oregon Episcopal School in 1967, then received a bachelor's degree from Whitman College in education and history and pursued some graduate studies at the University of Oregon.
7.
Ben Westlund was arrested for drunk driving and possession of cocaine in 1982.
8.
Ben Westlund credited that incident with convincing him to stop drinking.
9.
Ben Westlund later served in the Oregon Legislature with the arresting officer, Rep.
10.
In 1996, Ben Westlund won election to the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican.
11.
Ben Westlund unsuccessfully argued for the creation of a state sales tax as a means to balance the budget during a revenue shortfall.
12.
Ben Westlund served on the Cultural Trust's board until his election as State Treasurer.
13.
In 2003, Ben Westlund was appointed to the Oregon Senate to complete the term of retiring Sen.
14.
Ben Westlund won election to that same seat in 2004, gaining the local Democratic nomination and facing only token opposition on the ballot.
15.
Ben Westlund represented District 27 in the Senate, which covers most of Deschutes County and includes the city of Bend.
16.
Ben Westlund subsequently sponsored a bill in the legislature to allow civil unions.
17.
Ben Westlund was pro-choice and supported access to the morning-after pill.
18.
Ben Westlund won the Democratic primary and defeated Allen Alley in the November 2008 general election.
19.
Ben Westlund was one of the first statewide officeholders to be cross-nominated by the Independent Party of Oregon.
20.
On February 14,2006, Ben Westlund dropped his Republican registration, registered as an independent and declared his candidacy for Governor.
21.
Ben Westlund was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2003, for which he underwent surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.