30 Facts About Cliff Bentz

Cliff Stewart Bentz was born on January 12,1952 and is an American lawyer, rancher, and politician serving as the US representative for Oregon's 2nd congressional district.

Cliff Bentz previously served in the Oregon Senate, representing the 30th district in Eastern Oregon.

Cliff Bentz served in the Oregon House of Representatives, representing the 60th district, which encompasses Malheur, Baker, Harney, and Grant counties, and part of Lake County, and includes the cities of Baker City, Burns, and Ontario.

In May 2020, Bentz won the Republican primary for Oregon's 2nd congressional district and faced Democrat Alex Spenser and Independent Patrick Archer in November.

Cliff Bentz was elected to the US House of Representatives on November 3,2020.

Cliff Bentz was born in Salem, Oregon, and raised on ranches in the eastern Oregon communities of Fields and Drewsey.

Cliff Bentz graduated from Regis High School in the Willamette Valley city of Stayton in 1970.

From 1977 to 1980, Cliff Bentz was a law associate with the Ontario, Oregon, law firm Yturri Rose, and was made a partner in the firm in 1980, a position he still holds.

Cliff Bentz specializes in agricultural, water, and real property law.

Cliff Bentz began his career as a member of the Oregon Water Resources Commission from 1988 to 1996.

Cliff Bentz served as chair of the commission from 1994 to 1996.

In 2008, Cliff Bentz was appointed by county commissioners in House District 60 to replace Tom Butler in the Oregon House of Representatives after Butler resigned to pursue a church mission.

Cliff Bentz defeated Tim K Smith in the Republican primary in May 2008, and was unopposed in the general election.

In 2010, Cliff Bentz won another term unopposed in both the primary and the general election.

On January 8,2018, Cliff Bentz was sworn in as state senator to replace Ted Ferrioli, who resigned to take a political appointment.

Cliff Bentz resigned his seat in the Oregon House and was appointed to the senate seat by the county commissioners in the senate district.

Republican state senators, including Cliff Bentz, continued their boycotts in 2020 to prevent the passage of climate change mitigation response, and 2021, after he left for Congress.

Cliff Bentz served as vice-chair of the following committees: Transportation and Economic Development, Revenue, Joint Tax Credits, Revenue, Tax Expenditures, Carbon Reduction, and Finance and Revenue.

Cliff Bentz co-chaired the Transportation Committee and was a member of others.

Cliff Bentz resigned from the Oregon State Senate effective January 2,2020, to run in the 2020 election for Oregon's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.

Cliff Bentz won the Republican primary and defeated Democrat Alex Spenser and Independent Patrick Archer in the general election.

The next day, Cliff Bentz joined 139 US representatives who objected to Pennsylvania's electoral votes.

On May 19,2021, Cliff Bentz was one of 35 Republicans who joined all 217 Democrats present in voting to approve legislation to establish the National Commission to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol Complex meant to investigate the storming of the US Capitol.

Cliff Bentz was the only member of Oregon's House delegation to do so.

Cliff Bentz joined the Republican members of Congress who sided with the Trump campaign's attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.

On July 19,2022, Cliff Bentz joined 46 other House Republicans in voting for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and require each state, as well as the federal government, to recognize any marriage performed in another state.

However, Cliff Bentz voted against final passage on December 8,2022.

Cliff Bentz was born to Kenneth and Anne Bentz and raised on family ranches in Harney County.

Cliff Bentz is a devout Roman Catholic and attends Blessed Sacrament Church in Ontario.

Cliff Bentz chaired the St Peter Catholic grade school board for five years.