Bud Pierce

William C. "Bud" Pierce (born October 3, 1956[1]) is an American physician and politician. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon in the 2016 special election.[2][3]

Bud Pierce
Personal details
Born (1956-10-03) October 3, 1956
Wiesbaden, West Germany
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Selma Moon
​
​
(m. 1981; died 2020)​
Children2
EducationUniversity of California, Riverside (BS)
University of California, Los Angeles (MS, PhD, MD)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
United States Navy Reserve
Years of service1979–1985 (Active)
1989–1997 (Reserve)
Unit United States Marine Corps Reserve

Early life and career

Pierce was born in Germany and raised in Riverside County, California. His father worked as a public school custodian and his mother was a homemaker. He graduated from Moreno Valley High School in 1974 and attended college at the University of California, Riverside, graduating in 1979, and medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles, receiving a Ph.D. in 1985 and M.D. in 1987.[3][4] He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from 1979 to 1985, and moved to Salem, Oregon in 1994, where he currently works as an oncologist and hematologist. Pierce is also a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University and College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Northwest.[3]

Political career

2016 gubernatorial election
Pierce during his gubernatorial campaign

In March 2015, Pierce announced he would explore a campaign for governor.[5] He won the Republican primary for governor on May 17, 2016, and received about 48% of the vote, defeating his closest challenger, businessman Allen Alley, by nearly 20 points.[6] Pierce faced incumbent Governor Kate Brown in the general election in November.[7]

In May 2016, Pierce endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.[8] However, in September he released a statement stating he "was hopeful that Donald Trump would rise to the occasion and unify the party and nation during the general election. As each day goes by, more of the opposite has taken place. At this point in time I need to see more from Donald Trump in the way of specific policy proposals and a more inclusive tone in order to vote for him."[9][10] Following the release of video footage showing Donald Trump making lewd comments about women, Pierce condemned the comments, stating, "Mr. Trump's comments are degrading, unbecoming, and unacceptable, period."[11][12][13]

In September 2016, during a debate with Kate Brown, Pierce generated controversy and boos from the audience for saying educated women are less susceptible to domestic abuse.[14][15] He later apologized for his remarks.[16][17][18]

On November 8, 2016, Pierce lost to Brown, receiving 43% of the vote.

2022 gubernatorial election

On November 30, 2020, Pierce announced he would be once again running for Governor in the 2022 election. In his announcement, he criticized Governor Brown (who is term limited in 2022), saying, "Oregon is currently suffering under the guidance of an oppressive and poorly performing governor."[19] The next day, his wife, Selma, was killed after being struck by a car in Salem.[20]

Political positions

Pierce opposed Oregon Ballot Measure 97.[21][22]

Pierce has called for a more moderate Oregon Republican Party.[23]

Personal life

Pierce married Selma Moon Pierce on June 6, 1981, and remained with her until her death in 2020. The couple had two children: Kristina (born 1986) and Michael (born 1988). They attend Salem First Christian Church in Salem, Oregon. Selma Pierce was also involved in politics; she ran for Oregon's 20th House district in 2018 and 2020, losing both times to Democrat Paul Evans.[2][3]

Electoral history
Results by county. Red indicates a win by Pierce, yellow a win by Alley.
Oregon gubernatorial special election, 2016 Republican primary[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bud Pierce 171,158 47.66
Republican Allen Alley 103,388 28.79
Republican Bruce Cuff 41,598 11.58
Republican Bob Niemeyer 35,669 9.93
Republican Bob Forthan 4,290 1.19
Republican Write-ins 3,020 0.84
Total votes 359,123 100
Results by county. Blue indicates a win by Brown, red a win by Pierce. Darker shades indicate a higher percentage of the vote.
Oregon gubernatorial special election, 2016[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kate Brown 1,008,558 50.90%
Republican Bud Pierce 854,924 43.14%
Independent Cliff Thomason 48,262 2.44%
Libertarian James Foster 46,049 2.32%
Constitution Aaron Donald Auer 19,537 0.99%
write-ins 4,281 0.22%
Total votes 1,981,611 100.00%

References
  1. Theriault, Dennis C. (July 31, 2015). "Republican doctor, taking on Kate Brown, pours $250,000 into campaign". The Oregonian (OregonLive.com). Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  2. "About Bud". Bud Pierce for a Better Oregon. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  3. "William C. "Bud" Pierce, MD, PhD" (PDF). Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  4. AP (September 10, 2015). "Bud Pierce Announces Bid For Oregon Governor". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  5. Kullgren, Ian K. (March 16, 2015). "Republican doctor from Salem contemplates gubernatorial run". The Oregonian (OregonLive.com). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  6. "May 17, 2016 Primary Election Results". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  7. Theriault, Denis C. (September 18, 2015). "Kate Brown makes clear she's running for governor". The Oregonian (OregonLive.com). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  8. Dooris, Pat (May 4, 2016). "Oregon Republicans react to Trump's likely nomination". KGW. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  9. Roth, Sara (September 20, 2016). "Gov. candidate Bud Pierce now undecided on Trump". KGW. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  10. Jaquiss, Nigel (September 20, 2016). "5 Things You Didn't Know About Bud Pierce – The GOP nominee for governor just yanked his endorsement of Trump". Willamette Week. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  11. Friedman, Gordon (October 10, 2016). "Bud Pierce, Greg Walden denounce Trump's lewd comments about women". Statesman Journal. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  12. Manning, Rob (October 8, 2016). "Republican Bud Pierce Denounces Comments In 2005 Donald Trump Video". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  13. KOIN 6 News Staff (October 8, 2016). "Bud Pierce responds to Trump's lewd comments". KOIN 6 – Watching out for you. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  14. Phillips, Amber (October 1, 2016). "GOP Oregon gubernatorial candidate: Educated women aren't susceptible to sexual abuse". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  15. The Associated Press (October 2, 2016). "Oregon gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce booed for sexual violence remark". The Register-Guard. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  16. Mapes, Jeff; Parks, Bradley W. (October 1, 2016). "Pierce Booed For Sexual Assault Remarks, Later Apologizes". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  17. Donovan, Laura (October 7, 2016). "A Man Running for Governor Tried to Argue That Women in This Demographic Cannot Experience Abuse". ATTN. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  18. Field, Andrew (October 7, 2016). "Oregon Governor candidates debate in Eugene over state issues". Daily Emerald. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  19. Jaquiss, Nigel (November 30, 2020). "The 2022 Governor's Race Is Officially Underway: Dr. Bud Pierce Declares His Candidacy". Willamette Week. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  20. Ramakrishnan, Jayati (December 1, 2020). "Selma Pierce, wife of gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce, struck and killed by car". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  21. Lindsey, Gerald (August 21, 2016). "Kate Brown supports Measure 97; vote for Bud Pierce". Statesman Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  22. Hubbard, Saul (September 15, 2016). "Gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce calls for moderate Oregon GOP". The Register-Guard. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  23. Hubbard, Saul (September 15, 2016). "Gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce calls for moderate Oregon GOP". The Register-Guard. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  24. "Unofficial results November 8, 2016 General Election". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Dennis Richardson		 Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon
2016		 Succeeded by
Knute Buehler
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