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Ethics Over Politics: The Moral Imperative for Oregon VotersIn an era where political campaigns often prioritize slick messaging, attack ads, and promises of grand solutions, one fundamental truth stands above all else: ethics must come first. For voters in Oregon’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate, the choice on May 19, 2026, is not merely between candidates with different resumes or policy platforms. It is a choice between integrity and expediency, between trustworthiness and deception. Russ McAlmond embodies the principle that ethics must guide every decision in public service, while career politicians like his opponent David Brock Smith demonstrate why a lack of ethics disqualifies anyone from earning the public’s trust.Voters deserve leaders they can believe. A dishonest or unethical candidate cannot be trusted to deliver on any promise—tax reform, border security, economic growth, or national defense—because their very character undermines every commitment they make. If a candidate is willing to bend the truth or smear an opponent to win an election, what assurance is there that they will uphold the Constitution, protect Oregonians’ interests, or resist the corrupting influences of Washington, D.C.? Ethics is not a secondary qualification; it is the foundation upon which all other qualifications rest. Experience and policy ideas mean nothing without the moral compass to wield them honestly.Russ McAlmond brings that moral compass directly from a career in investment management, an industry built on strict fiduciary standards. As a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chief Investment Officer of Rogue Russell Investments, McAlmond operated under a rigorous code of ethics that demands absolute honesty and requires professionals to place their clients’ interests above their own. Investment managers must disclose conflicts of interest, avoid self-dealing, and act with integrity in every transaction. This is not optional; it is a binding professional obligation enforced by regulatory bodies and industry standards. McAlmond lived these principles for decades, building trust with clients who entrusted him with their life savings. That same commitment to putting others first—clients, then constituents—defines his approach to public service. He is not a career politician seeking power; he is a Marine veteran and businessman who understands that ethical leadership is non-negotiable. Contrast this with the tactics of career politicians like David Brock Smith. Smith, a longtime state legislator, has resorted to deception and personal attacks that reveal a troubling disregard for truth and fairness. He has lied about his own education and launched baseless attacks on McAlmond’s military service—two clear advantages McAlmond holds as a highly educated outsider with proven real-world leadership and a record of honorable service in the U.S. Marines. These are not legitimate policy debates. They are calculated attempts to deceive Republican primary voters by diminishing McAlmond’s strengths rather than competing on merit. Such behavior is not only unethical; it is a direct insult to the intelligence and values of every voter who expects honesty from those who seek to represent them. All Republican voters in this primary deserve the truth. They deserve candidates who compete on ideas, records, and vision—not on smears designed to tear down an opponent’s legitimate qualifications. When a candidate attacks another’s military service, he attacks the very men and women who have defended the freedoms we cherish. When a candidate distorts facts about education or experience, he erodes the foundation of informed democracy. These tactics do not elevate the Republican Party; they diminish it. They signal to voters that winning is more important than principle. Oregon Republicans deserve better. They deserve a candidate who understands that ethics is not a campaign slogan but a daily discipline.Russ McAlmond’s message is simple and powerful: Ethics first. Experience, policy expertise, and legislative know-how are important—but only after honesty is assured. A candidate who lacks ethics will inevitably put self-interest or political expediency ahead of Oregonians’ needs. McAlmond’s background in investment management proves he can manage complex responsibilities with integrity. His military service demonstrates courage and sacrifice. His commitment to ethical individualism—judging people as individuals rather than groups—offers a principled alternative to the identity politics and division plaguing our country.As primary voters head to the polls, the question is not who has the most years in office or the loudest attack ads. The question is: Who can we trust? Who will place Oregonians’ interests above personal ambition? Who will refuse to lie, smear, or deceive even when it might provide a short-term advantage? The answer is Russ McAlmond.Oregon’s Republican primary is a pivotal moment. It is an opportunity to reject politics as usual and demand ethics as the first and highest consideration. A vote for Russ McAlmond is a vote for integrity in government—a vote for a leader who understands that without ethics, there can be no trustworthy governance. Oregonians deserve a U.S. Senator who will fight for them with honor, honesty, and unwavering principle.Ethics over politics. Integrity over ambition. Russ McAlmond for U.S. Senate.

Ethics Before Politics

Ethics Before Party: Why McAlmond Refuses to Compromise on IntegrityIn the rough-and-tumble world of politics, loyalty to party can sometimes feel like the highest virtue. Yet for Russ McAlmond, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Oregon, one principle stands higher still: ethics comes before party. McAlmond believes that no Republican should ever be compelled to support another Republican who has shown himself to be unethical. To do so would betray the very values conservatives claim to defend. An unethical Republican does not merely harm his opponent; he inflicts profound moral damage on the entire Republican Party in Oregon and on conservatives across the nation. We are expected—and we must expect of ourselves—to uphold a higher moral standard than our Democratic counterparts. When that standard is abandoned in the pursuit of victory, the party we love is diminished, and the public’s trust is eroded. Political competition is healthy and necessary. Voters deserve a real choice, and candidates should vigorously make their case on the merits of their records, vision, and ideas. But competition must be conducted with honor. It is one thing to contrast policy positions or highlight differences in experience. It is quite another to lie about a fellow Republican’s accomplishments, education, or—most egregiously—his military service in order to win a primary.Such conduct is not strategy; it is sabotage. It is not leadership; it is character assassination. And it has no place in a party that claims to stand for truth, personal responsibility, and American exceptionalism.David Smith’s campaign against Russ McAlmond has crossed that line. Smith has repeatedly attacked McAlmond’s background, questioning his education and professional achievements despite clear, verifiable records. Most disturbing has been Smith’s assault on McAlmond’s honorable service in the United States Marine Corps. McAlmond is a documented veteran whose DD-214 discharge papers confirm his service. Yet Smith has publicly cast doubt by saying “if” McAlmond served, planting the seed of suspicion that his military record might be fabricated or exaggerated. This is not subtle political rhetoric; it is a deliberate attempt to diminish a veteran’s sacrifice in the eyes of voters.Even more troubling is Smith’s attempt to borrow military credibility by invoking his own father’s service as though it somehow transfers to him. Smith is not a veteran. Equating a father’s honorable record with one’s own experience in a political contest against a tested Marine is a form of stolen valor. It misleads voters and disrespects every man and woman who has worn the uniform. True respect for the military begins with honesty about one’s own relationship to it. McAlmond earned his title through service; Smith has tried to rent his father’s.Russ McAlmond has made clear that ethics is non-negotiable. Should David Smith win the Republican primary through lies and personal attacks rather than on the strength of his own record, McAlmond will not endorse him in the general election. This is not a threat; it is a statement of principle. McAlmond will not support the Democratic candidate, whose policies he firmly opposes. But neither will he lend his name, his reputation, or his hard-earned credibility to a candidate who has shown contempt for truth and for the standards Republicans must uphold. Oregon conservatives deserve better. The Republican Party deserves better. The American people deserve leaders who win by elevating the debate, not by dragging it into the gutter. Some may argue that party unity must come first—that in a blue state like Oregon, Republicans cannot afford to divide. McAlmond rejects that counsel. Unity purchased with dishonesty is counterfeit. A party that tolerates lies about veterans, fabrications about records, and personal smears will not attract the principled voters it needs to grow. It will repel them. Conservatives in Oregon and across the country are hungry for leaders who place country, honor, and truth above temporary electoral advantage. The choice before Republican voters in Oregon is therefore larger than one Senate seat. It is a choice between short-term tactical victory at any cost and the long-term moral health of the conservative movement. Russ McAlmond has chosen the latter. He asks his fellow Republicans to join him—not in blind loyalty to a party label, but in loyalty to the higher standard that makes the label worth defending. Ethics first. Always. Oregon deserves a U.S. Senator who understands that real strength flows from character, not from the willingness to win at all costs.

Ethics Before Party

A Call for Republican Unity in Oregon: David Smith Must Suspend His Campaign to Stop Jo Rae Perkins and Defeat Jeff MerkleyOregon Republicans stand at a crossroads in the 2026 U.S. Senate race. With ballots already in voters’ hands ahead of the May 19 primary, the choice is clear: we can unite behind a candidate with real momentum and a proven ability to appeal beyond the base—or we can fracture our vote, hand the nomination to a perennial loser, and guarantee six more years of Jeff Merkley’s radical left-wing agenda.That is why I am calling on David Smith to immediately suspend his campaign for the good of the party and the state.Senator Smith is a career politician. He has spent years in the Oregon Legislature, first in the House and now in the Senate. In many ways, he mirrors the very insider culture that defines Jeff Merkley: long tenure in government, comfortable in the system, and offering more of the same incremental politics that have left Oregonians frustrated and our state drifting leftward. Oregon does not need another career politician in Washington. We need an outsider with fresh vision, common-sense solutions, and the credibility to take the fight directly to Merkley and win. But the problem with Smith’s campaign goes beyond his record. It is actively damaging the Republican Party’s chances this cycle. By splitting the Republican vote, Smith is pulling support away from the one candidate with the momentum, the message, and the broad appeal needed to secure the nomination: Russ McAlmond. The McAlmond campaign has built strong grassroots energy across Oregon. As a U.S. Marine veteran, successful businessman, and financial professional, he represents the kind of principled, results-oriented leadership that can unify Republicans and attract independents. His campaign is gaining traction precisely because he offers a clear contrast to Merkley’s extremism without the baggage of endless government service.Worse, Smith’s continued presence risks delivering the nomination to Jo Rae Perkins—a candidate who has already lost the general election to Merkley twice before. Perkins is a perennial candidate. She received the Republican nomination in 2020 and 2022 and was defeated both times. She remains a vocal supporter of QAnon conspiracies. Her Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation was revoked by the CFP Board of Standards due to serious financial problems. And she openly states that she is running because of a “call from God”—yet that call has never once included the word “victory.” She loses every time she runs.Perkins has a small but hardcore base of supporters who turn out reliably for her because of that claimed divine mandate. But her record guarantees another landslide loss to Merkley in November. Every vote that goes to Smith instead of McAlmond makes it harder to stop Perkins in the primary. Smith’s campaign has drawn more critics than genuine momentum. It is ineffective at expanding the Republican tent and is instead fragmenting the very coalition we need to win.This is not about personal ambition. This is about what is best for Oregon Republicans and for the future of our state. Another nomination for Perkins would be a third consecutive disaster, locking in six more years of Merkley’s failed policies on the economy, public safety, energy, and Oregon values. We cannot afford that outcome.David Smith has a choice to make—and the time to make it is now. Suspend your campaign. Step aside. Allow the Republican primary to consolidate behind Russ McAlmond, the candidate with the strongest support and the clearest path to victory. Let us deny Perkins the nomination for a third time and give Oregon Republicans a nominee who can actually defeat Jeff Merkley in November. Oregon deserves better than business-as-usual politics. We deserve a Senate candidate who fights for working families, rural communities, fiscal responsibility, and common sense—not another career insider or a guaranteed loser. The momentum is with McAlmond. The future of the party is with McAlmond. David Smith, for the sake of Oregon and the Republican Party, suspend your campaign today. Let’s unite, win the nomination, and take the Senate seat back for Oregonians who want real change instead of Merkley's continued extremism and hate.&nbsp;

Smith Needs To Suspend Ineffective Campaign

a close up of a typewriter with the word truth on it

In every election cycle, Americans are told that “character matters.” Yet too often, voters watch candidates treat truth and personal integrity as expendable luxuries—sacrificed without hesitation on the altar of political power. The current Republican primary for Oregon’s open U.S. Senate seat offers a textbook example of this troubling pattern. One candidate has chosen to attack Russ McAlmond’s most obvious strength—his unmatched educational qualifications—not with facts, but with a public falsehood. The motive is transparent: neutralize McAlmond’s clear advantage as the most prepared candidate in the race. The casualty is something far more important than any single debate point: the principle that public service must rest on honesty, not manipulation.The facts are not in dispute; they are printed in black and white in the official Oregon Voter’s Pamphlet. Russ McAlmond holds four degrees in finance and business. His opponent, David B Smith, holds one. McAlmond’s credentials—an MBA, an MS in Financial Services (MSFS), the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation, and additional advanced coursework—represent decades of rigorous, specialized training in the exact subjects that dominate Senate work: taxation, trade, entitlement reform, and economic policy. These qualifications are not decorative; they are functional. They position McAlmond to be an immediate asset on the Senate Finance Committee—one of the most powerful panels in Congress, with jurisdiction over the nation’s tax code, healthcare financing, Social Security, and international finance. Oregon has never had a US Senator with this depth of expertise. McAlmond’s statement that he is the most educated candidate on either the Republican or Democratic side is not bravado; it is arithmetic.Even that understates the case. In May of this year, McAlmond will receive a fifth degree—a Master of Biblical Theology from Belhaven University. That credential, earned while campaigning and running businesses, speaks to moral formation and intellectual discipline that no voter’s pamphlet could yet capture. Yet in a public appearance, his opponent deliberately claimed McAlmond had less education than he actually possesses. The claim was not a slip of the tongue or an honest mistake. It was a calculated effort to dilute the very advantage that makes McAlmond the most credible conservative voice in the race. When a candidate is willing to lie about something so easily disproven—something that appears in the state’s own official guide to voters—one must ask what other truths they are prepared to distort once the cameras are off and the power is real.This is the deeper harm. Political lies about policy are damaging enough. But when a candidate lies about an opponent’s character and record in order to claw back an electoral disadvantage, something fundamental erodes. Public service becomes just another transaction: truth traded for tactical gain, integrity exchanged for momentum. Oregonians have watched this script play out before—promises made, principles abandoned, voters left cynical. The pursuit of power at the expense of truth does not stop at the primary; it metastasizes in office. A senator who begins his campaign by misrepresenting verifiable facts will find it easier, months later, to misrepresent the cost of legislation, the impact of regulation, or the burden placed on Oregon families.Russ McAlmond has chosen a different path. He has laid his record before voters openly. He has not hidden his achievements behind false modesty, nor has he stooped to the tactics now being used against him. His education was not purchased for résumé padding; it was earned to serve—first in business, now in public life. Oregon’s next US Senator will be asked to vote on trillion-dollar budgets, complex tax reforms, and entitlement programs that will shape the state’s economy for a generation. Voters deserve someone who understands those issues at a professional level, not someone who must outsource judgment to staff or ideology.The choice before Republican voters is therefore larger than any single candidate’s résumé. It is a referendum on whether Oregon politics will reward integrity or incentivize its erosion. Those who place the pursuit of power ahead of truth have already revealed their character. The rest of us—Republicans, independents, and concerned Democrats alike—must decide whether that character is what we want representing Oregon in the United States Senate.Russ McAlmond offers a principled alternative. He is the candidate who refuses to play the old game of manufactured attacks and convenient falsehoods. In an era when too many politicians treat voters as means to an end, McAlmond still believes the ends—effective, honest governance—must never justify dishonest means. Oregon deserves a US Senator who values truth more than temporary advantage, personal integrity more than polling bumps, and service more than self-promotion.

Political Power and Truth

In a recent in-person interview with Willamette Week in Portland, three Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate seat held by Jeff Merkley laid out their reasons for running. The contrast could not have been clearer. Russ McAlmond stood out as the only candidate driven by conviction rather than personal ambition or divine calling. While his opponents offered familiar political scripts, McAlmond spoke directly to the concerns of the majority of Oregonians who are tired of extreme partisanship and career politicians. His message was simple, grounded, and urgent: it is time to stop Merkley’s fourth term and restore common-sense leadership to the United States Senate.McAlmond made it plain from the start that he is not running to launch a political career. He is running to win. Oregon deserves a senator who will represent the working families, small-business owners, farmers, and veterans across the state—not just the activist base concentrated in Portland and Eugene. Merkley has spent years catering to the most extreme voices on the left, including the Democratic Socialists who dominate urban politics. The result has been policies that ignore the everyday realities faced by most Oregonians. McAlmond’s campaign is a direct challenge to that imbalance. He offers pragmatic, results-oriented leadership that puts Oregon first.The other two candidates in the room illustrated exactly why McAlmond is different. One, Perkins, repeatedly told the interviewers she is running because she was “called by God.” She has run for office multiple times since receiving that call—and lost every single race. Invoking God’s name in a political interview is not a platform; it is pandering. It suggests that God has chosen sides in a Republican primary and that Christians should vote against any candidate who does not claim the same divine endorsement. McAlmond also believes in God and supports the Judeo-Christian values that have shaped America’s best traditions. He simply refuses to use faith as a campaign slogan or a weapon against fellow believers. Oregon voters, including people of faith, deserve better than spiritual manipulation dressed up as a campaign strategy.The third candidate, David Smith, presented himself as the next logical step on a lifelong political ladder. He listed his state-government committees and positions as proof of readiness. The problem with that argument is obvious: if experience in government is the measure, Merkley wins in a landslide. Merkley has been a U.S. Senator for three terms. No amount of state-level committee work can compete with that record when voters are asked to choose between two career politicians. Smith’s pitch essentially hands the general-election advantage straight to the incumbent.McAlmond closed the interview with a statement that cut through the noise: he is the only Republican in this race who can actually beat Jeff Merkley in November 2026. The facts back him up. He is a United States Marine veteran—the only veteran running on either the Democratic or Republican side. That background brings real-world perspective on national security, leadership under pressure, and the sacrifices made by those who defend our country. He is also the most educated candidate in the field, combining academic achievement with practical experience that goes far beyond politics. Most importantly, McAlmond is running out of deep conviction that he has better ideas and better values for Oregon than the incumbent. He is not climbing a ladder. He is answering a call to service.Oregonians have watched career politicians and self-proclaimed prophets come and go. What the state needs now is a senator who understands that public office is a temporary trust, not a lifelong profession. Russ McAlmond offers exactly that. He is not running because God told him to, and he is not running because it is the next rung on a political career ladder. He is running because Merkley’s brand of extreme, urban-focused politics has left the majority of Oregonians behind—and because McAlmond has the background, the education, the values, and the record to defeat him.The choice for Republican voters is clear. In a crowded primary, only one candidate stands ready to win the general election and deliver the common-sense leadership Oregon desperately needs. That candidate is Russ McAlmond. The Willamette Week interview made it plain: he is the only one who can win.

Willamette Week Interview

selective focus photography of Pinocchio puppet

At a time when too many politicians treat the truth as optional, Oregon voters deserve better. Russ McAlmond has made one promise that sets him apart: he will never lie to the people he seeks to represent. As a successful businessman whose entire career was built on ethical dealings and straight talk with every client, McAlmond understands that trust is the foundation of leadership. He entered this race in November 2025 and has spent months meeting voters across the state, listening to their concerns and offering real solutions. He is not a career politician. He is a veteran who risked his life for this country and a citizen who believes public service should be about service—not self-promotion.His opponent, David B. Smith, represents the opposite approach. Smith jumped into the U.S. Senate race at the very last moment, after McAlmond had already been campaigning for months. Smith has never served in the military. He has never worn the uniform or placed his life on the line for the United States. Instead, he has earned the nickname “China Dave” for his strong advocacy of closer ties with the Chinese Communist Party on trade - even as McAlmond has publicly asked him, in plain terms, whether he understands that China is an ally of Russia and not of the United States. Smith has never answered that question. What he has done, repeatedly, is lie about McAlmond in a desperate attempt to boost his own campaign.Two recent, well-documented examples prove the pattern. First, at a candidate forum in Pendleton, Smith stood before a Republican audience and claimed that Russ McAlmond has less education than he does. That statement was flatly false. McAlmond holds four college degrees—two bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees—and will complete a third master’s degree this May. No other candidate, Republican or Democrat, running for this U.S. Senate seat matches that level of academic achievement. Smith’s claim was not a slip of the tongue; it was a calculated falsehood delivered in public and later quoted in the newspaper. He said it to try to elevate himself at McAlmond’s expense, hoping voters would not check the facts.Second, in a public Facebook post directed at McAlmond, Smith claimed he had voted for the so-called “menstrual dignity act” in the Oregon legislature without realizing the bill would place tampons in boys’ restrooms. That, too, is a blatant lie. The legislation Smith voted for—alongside Democrat legislators and Christine Drazan—explicitly stated that the products would be made available in all bathrooms, including boys’ restrooms. The text of the bill was clear. Smith knew exactly what he was voting for. When the political heat arrived, he tried to rewrite history rather than take responsibility for his own vote.These are not minor misstatements. They are direct, intentional lies told in front of voters and on social media. They reveal a candidate who believes winning is more important than integrity. When a politician will lie about something as easily verifiable as another candidate’s education or the plain language of a bill he himself supported, what else will he lie about once he reaches Washington? Will he lie about taxes? About national security? About the very issues that affect Oregon families every day?Russ McAlmond has a different standard. He has spent his life proving that honesty is not a weakness—it is the only way to build lasting success. As a veteran, he has already demonstrated the courage to put country first. As a businessman, he has shown that ethical conduct creates real results. Oregon does not need another career politician who treats voters like props in a campaign. We need a senator who tells the truth, even when it is inconvenient, and who puts the interests of Oregonians ahead of personal ambition.The choice could not be clearer. David B. Smith has shown us who he is: a late-entry candidate willing to lie in public to avoid responsibility and to tear down a more qualified opponent. Russ McAlmond has shown us who he is: an honest veteran, a proven businessman, and a candidate who has been in this fight from the beginning because he believes Oregon deserves better.On Election Day, Republicans have the opportunity to reject the politics of lies and embrace the politics of integrity. We deserve a U.S. Senator who will never lie to us. We deserve Russ McAlmond. Vote for honesty. Vote for experience. Vote for McAlmond for U.S. Senate.