PRESS RELEASES
Victory for Benton in Primary - August 20, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Clark County voters still want lower taxes, Benton fights to make it happen
August 19, 2008, Vancouver, WA – In a solid victory for Senator Don Benton, R-Vancouver, it was confirmed that Clark County voters are still looking for a legislator that will keep their taxes low.
Although Benton, who has held the 17th district Senate seat for three terms, had only one candidate opposing him, he swept the race clean with
53 percent of the general vote.
“Whether you consider yourself an independent, Republican or Democrat, the people of Clark County still have two things on their minds, and that is our increasingly high taxes and the economy,” Benton said Tuesday.
Benton has been outspoken in the Senate when it comes to lowering taxes and was a key figure in calling for the special 2007 session to cap property taxes at 1 percent. He has also led the charge to bring new, high paying jobs to Clark County.
“I’ve proven to the taxpayers in Clark County that I will fight to keep their money in their pockets and do whatever it takes to improve the economy,” Benton said.
Benton’s campaign has been working to make sure this message is heard.
Sen. Benton and his doorbell team have been on nearly 7000 doorsteps, encouraging voters to ask questions and make their concerns heard.
With a little over $200,000 in campaign contributions, Benton’s campaign has raised more money than any other senatorial candidate in the state.
“Money follows results. I get results every day for citizens every day in Olympia,” Benton said earlier this month.
The primary, said Benton, is almost always indicative of how the general election will result.
“I’m confident that these numbers will only grow as we reach new voters and remind seasoned voters of my commitment to make sure their voice is heard,” Benton said.
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Benton receives most citizen and small business contributions - August 2, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Senator Don Benton raises most cash from citizens and small business
August 2, 2008, VANC, WA - Senator Don Benton, R-Vancouver, has raised more in campaign contributions than any other Senatorial candidate in Washington State with over $188,000 raised.
Benton's total is more than even the most well known and influential candidates in Washington, such as Sen. Margarita Prentice, Ways and Means Chairwoman, and Democratic Majority Leader, Lisa Brown.
"Money follows results, and that's all there is to it. I get results for citizens every day in Olympia," said Benton.
Almost 80 percent of Benton's 684 contributors have been individual citizen donors or small businesses. These contributors account for 60 percent of the total amount raised. In addition, 56 percent of the total contributions were small amounts of 100 dollars or less.
Many of the contributions filed as Political Action Committees and "big business" represent small businesses and skilled workers in Washington state, including fisherman, painters, realtors, insurance agents, automobile dealers, dentists, chiropractors, or doctors.
Benton has been representing Clark County for three terms in the Senate, and is widely regarded as the most prolific fundraiser in the legislature.
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Benton receives 12 important endorsements - June 25, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Benton wraps up twelve important endorsements
VANCOUVER, WA, JUNE 17, 2008 – After receiving an endorsement from the Washington Education Association on Monday, Senator Don Benton has wrapped up a total of 12 major union and association endorsements in his campaign for re-election to the 17th district seat, which he has held since 1996.
Last Friday, Sen. Benton was endorsed by the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs. Sen. Benton won the support of the group because he is tough on crime. He closed the loophole in Washington’s three-strikes law last year. The Chelsea Harrison Act, which was passed unanimously in the Senate and overwhelmingly in the House in this year’s legislative session, makes sure that the three strike law applies even to felonies committed outside Washington.
Benton also won the Police and Sheriff’s Legislator of the Year award in 2005.
Sen. Benton’s first endorsement this season was from the Washington Taxpayers Association, and was earned because of the Senator’s strong opposition to high taxes and excessive property taxes.
“Senator Benton is one of those rare types of legislators that always votes the right way when it comes to tax increases – he votes ‘no,’” said a spokesperson for the Washington Taxpayers Association.
Senator Benton received early endorsements from the local, county, and state fire fighter’s unions, who cited his willingness to listen to their issues as a main reason for endorsing him.
The fire fighter’s endorsement proved even more important when they fought to get Sen. Benton endorsed by the Washington State Labor Council, the largest union coalition in the state. Sen. Benton received their endorsement on May 8.
On June 3, the Association of Washington Business, a business organization serving as the state’s chamber of commerce, endorsed Sen. Benton. Benton, who runs a small business of his own, received a glowing endorsement from the AWB based on his strong pro-business voting record.
Sen. Benton has also received endorsements from the American Federation of Teachers, Washington State Veterinary Medical Association, the Washington State Farm Bureau PAC, the Clark County Association of REALTORS®, Public School Employees, and the Washington Chiropractic Association.
In addition to the endorsements from the unions and associations, Senator Benton has received personal endorsements from over 100 individual voters in Clark County. Benton also leads all area legislators in fundraising for this fall’s election.
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Benton named chairman of ALEC insurance subcommittee - June 11, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Benton named chairman of ALEC insurance subcommittee
VANCOUVER, WA, JUNE 11, 2008 – After his appointment last Friday, Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, will serve as chairman of the newly-created insurance subcommittee for the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development committee.
The appointment came Friday after the public and private sector chairs of the Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Task Force convened to appoint the head of their newest subcommittee. Benton, who has previously served as the chairman of the committee’s insurance working group, had expressed interest in heading the subcommittee.
“Senator Benton was an ideal choice to lead ALEC's Insurance Subcommittee because of his knowledge of insurance markets and his great commitment to free enterprise principles,” said Rep. Susan Lynn of Tennessee, who is the public sector chair of the CIED committee.
Benton has been a member of ALEC’s commerce committee for three years. His expertise gathered from serving on the Financial Institutions Committee in the Wash State Senate for the last 13 years, along with his earlier experience as an agent and district manager with Farmers Insurance Group, uniquely qualified him to chair the nationwide committee.
“The priorities ALEC's CIED Insurance Subcommittee are to ensure that good public policy is developed for our states in the area of insurance,” said Rep. Lynn.
The committee will be responsible for creating model legislation that serves to educate ALEC members and to facilitate the implementation of legislation that supports a smaller government.
“ALEC believes insurance regulation should belong to the states,” said Michael Hough, task force director. “Even then, rates and premiums shouldn’t be heavily regulated by the state.”
ALEC is a nationwide, nonpartisan organization dedicated that enlists state legislators from all parties and all states, along with members of the private sector, to promote free markets, limited government, and individualism.
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State labor group endorses Benton - The Columbian, May 13, 2008
Benton announces run for re-election - April 21, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Benton uses thunder to announce run for reelection at Clark County Republican Convention
VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON, APRIL 21, 2008 – State Sen. Don Benton announced plans to run for reelection to his 17th district chair at Saturday’s Clark County Republican Party Convention.
Benton supporters clambered up and down the aisles of the Prairie High School auditorium holding signs, making noise, and chanting, while AC/DC played on the speakers, declaring that the audience had been “thunderstruck.”
Senator Benton, who has worked in Olympia for 13 years, then addressed the crowd of Republican leaders and delegates and laid out his platform for the upcoming election. “Government should be run more like a business,” Benton said. “But how do they see you in this business?”
Senator Benton stressed growing property taxes and lower crime rates as key issues for the campaign.
“It is your property and you should not be literally taxed out of your own home because the property value went up,” Senator Benton said. “This government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”
The Senator also cited his success in Olympia this year with the Chelsea Harrison Act, which was unanimously passed into law. The law closes the loophole on the Three-Strike law which would allow prisoners to be released if one of their three committed felonies happened in a different state. “There is more to be done,” Senator Benton continued. “Slapping habitual criminals on the wrist is not enough.”
Benton has been serving the 17th District in Clark County since 1995.
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Benton's Chelsea Harrison Act closes three-strike loophole - March 13, 2008
Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, won a three-year battle today on behalf of a young Clark County girl who was murdered after a loophole in the state’s “Three Strikes You’re Out” law set her killer free from a life sentence.
“This is a landmark day for me and the citizens of Washington,” Benton said. “I’ve worked three years for this. It is a very good example of why you can’t give up, why you have to follow your conscience and do what’s right.”
When Benton first introduced the Chelsea Harrison Act in 2006, the bill died in committee. In 2007, he got the bill through the Senate twice as amendments to other crime bills, but the amendments were stripped off in the House.
This year, “The Chelsea Harrison Act” (Senate Bill 6184) was the first bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee to get a public hearing; and the first bill to be given a “do pass” recommendation from the committee.
SB 6184 passed the Senate unanimously and on a vote of 92-2 in the House.
“I think everyone in our area knows about the Chelsea Harrison tragedy,” Benton said. “Her killer, Roy Wayne Russell, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but got out on appeal because one of his ‘Three Strikes’ crimes was committed in Arizona. That’s when he murdered Chelsea.”
SB 6184 adds to Washington’s “Three Strikes You’re Out” law any felony crime conviction in another state with a finding of sexual motivation if the minimum sentence imposed was 10 years or more.
“This is day of justice for Chelsea,” Benton said. “While this new law won’t bring Chelsea back, it will save another child’s life.”
Local view: Third river crossing is best solution - The Columbian, March 2, 2008
Sunday, March 02, 2008
By SEN. DON BENTON (R-Vancouver)
The idea of a $6 billion replacement bridge with light rail between Vancouver and Portland on I-5, rather than an additional bridge in a new corridor to move people and goods over the river, becomes more likely every day.
Regardless of the number of lanes on the bridge, there are no additional lanes planned to the corridor (except for the fix of the bottleneck at Delta Park). Only three lanes of through traffic would mean that cars and trucks will still crawl over the river, waste fuel and spew carbon monoxide, and drivers will be charged a toll to do it.
I have been a champion of transportation projects for all of Clark County throughout my 13 years in the Legislature. I have gone to bat for important transportation projects that bring great benefit to the entire county and region.
My frustration with the Columbia River Crossing Project is that a replacement bridge, while providing some short-term relief, is not a long-term solution to this very real problem.
Replacing the bridge will neither solve congestion, nor will it significantly improve freight mobility. With the forecast of six-mile backups lasting 14 hours per day made by David Evans and Associates done for the CRC in 2005, I think the idea of just replacing the bridge is unbelievable. Nearly one-third of these commuters live in Clark County — and Vancouver continues to grow, having more than doubled its population since 1995.
Root problems not addressed
It is very difficult for me to see how just replacing the current bridge will achieve any real congestion relief. While there are problems with the state of our current bridge, the underlying cause of congestion is a corridor issue, not a bridge issue. A replacement bridge will not solve that long-term problem.
My second frustration is with the continual insistence that the replacement bridge accommodate light rail. This would dramatically increase the cost to taxpayers, not only for construction, but also for the ongoing operational costs, while bringing no benefit to the taxpayer in the form of congestion relief. None!
According to The Heritage Foundation’s analysis of the 2001 Annual Urban Mobility Report published by the Texas Transportation Institute, the congestion relief offered by public transit is negligible: “It is apparent that a 50 percent increase in transit’s market share — if it could even be accomplished — would have little effect on congestion or travel times”.
Light rail has not proven to be cost-effective or to reduce congestion. It is a fact that the overwhelming majority of light rail riders come from buses, not cars. The true facts on light rail are easily accessible on the Internet.
After six years of the Eastside MAX in Portland, the Banfield freeway traffic count grew from 117,928 to 162,254. Portland’s congestion grew faster than any other Western city’s.
What’s more, the Columbia River Crossing Project has been a black hole into which $73 million from Washington’s taxpayers has already been dumped. Oregon taxpayers are getting a break, only $16 million of their tax dollars has gone into the hole.
When you further consider that our citizens contribute over $100 million a year to Oregon in payroll taxes, you get the sense that we are really being taken to the cleaners on this bridge deal.
The only real long-term solution to measurable congestion relief is a new corridor over the river, either from Camas to Troutdale or Ridgefield to St. Helens.
A third bridge would have a far greater impact on congestion and travel time and would save taxpayers in the long run. A replacement bridge will provide only minimal benefits, while putting us in the same position we are in now 10 years or less down the road.
I deeply regret that the Columbia River Crossing project is becoming a boondoggle. And if the plan finally approved includes light rail, then the process has been a total waste of time and precious taxpayer resources. I want to champion a solution that benefits our community, but I cannot support a $6 billion project that we know will not reduce congestion.
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