Mark Callahan
Personal details
Born
Mark Allen Callahan

(1977-05-11) May 11, 1977
San Diego, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (2011–present)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (before 2010)
Oregon Independent (2010)
Green (2010–2011)
Spouse
Sherry
​
(div. 2013)​
Children2
EducationOregon State University,
Corvallis (BS)
WebsiteCampaign website

Mark Allen Callahan (born May 11, 1977) is an American information technology consultant and perennial candidate. He was the Republican nominee in the 2016 United States Senate election in Oregon.[1]

Political career

Callahan is known as a perennial candidate, having frequently sought office since 2009 in both Oregon and most recently in Texas.[2]

Callahan sought appointment to a seat in the Oregon Senate in 2009 as a Democrat.[1]

In 2010, he ran for the Lane County Commission.[3] Later in 2010, Callahan ran for the Oregon House of Representatives, unsuccessfully seeking the nomination of the Independent Party of Oregon before receiving the nomination of the Pacific Green Party, in what he later said was an attempt to take away votes from the Democratic incumbent, Nancy Nathanson, in order to help the Republican nominee win. The attempt was unsuccessful.[1][4]

In 2011, Callahan unsuccessfully sought a school board seat in Eugene.[5] His then-wife, Sherry, also unsuccessfully ran for a different seat on the board in the same election.[6]

In 2012, Callahan ran for President of the United States as a Republican.[7] He filed to run in both the New Hampshire and Arizona primaries.[1]

Later in 2012, Callahan won the Republican nomination without opposition for the same Oregon House of Representatives seat he had sought in 2010, losing again to Nancy Nathanson in the general election.[8]

In 2014, Callahan sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, receiving nearly 7% of the vote and coming in third place, behind Jason Conger and eventual nominee Monica Wehby.[9][10] During this campaign, Callahan was featured on Fox News after an argument with Nigel Jaquiss, a reporter, resulted in him being kicked out of a Willamette Week editorial interview.[7]

In 2015, Callahan unsuccessfully sought a seat on the Mt. Hood Community College Board of Directors.[11]

In 2016, Callahan received the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, winning the primary with 38% of the vote.[12][13] He won the primary over businessman Sam Carpenter, Lane County Commissioner Faye Stewart, and business consultant Dan Laschober.[14][15][16] He lost the general election to the Democratic nominee, incumbent U.S. Senator Ron Wyden.

In 2017, Callahan unsuccessfully sought to become chair of the Oregon Republican Party.[17]

Callahan ran for Oregon's 5th congressional district in 2018.[18] He won the Republican nomination in May 2018, but was defeated by Democrat Kurt Schrader in the November general election.[19]

Callahan relocated to Montgomery, TX and ran in the GOP primary in May 2022 for GOP Precinct Chair, Precinct No. 11. Callahan garnered just above 10% of the vote and lost to the GOP nominee Marliese' Stripling, receiving just above 70% of total votes.[20]

Political positions

Callahan stated he is "focusing on the pressing issues and problems that are facing Oregonians right now, and am committed to finding and pursuing real solutions for our state." During the 2016 United States presidential election, he volunteered for the campaign of Ted Cruz.[17]

Callahan supports implementing a flat tax. He also supports implementing term limits for members of Congress, and is opposed to illegal immigration. Callahan is opposed to both the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.[21] When asked about climate change in a 2014 interview, he said, "it's a myth".[22]

Campaign financing

In January 2017, The Register Guard reported that Callahan received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits - also known as "food stamps" - shortly after funding his 2014 U.S. Senate campaign.[17] Callahan "poured $9,090 of his own money into his candidacy and loaned his campaign another $6,500, according to federal campaign finance records" making him the top contributor to his campaign. Callahan reportedly admitted to receiving food stamps stating, "The amount of SNAP benefits I received after the primary election was very meager in comparison to others." Callahan has reportedly not held a full-time job since 2014.

In a 2014 court filing, Callahan wrote that he was claiming unemployment benefits as well. According to The Register Guard, "Callahan requested to go part time at his network administrator job at a Portland technology company 'to allow time for me to be active in my campaign for the U.S. Senate.'" Callahan further claimed that he was laid off from his network administrator job on March 21, 2014, because his employer needed a full-time person. In 2016 while running for U.S. Senate and volunteering in Oregon for Senator Ted Cruz's presidential campaign, Callahan contributed $2,700 directly and loaned his personal campaign $6,100. He later repaid himself $4,100 of that loan.[17]

Personal life

Callahan has two daughters, and divorced in 2013.[1] His ex-wife, Sherry, supported his 2014 U.S. Senate campaign.[23]

Electoral history

2010 Lane County Commission election[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Sid Leiken 5,103 42.10
Nonpartisan Pat Riggs-Henson 3,306 27.27
Nonpartisan Joe Pishioneri 2,061 17.00
Nonpartisan Dave Ralston 845 6.97
Nonpartisan Patrick Hurley 332 2.74
Nonpartisan Mark Callahan 263 2.17
Nonpartisan Michael Tayloe 181 1.49
write-ins 31 0.26
Total votes 12,122 100.00
2010 Oregon House of Representatives Independent primary election[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Nancy Nathanson 20 52.63
Independent Mark Callahan 16 42.10
None of the above 1 2.63
write-ins 1 2.63
Total votes 38 100.00
2010 Oregon House of Representatives District 13 general election[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nancy Nathanson 15,967 64.79
Republican Bill Young 7,890 32.01
Pacific Green Mark Callahan 749 3.04
write-ins 40 0.16
Total votes 24,646 100.00
2011 Eugene School District #4J, place 4 election[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Craig Smith 15,279 52.51
Nonpartisan Mark Callahan 6,212 21.35
Nonpartisan Linda Hamilton 5,120 17.59
Nonpartisan Natasha Hennings 2,286 7.86
write-ins 203 0.70
Total votes 29,100 100.00
2012 Oregon House of Representatives District 13 general election[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nancy Nathanson 19,110 68.70
Republican Mark Callahan 8,651 31.10
write-ins 56 0.20
Total votes 27,817 100.00
2014 U.S. Senate Republican primary election[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Monica Wehby 134,627 49.96
Republican Jason Conger 101,401 37.63
Republican Mark Callahan 18,220 6.76
Republican Jo Rae Perkins 7,602 2.82
Republican Tim Crawley 6,566 2.44
write-ins 1,027 0.38
Total votes 266,438 100.00
2015 Mt. Hood Community College Board of Directors, Zone 3 election[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Teena Ainslie 1,903 46.93
Nonpartisan Mark Callahan 1,653 40.76
Nonpartisan Pat Edwards 446 11.00
Nonpartisan Write-ins 53 1.31
Total votes 3,533 100.00
2016 U.S. Senate Republican primary election[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mark Callahan 123,473 38.24
Republican Sam Carpenter 104,494 32.36
Republican Faye Stewart 57,399 17.78
Republican Dan Laschober 34,157 10.58
write-ins 3,357 1.04
Total votes 322,880 100.00
2016 U.S. Senate general election[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ron Wyden 1,105,119 56.60
Republican Mark Callahan 651,106 33.35
Working Families Shanti Lewallen 61,915 3.17
Independent Steven Reynolds 59,516 3.05
Pacific Green Eric Navickas 48,823 2.50
Libertarian Jim Lindsay 23,941 1.23
write-ins 2,058 0.10
Total votes 1,952,478 100.00
2018 U.S. House of Representatives District 5 Republican primary election[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mark Callahan 33,933 61.90
Republican Joey Nations 11,300 20.61
Republican Robert Reynolds 9,120 16.64
write-ins 465 0.85
Total votes 54,818 100.00
Oregon's 5th congressional district election, 2018 [31]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kurt Schrader (incumbent) 197,187 55.01
Republican Mark Callahan 149,887 41.81
Libertarian Dan Souza 6,054 1.69
Pacific Green Marvin Sandnes 4,802 1.34
n/a Write-ins 539 0.15
Total votes 358,469 100.00

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Mapes, Jeff (January 30, 2014). "Mark Callahan's party switches, bankruptcy and divorce roil Oregon GOP Senate race". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  2. ↑ Lehman, Chris (June 19, 2016). "Perennial Oregon Political Candidate Mark Callahan Heads For His Biggest Stage Yet. But How?". OPB. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  3. ↑ Cooper, Matt (April 25, 2010). "Lane County commissioner candidates, Springfield district". The Register-Guard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  4. ↑ "CONVENTION MINUTES JULY 31, 2010". Pacific Green Party. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  5. ↑ Asay, Kelly (April 26, 2011). "Callahan Responds To Lawsuit". Eugene Daily News. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "May 17, 2011 Special Election". Lane County, Oregon. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Mapes, Jeff (September 10, 2015). "Republican Mark Callahan of 'blah, blah, blah' fame runs again for U.S. Senate". The Oregonian (OregonLive.com). Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Who will control the Oregon House: Election results". Oregon Live. November 6, 2012. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "May 20, 2014 Primary Election Abstract of Votes: United States Senator". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ Mesh, Aaron (May 2, 2014). "BlahBlahBlahGate: Watch What Really Happened When We Kicked a U.S. Senate Candidate Out of Our Offices". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  11. ↑ Carson, Teresa (May 19, 2015). "MHCC board has four new directors". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  12. 1 2 "May 17, 2016 Primary Election Official Results". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on July 20, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  13. ↑ Jaquiss, Nigel (September 10, 2015). "Mark Callahan Makes Another Run for U.S. Senate". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  14. ↑ Mapes, Jeff (September 10, 2015). "Republican Mark Callahan of 'blah, blah, blah' fame runs again for U.S. Senate". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  15. ↑ Hubbard, Saul (April 27, 2016). "Four GOP candidates in primary vie for spot to face off against U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden". The Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  16. ↑ Jaquiss, Nigel (May 18, 2016). "Surprise Winners, Lousy Polls and Cheap Shots—Last Night's Primary Had It All". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Hubbard, Saul (January 8, 2017). "Candidate for Oregon GOP chairman has recent history of being on food stamps". The Register-Guard. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  18. ↑ Henriksen, Erik (February 19, 2018). "Here Are the Oregon Politicians Who Have Cashed Checks from the NRA". The Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  19. ↑ Poehler, Bill (May 18, 2018). "Mark Callahan has uphill battle against Kurt Schrader in Oregon's fifth district". Statesman Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Republican Party Cumulative Report" (PDF). elections.mctx.org. June 1, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Issues". Callahan for Senate. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  22. ↑ Weigel, David (May 2, 2014). "Video: A Long-Shot Senate Candidate Heroically Berates a Reporter for Writing "Blah Blah Blah" in His Notebook". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  23. ↑ Callahan, Sherry (January 30, 2014). "News Release" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Lance County Election Results: May 18, 2010". Lane County, Oregon. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Independent Party of Oregon primary election July 30, 2010" (PDF). Independent Party of Oregon. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. ↑ "November 2, 2010, General Election Abstracts of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. November 2, 2010. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Official Results November 2012 general election". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  28. ↑ Carson, Teresa (May 19, 2015). "MHCC board has four new directors". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  29. ↑ "November 8, 2016, General Election Abstract of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Content Manager WebDrawer - 2018 Primary Election Official Results". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  31. ↑ "November 6, 2018, General Election Abstract of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
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