Cliff Bentz
Republican Representative of Oregon's 2nd district
Representative
Oregon, district 2
January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2023
Representative
Oregon, district 2
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025
2
Congresses Served
2
House Terms
January 12, 1952 (72 years old)
Birthday
- American lawyer, rancher, and politician
- Serves as the U.S. representative for Oregon’s 2nd congressional district
- Ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife
- Member of the House Judiciary Committee
- Previously served in the Oregon Senate and the Oregon House of Representatives
- Won the Republican primary for Oregon’s 2nd congressional district in May 2020 and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2020
- Became ranking member of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife in February 2021
- Raised on ranches in eastern Oregon and graduated from Regis High School
- Holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Oregon State College (now Eastern Oregon University) and a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School
- Worked as a law associate and became a partner at the Ontario, Oregon law firm Yturri Rose, specializing in agricultural, water, and real property law
- Owns a 100-acre alfalfa farm
- Began his political career as a member of the Oregon Water Resources Commission
- Largest campaign contributors have included Ironside Associates, his brother James Bentz, and his farm, Actin Ranch
- Participated in a boycott with other Republican state senators in Oregon to prevent a vote on a cap-and-trade proposal
- Voted against certifying Pennsylvania’s electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election but acknowledged Biden’s presidency shortly after
- Voted for legislation to establish a commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol
- Describes himself as pro-life and opposes government-run healthcare
- Voted against the Affordable Insulin Now Act and has taken positions on various issues including veterans affairs, abortion, healthcare, the 2020 presidential election, LGBTQ+ rights, and support for Israel
- Married to Lindsay, a veterinarian, with two children, and is a devout Roman Catholic