The People deserve the opportunity to see their potential Representatives juxtaposed on the same stage. The best way for that to happen is for David #RussIsForUS to do a Public Forum / Debate with Andrea Salinas.
As an honest Candidate who is firmly committed to Serving The People I believe the best way to ensure that you have the most information possible to make an informed vote in November is to see your Candidates in a Political Forum or Debate. To that end, I have been trying to set up a Debate with Andrea Salinas. If setting that up was simply setting a date, location and rules, this post would not exist. Unfortunately, Andrea Salinas has decided that her Constituents (ie YOU) do not deserve to see her prove her metal in a simple Public Forum.
Here is the course of events and communications that have been taken in an effort to ensure that YOU see your current representative prove that she deserves to be re-elected in a Public Forum/Debate.
July 8, 2026
Rep. Salinas attended the Sander Estate Park Ribbon Cutting in Dundee, OR on July 8, 2026. As Mayor Emeritus of Dundee, I also attended. I took this opportunity to ask Rep. Salinas in person to participate in a Debate/Forum.
#RussIsForUS – “Hello Representative Salinas. Great to see you again.”
Rep. Salinas – “You too!”
#RussIsForUS – “We need to get together an have a discussion and answer questions in a public forum.”
Rep. Salinas – “That sounds great. Lets Set it up.”
#RussIsForUS – “Great. I assume that I need to get in touch with your Scheduler. If that them right there?” (pointing at a person with a notepad.)
Rep. Salinas – “Yes.”
#RussIsForUS – (to person with notepad) “Send me an email to get started. info@russisforus.com”
Person with notepad: (nods enthusiastically as to indicate they know the email address)
#RussIsForUS – (to Rep. Salinas) “I look forward to a great event. See you later.”
Rep. Salinas – “See you then.”
July 12, 2026
On July 12, 2026, I followed up on our verbal conversation, and sent an email to her “campaign” (campaign@andreasalinasfororegon.com) and “Press” (press@andreasalinasfororegon.com) email accounts. I also submitted this same message to Rep Salinas via her Government Website contact form.
July 15, 2026
On the morning of July 15, 2026 I had not yet received a reply from Rep Salinas’ Campaign people, so I decided to call her DC Office. I spoke to Ellie who gave me Lily’s email address as the proper contact to set up a Forum/Debate. I immediately sent an email to Lily.
On the afternoon of July 15, 2026, someone named Brandon called me from Rep. Salinas’ Campaign. I was not available, so he left a voicemail.
July 20, 2026
Between July 15, 2026 and July 20, 2026, I played several rounds of phone tag with Brandon (from Salinas’ Campaign). Every time I left a message for him, I requested that he leave his email in a message so that we could expedite the process. His messages never included anything more than his name, phone number, and the topic of the conversation.
Finally, on the evening of July 20, 2026, I was able to answer the phone when Brandon called. After a bit of niceties, he said,
Brandon – “In response to your inquiry about doing a Public Forum, Representative Salinas has no intention of participating in a Public Forum with you. Her comments to you were regarding participating in ‘Editorial Boards’, not doing a Public Forum of any kind.”
#RussIsForUS – “When I spoke to her at Sander Estate Park, she clearly agreed to do a Public Forum”
Brandon – “Again, she was only agreeing to participate in Editorial Boards, not a Public Forum.
#RussIsForUS – “So you are saying that she does not care what she actually said to me.”
Brandon – “I am just calling to let you know that Rep. Salinas has no intention of participating in a Public Forum.”
#RussIsForUS – “You mentioned ‘Editorial Boards’ earlier. What is that?
Brandon – “That’s where newpapers and TV stations send out questions for the candidate to answer individually.”
#RussIsForUS – “Ok. Well thank you for letting me know. Have a good evening.
Brandon – “You too. Goodbye.”
FULL DISCLOSURE: There are not any recordings of these conversations, and they were not recorded (at least to my knowledge). At this point, it is obvious that Rep. Salinas will lie about the converstion. It is also obvious that she has no intention of honoring the intelligence of her Constituents (ie YOU) by allowing them to see her weak policies juxtaposed to those of #RussIsForUS in a Public Forum. In the face of those facts, it is not worth anyone’s time to attempt to prove the truth.
However, there is a VERY IMPORTANT point here.
The statements in this post are factual, but whether or not Rep. Salinas denies them, the BIG QUESTION remains
“Will Rep. Salinas do a Public Forum and answer questions from Constituents all over the political spectrum?”
In addition to the Public Form question, Rep Salinas has opened up a big door for alternatives to the Public Forum. She said that she would participate in “Editorial Boards.”
If you operate a news outlet, please send both of us questions and post the results. If Rep Salinas refuses to respond, share that with your audience.
If you are a constituent, please contact Rep Salinas and ask her to show respect for your intelligence by allowing you the opportunity to see her in juxtaposition to #RussIsForUS. Please also contact all your favorite (or non-favorite) news outlets. Ask them to send questions out to the Candidates and honestly report the results.