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Cliff Bentz

U.S. House · OR-2 · Republicans · since 2025

also

Candidate for U.S. House · OR-2

Target Cliff

Biography

Overview

Cliff Bentz is a Republican U.S. Representative from Oregon's 2nd congressional district, serving since 2021. He is a lawyer and rancher specializing in agricultural, water, and real property law. Before Congress, he served in the Oregon House of Representatives (2008–2018) and Oregon Senate (2018–2020). He was first elected to Congress in 2020 and re-elected in 2022 and 2024. He is currently the sole Republican in Oregon's congressional delegation and the only male U.S. House representative from Oregon.

Career

Bentz's legislative focus centers on rural Oregon's interests in water, energy, and natural resources. He has sponsored bills on federal water projects, the Bonneville Power Administration, flood insurance, Oregon's Owyhee Wilderness, and Columbia River wolf management. In 2021, he voted with 34 other Republicans and all present Democrats to establish the January 6 Commission. He has supported agricultural workforce modernization, granting legal status to certain farm workers. He voted for the Respect for Marriage Act initially but opposed final passage. He objected to Pennsylvania's 2020 electoral votes but later acknowledged Biden's victory and supported the peaceful transfer of power.

Prior political experience

Bentz was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020, defeating Democrat Alex Spenser and Independent Patrick Archer. He was re-elected in 2022 and 2024. Before Congress, he was appointed to the Oregon House in 2008 after defeating Tim K. Smith in the Republican primary and running unopposed in the general election. He won re-election to the state House in 2010 unopposed in both primary and general elections. In 2018, he was appointed to the Oregon State Senate to replace Ted Ferrioli.

Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ideology

Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)

Liberal
Conservative
119th Congress+0.474

Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)

−1
+1
+0.268
Source: Voteview DW-NOMINATE · 346 scored votes

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Officeholding history

TermSeatTerm datesTerminationPredecessorSuccessor
3rdU.S. House OR-22025–presentIn progressCliff Bentz—
2ndU.S. House OR-22023–2025Term endedCliff BentzCliff Bentz
1stU.S. House OR-22021–2023Term ended—Cliff Bentz

Committee assignments

Current term legislation

Bills sponsored this term10

Bills cosponsored this term10

Elections

YearSeatResultVote shareField
2024U.S. House OR-2Pending63.90%