Mark Callahan | |
|---|---|
 Callahan in 2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Allen Callahan (1977-05-11)May 11, 1977 (age 48) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Party | Republican (2011–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (before 2010) Oregon Independent (2010) Green (2010–2011) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Oregon State University, Corvallis(BS) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Mark Allen Callahan (born May 11, 1977) is an American information technology consultant andperennial candidate. He was the Republican nominee in the2016United States Senate election inOregon.[1]
Callahan is known as aperennial candidate, having frequently sought office since 2009 in both Oregon and most recently in Texas.[2]
Callahan sought appointment to a seat in theOregon Senate in 2009 as a Democrat.[1]
In 2010, he ran for theLane CountyCommission.[3] Later in 2010, Callahan ran for theOregon House of Representatives, unsuccessfully seeking the nomination of theIndependent Party of Oregon before receiving the nomination of thePacific Green Party, in what he later said was anattempt 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 inEugene.[5] His then-wife, Sherry, also unsuccessfully ran for a different seat on the board in the same election.[6]
In2012, Callahan ran forPresident of the United States as a Republican.[7] He filed to run in both theNew Hampshire andArizona 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]
In2014, Callahan sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, receiving nearly 7% of the vote and coming in third place, behindJason Conger and eventual nomineeMonica Wehby.[9][10] During this campaign, Callahan was featured onFox News after an argument withNigel Jaquiss, a reporter, resulted in him being kicked out of aWillamette Week editorial interview.[7]
In 2015, Callahan unsuccessfully sought a seat on theMt. Hood Community College Board of Directors.[11]
In2016, 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. SenatorRon Wyden.
In 2017, Callahan unsuccessfully sought to become chair of theOregon Republican Party.[17]
Callahan ran forOregon's 5th congressional district in 2018.[18] He won the Republican nomination in May 2018, but was defeated by DemocratKurt 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]
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 the2016 United States presidential election, he volunteered forthe campaign ofTed Cruz.[17]
Callahan supports implementing aflat tax. He also supports implementingterm limits for members of Congress, and is opposed toillegal immigration. Callahan is opposed to both theNorth American Free Trade Agreement and theTrans-Pacific Partnership.[21] When asked aboutclimate change in a 2014 interview, he said, "it's a myth".[22]
In January 2017,The Register Guard reported that Callahan receivedSupplemental 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 toThe 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]
Callahan has two daughters, and divorced in 2013.[1] His ex-wife, Sherry, supported his 2014 U.S. Senate campaign.[23]
| 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 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Party | Nancy Nathanson | 20 | 52.63 | |
| Independent Party | Mark Callahan | 16 | 42.10 | |
| None of the above | 1 | 2.63 | ||
| write-ins | 1 | 2.63 | ||
| Total votes | 38 | 100.00 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 Party | 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromOregon (Class 3) 2016 | Succeeded by |