Mike Erickson | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Kurtis Erickson[1] (1963-01-27)January 27, 1963 (age 62) Seattle,Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Portland State University (BA) |
Michael Kurtis Erickson (born January 27, 1963)[2] is an American businessman and political candidate in the U.S. state ofOregon.[3] Erickson has been theRepublican nominee for theUnited States House of Representatives four times, losing each time: inOregon's 6th congressional district in2022 and2024, and inOregon's 5th congressional district in2006 and2008.
The son of apolice officer, Erickson attendedPortland State University where he was aplacekicker andpunter on Portland State's football team from 1985 to 1988, and ranks second on the school's list forfield goals made with 32.[4] Erickson earned a business degree from Portland State in 1987.[5]
After college, he started AFMS Logistics Management Group, which helps companies negotiate competitive shipping contracts. The company madeInc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest-growing companies in the United States twice: in 2004, it was number 319 and in 2005, it was number 350.[6][7]
In 1988, Erickson was the Republican candidate for theOregon House of Representatives seat representingTigard, but lost to Democrat Tom Brian.[8] In 1992, Erickson again ran for a different Oregon House seat in SoutheastPortland, losing toKate Brown.[9]
In2006, Erickson was the Republican nominee for theUnited States House of Representatives seat inOregon's 5th congressional district against incumbent DemocratDarlene Hooley, who defeated Erickson.
In 2008, Hooley announced her retirement from the House.[10] Once again, Erickson ran for the Republican nomination, as did Republican opponent former gubernatorial candidateKevin Mannix. In the closing weeks of the Republican primary, Mannix mailed 60,000 of his supporters copies of an email that alleged that in 2000, Erickson drove his pregnant girlfriend to a Portlandabortion clinic and paid for her to have an abortion.[11] The author of the email, a friend of thepregnant woman, originally sent the email in 2006 during Erickson's first congressional campaign, but had declined to give on-the-record interviews at that time. In May 2008, both women were interviewed by thePortland Tribune about the incident.[12] Erickson denied the charges, stating that he drove a former girlfriend named Tawnya to a doctor's appointment and gave her $300, but did not know she was pregnant or had anabortion.[13] In June,The Oregonian published a story based on claims from the woman herself, in which she described the event in more detail and provided photos, medical procedure and billing records.[14]
Erickson narrowly won the Republican nomination, but Mannix refused to endorse him in the general election,[15] as did Oregon Right to Life.[16] The two Oregon Republican members of Congress, SenatorGordon Smith and CongressmanGreg Walden, also declined to endorse Erickson.[17] Erickson lost in the general election to DemocratKurt Schrader.[18]
On March 8, 2022, Erickson filed to run for Oregon's newly created6th congressional district. He won the Republican primary election and faced Democratic nomineeAndrea Salinas in the November 2022 general election. Erickson lost the November general election.[19]
Erickson has filed a defamation againstAndrea Salinas over her use of a political ad talking about his arrest in 2016.[20] While the case was brought under a state law which could overturn the election result, Erickson's attorney stated in a December 2022 hearing that he wasn't currently seeking to prevent Salinas from taking office.[21] The case is ongoing as of February 2024.[22]
On January 31, 2024, Erickson announced a second run for the 6th district.[23] He defeated three other candidates in the May 21, 2024, Republican primary and will face incumbent Andrea Salinas in the general election.[24] Salinas defeated Erickson in the November general election.[25]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Darlene Hooley | 146,973 | 54.0 | |
| Republican | Mike Erickson | 116,424 | 42.8 | |
| Progressive | Paul Aranas | 4,194 | 1.5 | |
| Constitution | Douglas Patterson | 4,160 | 1.5 | |
| Write-in | 483 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 272,234 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kurt Schrader | 181,577 | 54.3 | |
| Republican | Mike Erickson | 128,297 | 38.3 | |
| Independent | Sean Bates | 6,830 | 2.0 | |
| Constitution | Douglas Patterson | 6,558 | 2.0 | |
| Pacific Green | Alex Polikoff | 5,272 | 1.6 | |
| Libertarian | Steve Milligan | 4,814 | 1.4 | |
| Write-in | 1,326 | 0.4 | ||
| Total votes | 334,674 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andrea Salinas | 147,156 | 50.0 | |
| Republican | Mike Erickson | 139,946 | 47.5 | |
| Constitution | Larry D McFarland | 6,762 | 2.3 | |
| Write-in | 513 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 294,377 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andrea Salinas | 180,869 | 53.3 | |
| Republican | Mike Erickson | 157,634 | 46.5 | |
| Write-in | 562 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 339,065 | 100% | ||