Knute Buehler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Knute Buehler
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 54th district
In office January 12, 2015 – January 15, 2019
Preceded by	Jason Conger
Succeeded by	Cheri Helt
Personal details
Born	Knute Carl Buehler (1964-08-01) August 1, 1964 (age 60) Roseburg, Oregon, U.S.
Political party	Republican (before 2021) Independent (2021–present)
Children	2
Education	Oregon State University (BS) Merton College, Oxford (MA) Johns Hopkins University (MD)

Knute Carl Buehler (born August 1, 1964) is an American doctor and politician. He served as a state representative for Oregon's 54th district from 2015 to 2019.

In 2018, he ran for Governor of Oregon as the Republican candidate but lost to Democrat Kate Brown. In 2021, he announced he was no longer a Republican. He said this was because of how the state Republican Party reacted to a big event at the United States Capitol in 2021. Today, Mr. Buehler is not officially registered with any political party.

Early Life and Education

Knute Buehler was born in 1964 in Roseburg, Oregon. He went to Oregon State University (OSU), where he played on the school's baseball team. He earned degrees in history and microbiology from OSU in 1986.

After OSU, Mr. Buehler became the first student from his university to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. This special scholarship allowed him to study at Merton College, Oxford in England, where he focused on subjects like philosophy, politics, and economics. Later, he graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, becoming a doctor.

Today, Mr. Buehler is an orthopedic surgeon, which means he is a doctor who specializes in bones and muscles. He lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife and two children.

Political Career

Knute Buehler has been involved in politics for many years. In 1992, he worked on the presidential campaign of Ross Perot, who ran as an independent candidate. He also helped write a rule about how political campaigns could raise money, which voters approved in 1994. However, this rule was later changed by the Oregon Supreme Court.

Running for Secretary of State

In 2012, Mr. Buehler ran for Oregon Secretary of State as a Republican. The Secretary of State is a very important job in Oregon, overseeing elections and business filings. He lost this election to Kate Brown, who was the current Secretary of State at the time.

Serving as State Representative

In 2014, Knute Buehler was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives. He represented the 54th district. He won re-election in 2016. As a state representative, he helped make laws for Oregon.

Campaign Finance Rules

In 2017, there were some questions about how Mr. Buehler reported money for his political campaigns. He had to update his financial records from previous years. He said that these questions were politically motivated.

Running for Governor

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After being re-elected as a state representative, many people thought Mr. Buehler would run for governor. On August 3, 2017, he announced he would run for Governor of Oregon in the 2018 election. He won the Republican nomination, meaning he was chosen to be the Republican candidate.

In the main election in November 2018, he ran against the current governor, Kate Brown. This was a rematch of their 2012 election for Secretary of State. Mr. Buehler lost the election to Governor Brown. Both candidates raised and spent a lot of money on their campaigns, setting new records.

Political Views

Knute Buehler is often seen as a fiscally conservative and moderate Republican. This means he generally believes in careful spending of government money and holds views that are sometimes less extreme than other Republicans.

On immigration, he does not support "sanctuary cities" or Oregon's statewide policy that limits how local police can cooperate with federal immigration officials. He supports gay rights, including same-sex marriage. He also voted to stop conversion therapy from being used on young people. Conversion therapy is a practice that tries to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

In 2021, Mr. Buehler announced he was leaving the Republican Party. He said he disagreed with how the Oregon Republican Party responded to a big event that happened at the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. He is now an independent voter, meaning he is not registered with any political party.

Electoral History

See also

• List of party switchers in the United States

Images for kids

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