Forest Alexander

Forest Alexander earned a bachelor's degree from DePaul University in 2016. Alexander's career experience includes working as a political organizer.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Fora. I'm a working class trans woman who moved to Oregon in 2020 from Texas. Leaving Texas wasn't easy, while living in Austin I served as a Human Rights Commissioner (2018-2021) under my deadname (Nathan White). But I fell in love with Oregon on my first visit in 2016 and I knew I would be safer here.

I jumped into this race when our current Governor refused to adequately address the SNAP crisis, instead chasing headlines about blaming Trump. As much chaos as this current federal administration has caused, they did not create our affordability crisis. They are just taking advantage of it.

Portland Metro has seen a 60+% increase in homelessness in the past few years. We continually find out more evidence of mismanaged funds across the state. The Dalles is facing a water crisis with giant corporations using 1/3rd of their water supply. Hood River will see a 50% reduction in farming over the next 5 years if farmers don't see 5 cents more for cherries and 10 cents more for pears.

These problems did not happen overnight. They are the consequences of a society designed to make the wealthy wealthier. While people struggle to pay their bills, our Governor forced a regressive gas tax bill through and is now suffering her own consequences. Major unions and community organizations are refusing to endorse in this race.

I won't be beholden to big donors, I won't be flying on private planes. I'll be working for you every day.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Tax reform, working people are paying far too high while the rich don't pay their fair shareHealthcare, with threats from the federal government to withhold money we need to make big investments in a healthcare for all systemTransparency, I will conduct an audit within the first 6 months of my term to ensure current funds are being spent on people not corporations. I'm setting a goal that all departments need to spend at least 60% of all funds on direct, tangible services

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Economic justice. Working people are being squeezed so hard that progress in all other areas is grinding to halt. When people don't know where their next meal is coming from, they aren't as able to participate in public life. We need comprehensive revenue reform to make that happen. People are already working jobs, they need to keep more of the money from those jobs to spend on essentials.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

MeltICE