House · District 51 candidate · Oregon Legislature · November 3, 2026
Matt Bunch
Candidate for House District 51.
Reach the campaign
- mattbunch51.com (opens in a new tab)
- Contact form (opens in a new tab)
- Facebook (opens in a new tab)
- Instagram (opens in a new tab)
As published in their campaign site.
In their words
Said: It has been a true honor to serve as your State Representative.
Voters’ pamphlet
Candidate statement · Filed for the November 2026 state voters’ pamphlet; extracted September 21, 2026
Oregon Secretary of State · filed candidate statement · PDF page 261 ↗First sentence of the filed statement (exactly 12 words, so one sentence); header fields skipped.
The verbatim opening of their voters’ pamphlet statement, the same rule for every candidate. We chose nothing.
What they say they would do
Our summary of their platform, in our wordsPrioritizes police support, local control of housing and land use, parental rights and restraint on transportation taxes.
- Give law enforcement tools, training and support.
- Let local communities shape growth rather than requiring higher density statewide.
- Oppose gas, vehicle-fee and payroll-tax increases; prioritize road maintenance.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsLocal discretion over growth, police support and no transportation-tax increases; the site does not say how housing demand or road needs would be met without new revenue, and it describes him as the sitting representative while the research object lists him as a candidate.
Where they stand
Housing and homelessness
Local control of growth- What
- Said: Let residents and local leaders decide housing, growth and land use rather than state-required high-density development.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Crime, drugs and who responds
Tools for police- What
- Said: Give law-enforcement officers the tools, training and support they need, with community-based solutions rather than new bureaucracy.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Taxes, the kicker and the budget
No transportation taxes- What
- Said: Opposes the transportation package’s gas-tax, vehicle-fee and payroll-tax increases; cut waste instead of adding taxes.
- How
- Said: Cut waste and prioritize essential infrastructure, road maintenance and safety improvements, instead of adding new taxes.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Roads, transit and climate
Maintain roads first- What
- Said: Prioritize road maintenance and safety improvements over new transportation taxes.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 8 questions. Matt Bunch is on record on 4, with 4 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
No answer we could findLet the state keep part of a future kicker refund for wildfire or other one-time needs?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Make data centers pay their own way: separate power rates, an end to tax breaks, or a pause on new ones?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Keep the 2024 approach of recriminalized possession plus county deflection programs, and fund them in 2027–29?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Spend more state money on wildfire prevention and firefighting?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Vote for a 2027 transportation package that raises the gas tax and vehicle fees again?
Said: Opposes the transportation package’s gas-tax, vehicle-fee and payroll-tax increases; would cut waste and prioritize road maintenance and safety instead of new taxes.
Close the 2027–29 budget gap with new revenue, or with cuts alone?
Said: Voted no on SB 1507 on February 25, 2026; his statement says he is fighting to protect tax relief, including eliminating state taxes on tips and overtime.
Keep paying for state-funded shelter beds and the homelessness emergency after June 2027?
Said: Calls growing homelessness a serious concern and wants community-based solutions without new bureaucracy; he does not say whether to renew state shelter money.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Keep adding state limits on federal immigration enforcement, on top of Oregon's sanctuary law?
Said: Voted no on HB 4138 on February 24 and March 6, 2026, the bill requiring officers to identify themselves and limiting masks.
A question the evidence leaves open
What housing targets and transportation funding would you support under this approach?
Sources (4)
- Bunch · issuesCandidate statement · Undated campaign page; reviewed September 18, 2026
- 2026 qualified filing · RepublicanElection authority · Checked September 18, 2026
- Bunch · aboutCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
- Oregon Secretary of State · filed candidate statement · PDF page 261Candidate statement · Filed for the November 2026 state voters’ pamphlet; PDF printed September 9, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign for the state voters’ pamphlet, which is not published until September 29, 2026.