House · District 52 candidate · Oregon Legislature · November 3, 2026
Scott C Hege
Wasco County commissioner and former Port of The Dalles executive director.
Reach the campaign
- hegefororegon.com (opens in a new tab)
- Hegefororegon@gmail.com
- 541-288-1616
- Instagram (opens in a new tab)
- Facebook (opens in a new tab)
As published in their campaign site.
In their words
Said: My wife Betsy and I have called The Dalles home for 30+ years.
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 267 ↗First sentence of the filed statement; 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 wordsEmphasizes economic growth, local control of data centers, housing supply and the financial limits of state services.
- Oppose a statewide data-center moratorium while improving resource-use transparency.
- Examine housing regulations, procurement and construction costs.
- Invest in forest treatment and fire response; protect rural care while reviewing sustainable benefits.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsLocal discretion over data centers and a hard look at why publicly subsidized housing costs more, rather than a statewide pause or new spending; his account of data-center benefits is not an independent audit.
Where they stand
Housing and homelessness
Cut building costs- What
- Said: More supply through fewer unnecessary regulations and costs, and an examination of why publicly supported construction costs so much more than private projects.
- How
- Said: Examine urban growth boundaries, zoning, construction regulations, procurement and prevailing-wage costs to learn why subsidized units cost more.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Crime, drugs and who responds
Police and responders- What
- Said: Give law enforcement the resources and tools to protect communities, and give local responders the equipment and flexibility to handle wildfires, floods and other emergencies.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Taxes, the kicker and the budget
Results before taxes- What
- Said: Stop relying on higher taxes; prioritize essential services, eliminate waste and make sure taxpayer dollars deliver results.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Roads, transit and climate
Local data-center choice- What
- Said: Maintain existing roads and bridges and fix rural water and sewer systems through state infrastructure programs; opposes a statewide data-center moratorium in favor of local decisions with resource-use transparency.
- How
- Said: Focus state infrastructure programs and funding on the most critical needs with fair rural access; leave data-center decisions to local communities with public information on resource use.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 8 questions. Scott C Hege 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.
Keep paying for state-funded shelter beds and the homelessness emergency after June 2027?
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.
Keep adding state limits on federal immigration enforcement, on top of Oregon's sanctuary law?
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: Wants state infrastructure programs focused on maintaining existing roads and bridges with fair rural access; he does not say whether he would raise the gas tax or fees.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Close the 2027–29 budget gap with new revenue, or with cuts alone?
Said: Says Oregon should stop relying on higher taxes and take a hard look at how government spends the money it already has, prioritizing essential services and eliminating waste.
Make data centers pay their own way: separate power rates, an end to tax breaks, or a pause on new ones?
Said: Opposes a statewide moratorium and says local communities should decide; told Columbia Community Connection that water-use secrecy damaged trust and The Dalles does not need more data centers.
Spend more state money on wildfire prevention and firefighting?
Said: Told Columbia Community Connection that investing far more in initial attack and forest treatment can avoid enormously expensive fires; backs prescribed burning and says homeowners must harden their own homes.
A question the evidence leaves open
Which healthcare benefits and housing rules would you change, and how would communities assess data-center costs?
Sources (6)
- Columbia Community Connection · Hege interviewReporting · September 16, 2026
- 2026 qualified filing · RepublicanElection authority · Checked September 18, 2026
- Hege · prioritiesCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
- Hege · aboutCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
- Hege · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection surveyCandidate statement · 2026 survey; reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified. The candidate's own written answers, hosted by the questionnaire's publisher.
- Oregon Secretary of State · filed candidate statement · PDF page 267Candidate 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.