Rep.-elect Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.-02)

Date of birth: Jan. 12, 1952
Resident: Harney County, Ore.
Occupation: lawyer
Education: B.A., Eastern Oregon State College; J.D., Lewis and Clark College
Family: wife, Lindsay Norman; son and daughter

Cliff Bentz is a third-generation Oregonian who was raised on his family’s cattle ranches in Harney County.

Bentz was a prolific student in his youth and graduated cum laude from Eastern Oregon State College before graduating from Lewis and Clark School with a juris doctorate.

In 1977, he joined the Yturri, O’Kief, Rose and Burnham law firm in Ontario, Ore., and became a partner four years later.

Bentz was appointed to a seat in the Oregon state House of Representatives in January 2008, and later that year was elected to his first of five two-year terms.

In 2018, he became a member of the state Senate.

Bentz supports America First and is a strong advocate of the Second Amendment. He favors national security policies such as securing the southern border and supporting reduced regulation and lower taxes.

-Kaelan Deese