08/09/2026
Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr for Oregon (R-Dundee) released the following statement in response to reports that Senator Janeen Sollman was verbally and physically accosted by a constituent at a public forum in Forest Grove:
“The reports that Senator Janeen Sollman was accosted during a recent public forum are deeply concerning. Under no circumstances should political violence, threats, intimidation, and physical confrontation be accepted in Oregon’s public square.
The kind of political intimidation and assault leveled toward Senator Sollman is unacceptable.
Senator Sollman and I have our share of policy disagreements, but those disagreements are part of representative government. They should never become personal, and they should never become physical. We can debate ideas with passion while treating one another with dignity and respect.
Our political climate has become increasingly polarized, and all of us have a responsibility to help lower the temperature. We must reject violence and intimidation regardless of who the victim is or what political party they belong to. As elected officials, we should model civility. As citizens, we should extend one another the same grace we hope to receive ourselves.
Our democratic republic is strongest when we compete with ideas, not anger; with conviction, not contempt; and with respect for every person’s dignity, even when we disagree. That is the Oregon we should all work to build together.”
“I thought he was taking a swing at me,” prompting her to move away, she said.
