The Awful

Rep. James Hieb

3.48

4.4 INTEGRITY

3.2 BRAINS

2.84 EFFECTIVENESS

Constituents in this Clackamas County district traded down when Hieb got appointed in 2022 to replace House Minority Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby), who quit to run for governor. A veteran who works in his family’s child care business, a visibly intoxicated Hieb, 37, got arrested last summer for refusing to put out his cigarette at the Clackamas County Fair.

“One of the oddest people I’ve ever encountered in the Legislature, and he’s had, charitably, a rough start,” says a lobbyist. “His [traumatic brain injury] history unfortunately shows, but after learning early in session from him about some of his hard personal history, I admire his effort to try to make a positive difference.” He was the only GOP chief sponsor of House Bill 2395, the opioid harm reduction bill, and gave an impassioned floor speech on its behalf. But mostly, people wondered why he was there. “Clackistan, you’ve done it again,” says a lobbyist who hails from Clackamas County. “Another village idiot.”

Rep. Brian Stout

R-COLUMBIA CITY

OVERALL RATING

2.17

1.71 INTEGRITY

3.08 BRAINS

1.7 EFFECTIVENESS

Republicans celebrated the redrawing of the district that Democrat Brad Witt served from 2005 to 2023. But their victory was an empty one—a Columbia County judge issued a sexual assault prevention order against the Republican, Stout, 55, a printing company owner, after he won in November. House Speaker Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) refused to give Stout any committee assignments, so he haunts Capitol hallways and hearing rooms like a ghost (a hearing subsequently upheld the order against him).

“Dude should resign,” says one progressive, echoing a common sentiment. “Legislative career blew up on the launch pad due to a blow job he claims he didn’t even want,” says one lobbyist. “The kid nobody wants to sit with at lunchtime.”