JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore.– The lawsuit accusing Canyonville Representative Christine Goodwin of not living in her district, has been temporarily dropped.
Josephine County Commissioner John West is one of the parties that filed the suit and said a judge was not able to hear their case within the 61 day statute.
Goodwin is currently the representative for district four and she is running for state senate in district two.
Both districts represent parts of Josephine, Jackson and Douglas Counties.
The lawsuit claims Goodwin lives in Myrtle Creek, which is not in either district.
Josephine County Commissioner John West said, “if she was to win, then we have 40 days after that time frame to file our suit. So that is our plan. If she wins, we will file our suit according to the ORS statute.”
NBC5 reached out to Representative Goodwin, who said there is no factual basis for the lawsuit.
“I think just as a desperate move at the last minute, they filed the complaint,” Goodwin said, “they’ve realized they just don’t have anything of evidence, and now they just want to keep it out there as a threat to me.”
Goodwin said she is ready to present evidence that she does live in her district if a lawsuit is filed.
She already certified her residence when she became a representative in 2021.
Noah Robinson, who is running against Goodwin for the district two state senate seat, released a statement:
“Despite Christine Goodwin’s claims to the press, I have not been behind the efforts to uncover her possibly out-of-district Senate run. Nor have I been involved in the lawsuit (which has apparently been put on hold over technical issues).
I have, however, been approached by many different Republican voters who are quite upset over this issue.
Goodwin’s contention that she moved out of the house she had lived in with her husband for 30 years and now lives away from her husband on a friend’s winery (allowing her to run in a different district) is abnormal at best. Political shenanigans are common and the story is simply not believable as it stands. Candidates usually prefer to represent communities they have lived in and voters prefer this too. If she has actually been living at the winery, she has a legal right to run in this election.
I first heard about these concerns late last year. Goodwin should have put this matter to rest months ago by providing satisfactory proof that she has been living at the winery and didn’t just change a few documents.
The current situation is not fair to our most dedicated Republican volunteers who are very concerned about this and how it affects the party that Goodwin wants to represent. She owes an explanation to her supporters as well.
It is wrong to blame me and my campaign over her own residency problems. I had zero involvement.
This campaign should be about who will best represent Senate District 2. My strictly principled approach to politics is unusual in Salem. I will not support bad legislation to make deals as is commonly done. This approach is strongly supported by Oregon residents. I look forward to continuing my father’s work in Salem.”
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