Representative Cyrus Javadi condemned a false and defamatory statement submitted against him for Oregon’s voters’ pamphlet, calling it a dishonest attempt to mislead voters with personal attacks and knowingly distorted claims about his record.
“This is not hard-hitting politics. It is reckless and dishonest,” said Javadi. “Voters can handle real disagreements. What they should not have to deal with is a candidate trying to win by making things up and smearing an opponent with ugly falsehoods.”
The statement includes several claims that are false or materially misleading.
One claim says Javadi “blamed constituents for wanting a say” on transportation funding. Javadi voted for the transportation bill, but he is not on the record making any such statement. That accusation is false.
Another claim says Javadi “allowed age-inappropriate sexual content in public schools.” The vote in question involved a bill preventing books from being removed based on the identity of authors or characters. Nothing in that bill allowed inappropriate sexual content into schools. The statement twists a vote about viewpoint and identity-based censorship into something it plainly was not.
The statement also attacks Javadi for “boosting Planned Parenthood funding.” The actual vote restored cuts for basic health care services. Voters are free to disagree with that vote, but disagreement does not justify misrepresentation.
Most seriously, the statement says Javadi “voted to let abortion clinics leave babies born alive to die.” That claim is false. The vote at issue during the 2026 session was a procedural vote to pull a bill to the floor for debate. It was not a vote on the substance of the bill. The measure also was never heard or voted on in committee. Describing that procedural vote as support for letting babies die is not opinion. It is a defamatory falsehood.
“This kind of politics is corrosive,” Javadi said. “It lowers the standard of public debate and treats voters like they are too gullible to notice the difference between a real record and a manufactured smear.”
Javadi said campaigns should be free to make their case on policy, values, and vision, but not by inventing facts.
“If someone wants to argue that I am too moderate, too independent, or wrong on the issues, that is their right,” Javadi said. “But if they want to tell voters I said things I never said or cast votes I never cast, then they are no longer engaging in debate. They are engaging in deception.”
Javadi has filed a complaint asking Oregon election officials to review the statement and determine whether it violates Oregon law governing false and defamatory material in the voters’ pamphlet.
“Public office is serious business,” Javadi said. “The voters’ pamphlet should not become a dumping ground for nasty, false campaign trash. Oregon voters deserve better than this.”