Herbert Bruce Broussard (born 1938/39) is an American political activist, veteran, and journalist based in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. He is known for hosting the Oregon Voter Digest cable access program. Broussard is also a

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates are most common where there is no limit on the number of times that a person can run for office and little cost ...

, running unsuccessfully for numerous offices since the 1970s.

Early life and career

Broussard grew up in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

and went to school in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. In 1960, he enlisted in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. Following a tour of duty in Vietnam, Broussard was stationed in Portland to work as a recruiter. After being discharged from the military, he remained in Portland and became active in local organizations, including the Urban League of Portland, the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

, and the

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, has i ...

. Broussard worked for a time for the '' Portland Observer'' newspaper and for

KBOO KBOO (90.7 MHz) is a non-commercial, listener-supported, community radio station in Portland, Oregon. It airs an eclectic radio format, with a small paid staff and scores of volunteers. The studios are on SE 8th Avenue, in a converted ware ...

radio station. At one point, he owned and operated a Christmas tree farm near

Sandy, Oregon Sandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, settled 1853 and named after the nearby Sandy River (Oregon), Sandy River. Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range, the city serves as t ...

Political career

Broussard ran for

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

from the 16th district in 1976 and 1978 as a Republican; both times he lost to Democratic incumbent Wally Priestley. In

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, he ran for

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

, placing fourth out of five candidates in the Republican primary. Broussard ran for

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. He placed second in the Republican primary, receiving 22 percent of the vote, but lost to rancher Al King, who in turn went on to lose the general election to Democrat

Ron Wyden Ronald Lee Wyden ( ; born May 3, 1949) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Oregon, a seat he has held since 1996 United States Senate special el ...

. He received the endorsement of former Governor Vic Atiyeh, whom Broussard lost his 1982 gubernatorial bid to. After Multnomah County began to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004, Broussard filed a lawsuit aiming to stop the issuing; it was dismissed. During his 2004 Senate bid, Broussard indicated opposition to Ballot Measure 30, which would have increased taxes, and support for a national universal healthcare system. In

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, he was the Republican nominee for Oregon's 3rd congressional district, winning the primary off write-ins. Broussard received 23 percent of the vote in the general election compared to Democrat

Earl Blumenauer Earl Francis Blumenauer ( ; born August 16, 1948) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1996 to 2025. The district includes most of Portland, Oregon, ...

's 73 percent. Broussard has run for Mayor of Portland thrice: in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, and

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

. All three times, he was unsuccessful. In addition, he ran for Portland City Commissioner in 1996 and

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

Commissioner from the 2nd district in 2014 and 2018; again without success. In 2022, Broussard ran for Multnomah County Chair and placed fifth out of six candidates. In 2016, Broussard, a longtime Republican, switched to the Libertarian Party, saying, "Over the years, and especially during this election, it has become clear that we need a strong and effective third party to represent the American people. I will continue to work with my Republican and Democrat friends where I can, but I look forward to bringing a fiscal conservative and socially liberal voice to Multnomah County politics." He also endorsed

Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 29th List of governors of New Mexico, governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republica ...

presidential campaign A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referen ...

. In 2022, Broussard appeared in a commercial for Christine Drazan, endorsing her in the 2022 Oregon governor's race.

Personal life

Broussard and his wife, Norma, reside in North Portland. He is fluent in

Louisiana Creole Louisiana Creole is a French-based creole language spoken by fewer than 10,000 people, mostly in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Also known as Kouri-Vini, it is spoken today by people who may racially identify as white, black, mixed, and Native ...

and plays the washboard in a Creole band.

References

African-American people in Oregon politics Politicians from Portland, Oregon United States Marines Year of birth missing (living people) 1930s births Living people Oregon Libertarians Oregon Republicans United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War {{USMC-bio-stub