Michael J. Nearman (born 1963 or 1964) is an American politician who served as a member of the

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 23rd district from 2015 until 2021, when he was expelled from the house for his role in the December 2020 Oregon State Capitol breach.

Early life and career

Born and raised in

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 ...

, Nearman graduated from Jesuit High School in Beaverton. Nearman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

before returning to Oregon to work for his family's furniture business. Years later, Nearman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from

Western Oregon University Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was originally established in 1856 by Disciples of Christ pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names included Oregon State Normal School, Oreg ...

. Prior to entering politics, Nearman worked as a dishwasher, gravedigger, taxicab driver, and technical support representative. From 2010 to 2015, Nearman worked as a software engineer for UTC Climate, Controls & Security.

Oregon House of Representatives

Nearman was elected to the

in 2014 after defeating incumbent Representative Jim Thompson in the Republican primary election. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'' reported that Nearman was buoyed by

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

opposition to Thompson's more progressive stances on social issues such as

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

and

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...

. Nearman was one of two petitioners who filed ballot measure IP 5, which would have required all Oregonians to re-register in order to vote, and to show a state official a birth certificate, passport, or other documentation in order to register. On December 11, 2020, Nearman and 11 other state Republican officials signed a letter requesting Oregon Attorney General

Ellen Rosenblum Ellen F. Rosenblum (born January 6, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 17th Oregon Attorney General from June 2012 to December 2024. She is the first female state attorney general in Oregon's history, and previously wa ...

join Texas and other states contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election in '' Texas v. Pennsylvania''. Rosenblum announced she had filed on behalf of the defense, and against ''Texas'', the day prior.

2020 Oregon Capitol breach

During a special session on December 21, 2020, Nearman let armed protesters into the

Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the Oregon Legislative Assembly, state legislature and the offices of the Governor of Oregon, governor, Oregon Secretary of State, secretary of state, and Oregon State Treasurer, treasurer of t ...

to protest against health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon. Joey Gibson, political activist and founder of

Patriot Prayer Patriot Prayer is an American far-right group founded by Joey Gibson (political activist), Joey Gibson in 2016 and based in Vancouver, Washington, a suburban city in the Portland metropolitan area. Since 2016, the group has organized several doz ...

, posted a video on

Parler Parler (pronounced "parlor") is an American alt-tech social networking service associated with conservatives. Launched in August 2018, Parler marketed itself as a free speech-focused and unbiased alternative to mainstream social networks s ...

indicating a state representative let the group into the capitol, and in January 2021 security video was released of Nearman allowing similar

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

protesters to enter the Oregon State Capitol Building through a door. Oregon House Speaker

Tina Kotek Christine Kotek ( ; born September 30, 1966) is an American politician serving as the 39th governor of Oregon since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Kotek served eight terms as the state representative from the 44th district in the Ore ...

fined Nearman $2,000 and stripped him of his committee assignments and appointments. Kotek also asked him to resign. Kotek and others filed a formal complaint about Nearman's actions creating a hostile workplace. Nearman also gave up his Capitol building badge; he agreed not to let unauthorized people into the building and was required to give 24 hours notice before entering the building.

Oregon State Police The Oregon State Police (OSP) is a Police, law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. The OSP enforces all of Oregon's criminal laws and assists local law enforcement agencies. Casey Codding has served as Superintendent (police), Superi ...

opened a criminal investigation against him. On April 30, 2021, prosecutors charged Nearman with official misconduct in the first degree (Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum 364 days in prison and a US$6,250 fine) and criminal trespass in the second degree (Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine). Nearman did not appear in court on May 11 when he was arraigned on the charges, and his attorney did not file a plea. Nearman must appear in court in person or remotely for a June 29 hearing. In June 2021, video was discovered of a meeting at the office of the Freedom Foundation on December 16, 2020, during which Nearman detailed his plan to allow protestors entry to the capitol, which he dubbed "Operation Hall Pass". He gave out a cell phone number, which was his, and said if they text to that "random number" that they are at the West entrance, somebody may open the door on their way out. On July 27, 2021, Nearman pleaded guilty to one count of

official misconduct An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of the ...

in the first degree as part of a

plea agreement A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include ...

. In exchange for his guilty plea, Nearman received 18 months of

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...

, and must complete 80 hours of

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as gettin ...

during his probation. Furthermore, he will have to pay $2,700 in fines for damages done to the Capitol during the riot, and is also banned from the Capitol building and its grounds.

Expulsion

On June 10, 2021, the Oregon House of Representatives voted 59–1 to expel Nearman on the grounds of "disorderly behavior"; the sole vote against was cast by Nearman himself. He is the first member to be expelled in the state's history.

Electoral history

References

External links

* (Legislative website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nearman, Mike 1960s births Living people American software engineers Oregon politicians convicted of crimes People expelled from United States state legislatures People from Independence, Oregon Place of birth missing (living people) Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly Jesuit High School (Beaverton, Oregon) alumni Year of birth missing (living people)