Politics & Government
Perennial GOP Candidate Callahan Used Food Stamps to Feed Daughters, Himself: Report
Self-described member of tea party, Callahan now vying for top state GOP spot; applied for SNAP assistance while self-funding campaigns.
The surprise winner of Oregon's Republican nomination for U.S. Senate is facing increased public scrutiny as he eyes the position of chairman of the state's GOP.
Beleaguered politician Mark Callahan has a career speckled with defeat down to the local level, including two failed attempts at the U.S. Senate, three runs for state legislature, Lane County Board of Commissioners, Eugene School Board, and Hood Community College Board, Oregon Live reports.
After his most recent loss to Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, Callahan, 39, last month declared his latest pursuit: to unseat current state GOP chairman Bill Currier.
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Callahan's platforms have included his stance as a fiscal conservative—a statement called into question by the recent discovery of court records documenting Callahan's receipt of food stamps following a 2014 custody dispute with his ex-wife Sherri, Oregon Live reports.
The program, once referred to as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is designated for low-income residents. President-elect Donald Trump has openly decried it as wasteful.
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Callahan stated to Oregon Live that he received the stamps "to provide food for my 2 young daughters and myself."
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