Oregon has been a state walking on the tightrope of sheer anarchy. Like you, I watched the rioting, the looting, the mugging, and the tyranny of the Portland meltdown. Leaders were scarce, decisive leaders were nonexistent.
Portland became a war zone. The once lovely community of parks, well-manicured neighborhoods, restaurants, and a vibrant culture unraveled.
Angela Plowhead watched all of it. Her fellow citizens also watched and were filled with disappointment and anger. Angela, a wife, mother, psychologist, and veteran of the United States Air Force decided it was time for her to step forward in defense of her community and country. She decided to run for Congress.
Our paths crossed when we were introduced by another candidate in South Carolina. We talked briefly and set up a time to talk in more detail about Angela’s candidacy.
Candidate interviews are adventures and the best part of what I do. I’m finding citizens in every state who have had enough of the intrusion of big government into their individual and our collective lives. These new friends of mine are precisely why the Founders structured America to be run by its people, not by professional politicians.
Government responses to COVID-19 have served to light fires in the hearts, minds, and souls of a new generation of politicians. Ms. Plowhead is one of these exceptional people.
Save for the selfish intentions of power-hungry politicians and a wayward government, there is no reason Oregon cannot rebound. But it must replace its damaged and unresponsive leadership with new leaders who have a track record of understanding America.
Who understands this country better than its own people? Who understands American freedom better than a veteran like Angela?
My time with her quickly morphed into a conversation similar to two friends seeking a solution to a family problem. But it was so much more than an ardent political interview. She is an amazing listener…not to words, but to meanings. I learned a lot by hearing and understanding her, and I was reminded again of what matters in life and America.
After my time with her, I’m confident she has been beckoned into politics as a servant. Happily, I completely trust her, and today complete trust is perhaps the rarest of political instincts. Oregon could use some help, calculated change, responsive leadership, and a Congressional Representative who will engage in solutions founded on truth.
With pleasure, I am announcing the unconditional endorsement of Angela Plowhead for US House from Oregan’s 6th District. iVoteAmerica and iVoteOregon will be standing with Angela Plowhead as she meets with Oregonians who, like us, will be proud to call her “My Congresswoman.”
We talked for two hours about life, family, personal history, challenges, education, law and order, values, and what needs to be done to fix our beloved nation. You will appreciate Angela, she a jewel and a new leader who will put Oregon’s families and communities first. Please enjoy my interview with Oregon’s next US House Representative, Angela Plowhead.
Q: Thanks for allowing iVoteAmerica to talk with you. I want to know about your life, tell Oregon about Angela.
ANGELA: I grew up in Texas, mostly raised by a single mom. Summers with my grandmother and my dad. I grew up poor, and food and security were important to me. When I came home at the age of 10 the refrigerator only had a can of hominy and pumpkin pie filling. Being bi-racial was difficult in the deep south, there was a lot of prejudice, and I was often asked, “What are you?” I finally just said, “I am an American, what are you?”
Often the prejudice was from adults, strangers who didn’t know what to do with me. I have a rather ambiguous look and I would get pushed back, people wanted to claim me. If they were from the black community, I was supposed to answer “black” and if I was in a white group, I was supposed to answer “white.”
Growing up in that situation created a lot of questions about where I fit in life. It definitely gave me strength. It didn’t necessarily matter how other people interpreted or defined me, it was more about my character, who I knew myself to be, and who God created me to be.
Q: How does an Oregon Psychologist transition to politics?
ANGELA: A big part of my story is how I got to Oregon at the age of 19, struggling with who I was, like a lot of young people. From an early age, inspired by my own doctor, I wanted to be a physician and started my pre-med in college. My roommate’s parents were a doctor and a nurse, and she didn’t seem to know who they were, and that concerned me because I also wanted to be a mom. I grew up with absent parents, and my mother often worked two jobs.
I spent a lot of time raising myself, essentially. As a result, I wanted to be a guiding force in my child’s life, and I felt that if I became a physician I would not have that luxury. It took me a while to find my place.
During that time of exploration, I joined the military. Joining the military was not something I had ever thought about, but I was at a crossroads and had a spiritual awakening in my life, turning to God for guidance and inspiration. God led me to the military. I spoke with a friend who had just left the military and she told me about it…three weeks later I was in!
Six weeks after enlisting I met my husband. Two and a half months after meeting my husband, we were married. We have been married for 25 years and have two boys, ages 8 and 13.
When I finished my military obligation, I had almost completed my undergrad work and wanted to be a Psychologist. My husband was from Oregon and wanted to come home, so we decided to make Oregon our permanent home, moving here in 2001.
Q: This military thing fascinates me. Did you like the military?
ANGELA: I have always been strong-willed. In the Air Force, I had to learn submission to authority, and that became a big lesson I took from the military. I had to learn concepts like the “chain of command” which was a big thing for me, having always been self-directed, determined, and headstrong…when I had a goal I was focused on obtaining that goal.
When you join the military it’s no longer about your goals. You are part of a larger mission, Learning how to fit myself into the mission so that the larger objective can be accomplished was a huge piece I took from my time in the military.
It was there that I learned sacrifice, duty before self, and that service is an honorable way to live life,
Q: Your military story is fascinating and shaped you. Would it be a fair statement to say that the USAF was important to your life story…and framed you today?
ANGELA: Yes, absolutely. That time in my life would prove critical to the person I became.
Q: So one morning you’re toasting an English muffin with honey and you decide to run for office? How did you make this transition to wanting to be involved in politics?
ANGELA: My identity crisis in college led me to ask God for guidance and I made a promise to him was why I joined the military, became a psychologist, my marriage, our children were all directed by the decisions I made. I was always interested in politics. I watched things happening in the political realm that disturbed me. I saw things happening in America that I saw in totalitarian regimes while working as an intelligence analyst in the military.
The election in 2020, the pandemic, seeing the riots, the crime, and Portland literally in flames while the elected politicians stood by, not doing anything to help was really disturbing to me. In fact, the political leaders seemed to be doing things to encourage unrest and lawlessness.
Because I had the promptings from God to help people, I knew it was time for me to get involved, to stand up, and to get back to serving my country.
Q: What matters to Angela?
ANGELA: First, protecting our constitution. As a psychologist, I know and understand that if you control a narrative your control outcomes. As Americans, we have allowed the media, culture, and politicians to control the narrative and thus, the end results. We need to control the narrative by protecting the constitution, and free speech, and not allowing people to be canceled because they have an idea that is different from the approved narrative.
I want to stand up for citizens’ right to speak their minds. That is one of the main differences between us and a communist, totalitarian government. From a personal standpoint, I would not have been able to rise from the poverty I was into an educated person who is able to succeed in her life if I had been born in one of those countries. I want to preserve this freedom for not just the next generation but for centuries to come.
The Founders had an understanding of what it meant to live under a government that had its thumb on you, and they framed the constitution so that we would not have to live under the thumb of the government. We have drifted from that and are losing appreciation for that part of our history. If we want our children to succeed, if we want America to succeed we have to shore up our appreciation for freedom.
Q: What then is the role of government in light of what you’ve been saying, in our lives?
ANGELA: Government is there to protect us from enemies, from without, and from within. It is not there to do everything for us. And that is why our Founders gave so much power to the individual and more power to the states than to the federal government. Socialism eventuates to communism, and I saw that in my work in the Air Force as an intelligence analyst. Our framework has been flipped, with more and more power being granted to the federal government and less to the states and citizens. We need to shift the power back. People should have more say in what happens in their communities than the federal government. One important piece to the freedom idea is how people are now losing their jobs because they exercise their constitutional right to freedom of speech, choice, and belief. People are being targeted, shamed, canceled. That’s a danger that will take us to the next step where you become a political prisoner.
This is why I am running. There couldn’t be a better time to run.
Q: During the time of the Portland riots, what were you hearing from Oregon’s citizens?
ANGELA: A lot of people were confused by thy hypocrisy. We were told to stay in our homes, avoid each other, businesses were forced to shut down and mobs of people were allowed to congregate, harm police, riot, and if they were arrested they were bailed out and handed a $500 check. People were confused about why this hypocrisy was allowed to continue.
There were some people backing the BLM but the organization’s actions and methods seemed contradictory to its stated notion of justice. People are moving out of Portland because it’s dangerous to live there. Portland was a thriving community, and regardless of Democrat or Republican, people were living harmoniously.
Q: What are the issues do citizens face in Congressional District 6??
ANGELA: Freedoms. They closed our houses of worship, businesses, and schools. It did damage to people’s lives. We have had forest fires that are the result of poor management. Access has been cut off to the forest. The fires have destroyed communities and our agricultural industries. 25% of our revenue is connected to our forests. Tourism is another large part of Oregon’s revenue and it has been damaged by its national reputation.
Education is another problem. Our high school graduation rate is 78%. I have personally seen the failure of public schools with our own son. He could not read. We were told by the time he is in second grade he would be fine. But he was a year behind where he should have been. My son was bullied, I was angry, we were not getting help, despite emailing and talking to the school administration. Education in Oregon has been declining and it’s a huge issue for parents.
Now we have inflation, perhaps new taxes coming from the state and Washington. The dominoes are falling and I don’t want the final domino to drop.
Q: Would you support funded parental choice in education?
ANGELA: Absolutely, and choice in education is a big part of my platform. My husband and I were able to take our son out of the public schools and put him in private school. He made the honor roll his first semester. Every child and every parent should have the same opportunity to do what we were able to do. Schools are segregated by social and financial segregation.
Q: What other issue are you concerned about?
ANGELA: Another issue I am concerned about is the humanity and national security issues we are having. We saw what happened in Afghanistan, and because of my military background, I believe we could see more trouble. Because of the immigration crisis, and the way we are handling things. We don’t know who is getting in, who they are, even where they are. I see the potential for another 911. We have been seeing the politicization of our intelligence community. I think this is a very scary process. We have generals who do not think they should question an unlawful order.
Q: You characterize yourself as a conservative, what makes a person a conservative?
ANGELA: A lot of us are conservative. We believe in freedom, financial responsibility, family values, there are a lot of values we now call conservative that are simply American values.
Q: First car you owned?
ANGELA: Ford Festiva…it was seafoam green, but red is my favorite color.
Q: What’s your favorite food?
ANGELA: I’m just a food lover…an adventurer. I love Indian food, Mexican food, Italian food. I love steak but I do not eat Sushi (laughter).
Q: How is the campaign doing at the moment?
ANGELA: We are starting to move forward. I have spent time just meeting people. This quarter we are focused on fund-raising.
Q: What was your first job?
ANGELA: My first job was working in a small cafe waitressing. I like the interactions with the people and the pace.
Q: When did you decide you wanted to get inside peoples’ heads as a therapist?
ANGELA: I’m a psychologist so I don’t consider myself a therapist. I’m a Geropsychologist, so the youngest person I’ve seen is 54. I focus on emotional and physical trauma. When I was an undergrad I had two professors who were inspirational and worked with aging people and I always felt a connection to older adults due to my relationship with my own grandmother. Helping people through issues is something I like to do, especially those in late life.
Q: What are we doing to the young men and women in our society with the gender issue?
ANGELA: We know that having strong parental figures, and not just moms, that can model and demonstrate how to have compassion with one another, how to support each other, how to have strong and healthy parental relationships that are models for our children has a significant on them and society. Research shows us that. We see it manifest in drug use, promiscuity, sex addictions, and more. We should be evaluating the policies that keep families from being strong. Parents are not even allowed to go into the schools in Oregon. We have policies that tear families apart. If we can help those who have experienced disruptive family incidences, we can help break the cycle of broken homes that impact children, sometimes for generations. The absent parent impacts how a child sees themselves and the internal messages and whether conflicts will crush them or whether than can conquer the issues they encounter. Strong healthy relationships early in life help develop the characteristics that can help them succeed in life.
Q: What is your top personal strength?
ANGELA: I’m honest, tenacious, determined. I think my determination is strongest…I feel God-led. I don’t want to be deterred from my path by something that is noise.
Q: Where does liberty come from?
ANGELA: From God. He gave us free will. How we maintain the liberty He gives us is by our policies for governance.
Q: Why does the government keep trying to take liberty from us?
ANGELA: For the same reason people do. A person who takes liberty is a microcosm of a government that takes liberty. The government is run by people, and at the heart of it, people strive for control. People want to control themselves, and others. We have an innate drive to control. It’s something that is part of human nature.
Q: Would you support dismantling the Department of Education?
ANGELA: Absolutely restructuring it. What would dismantling mean, what would replace it…what would it lead to. We need to be intentional and know what will be happening down the line, looking through, not just the now but the latter.
Q: Are you an America First candidate, and if so, what does that mean?
ANGELA: It doesn’t mean isolation from other nations, but America as our primary concern. That has to be clear in our policies.
Q: What makes you a better choice for people in District 6 than Ron Noble?
ANGELA: The 6th district is the most ethnically diverse district in Oregon. What I have that other candidates do not have is a background and history that helps me relate to not just the affluent elites in the district but every person. I can relate to the people of color, I have lived rurally and urbanly. We have six counties and I have lived in five of them. The sixth is where I went to graduate school. I spent three years working there and five years finishing my degree. I know these communities. These are my neighbors, my friends…they are the people I have been doing life with for the last 20 years.
Q: Tell me the happiest moment you had as a child?
ANGELA: When I was about four years old, my parents were married, and we were in the car singing along to the radio, it was a carefree moment, without discord, just contentment. I can even tell you the song…it was Dolly Parton’s Workin’ Nine to Five!”
Q: When I say the word “abortion” what comes to mind?
ANGELA: What I think of is human trafficking. Women who have been trafficked are never asked if the reason they are having an abortion is that they have been trafficked. Fifty percent of all abortions are women who have had a domestic issue, defined as domestic violence, or human trafficking. Abortions are often occurring because a women fears binging a child into a situation where the abuser will use the child to control them even more than they already do. The same thing occurs with women who have been trafficked…they abort because they are forced to do so. It’s a method of controlling and enslaving women. Abortion advocates never talk about that piece.
We have human slavery in America. I don’t want to see agricultural slavery or sex slavey. It’s happening becuase of this criminal network we have allowed to grow across America where childrfen are snatched off the streets and forced into sex slavery and the sex industry. We have done nothing as a sociaety to break down these barriers and bring people to prosecution. I’m talking about the ‘Johns’ the ‘pimps’ the people who are running the operation.
Q: Do you consider yourself pro-life?
ANGELA: Yes.
You can visit Angela Plowship on her website
You can follow her on Twitter.
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You can connect with her on Instagram.
You can watch her on YouTube.
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