Party Leaders Christine Drazan, Ben Bowman to Speak at George Fox

NEWBERG, Ore. — Christine Drazan, minority leader of the Oregon House of Representatives, and Ben Bowman, the House majority leader, will speak at George Fox University on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 6:30 p.m.

The two are appearing as part of the President’s Speaker Series in partnership with the George Fox Civility Project, billed as “a conversation about civility across partisan lines.” The event will take place in the Hoover Academic Building.

Community members and students are invited. Organizers expect up to 150 attendees.

The House leaders are expected to discuss how Oregon politics are influenced by national partisan dynamics, the growth of partisan animosity, what drives polarization in the state, and what the ideal political culture could look like in the Oregon House. They will also address how that ideal can be achieved, what steps they have taken to nurture it, and how voters can encourage improvements in Oregon’s political culture.

“The topic is always relevant in American politics, but we seem to be in a time now when it’s become more urgent that people pay attention to how political conversation happens, because we’ve become as a society more susceptible to being alienated from each other and maybe resorting to violence to accomplish whatever political end we have,” said George Fox Professor Emeritus Ron Mock, who organized the event and leads the Civility Project. “These two people are both folks who have, in my experience, shown care for civility and for disagreeing in ways that are productive rather than divisive.”

Both leaders have ties to George Fox: Drazan is an alumna, and Bowman has previously spoken on campus.

Mock said he taught Drazan while she was a student and has followed her career since. She returned to campus to teach a class after her 2022 run for governor.

“In all those settings, she demonstrated a concern for keeping political discourse healthy,” Mock said.

As for Bowman, Mock said he began following his podcast, The Bridge, and invited the hosts to speak at George Fox on civility and politics in November 2023.

“They did a nice session for us, talking about how they managed to be so cooperative and open with each other, even though they have starkly different political views, and then how they manage that in their interviews with others, and just their effect on maybe toning down the divisiveness of politics,” Mock said.

Mock said attendees can expect to gain insight into what prospects exist to reduce political divisiveness in Oregon and to look for signs of progress.

“They both have shown concern for the state of our political discourse, willingness to take risks, and willingness to be open to dialogue with folks they disagree with,” Mock said. “When they both got named to be the party leader in their caucus last fall … I thought, well, it’s natural, let’s just get them together and have them come talk.”

The Civility Project pursues its goals through research, writing, teaching, and community engagement; adding a civility theme to courses; hosting workshops and speakers; and working with groups in conflict.

“We’re trying to highlight opportunities for people to build bridges across political divides, or to look at the cost of those political divides,” Mock said. “These are very prominent people … it’s not often you get a chance to see them together. This is a good chance for people to connect with folks who are leaders in their party, and both of whom are concerned for the state of our political discourse. We need to steer away from things that are incendiary while still disagreeing where we do disagree—but doing it constructively.

“If you’re looking for signs of hope, this might be a place where you see them,” Mock said.

Learn more about the speaker series here, and about this event here.