Monica c. Wehby, MD, a Portland, Ore.-based neurosurgeon announced her candidacy for the United States Senate in October 2013. Since then, she has quietly built a campaign that has exploded over the past few weeks leading up to the primary.
Dr. Wehby is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Randall Children's Hospital in Portland and previously served as president of the Oregon Medical Association and Medical Scoiety of Metropolitan Portland. She resigned her spot on the American Association of Neurological Surgeons board of directors to run for the Senate.
She is a registered Republican. Here are five things to know about Dr. Wehby's campaign:
1. Dr. Wehby has been a prolific fundraiser since announcing her candidacy, and the Oregonian reported she spent $500,000 in April. Around $300,000 was spent on television and radio advertising. Her campaign ads have been lauded by several news sources for their gentler tone in an era of vicious attack ads.
An ad titled "Trust" features a previous patient of Dr. Wehby's who describes how Dr. Wehby performed surgery on her newly-born daughter to reconstruct her lower spine after other physicians had said the child would need to be aborted due to the spinal problems, according to the Washington Examiner.
2. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Dr. Wehby's bid for the Senate seat, according to a report from The Hill, which will give her a big boost against incumbent Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley. "Dr. Monica Wehby is exactly the kind of leader that small businesses across Oregon need in the US Senate. Dr. Wehby is a listener and a problem solver," said Chamber Political Director Rob Engstrom in the report.
Politico also reported Mitt Romney endorsed Dr. Wehby at the beginning of May. "Dr. Wehby is the kind of leader Oregon needs — someone who has strong experience outside of government, who can bring trust and accountability back to Washington," said Mr. Romney in the report.
3. All together, Dr. Wehby has raised $1.2 million, far more than her primary Republican rival. A super political action committee funded by wealthy donors spent around $500,000 on ads promoting Wehby, according to the Oregonian. An Oregon Catalyst report shows new polls coming out last week put Dr. Wehby 20 percentage points ahead of her nearest primary competitor and 4 percentage points ahead of Sen. Merkley.
4. Dr. Wehby opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Register-Guard reports Dr. Wehby will work for incremental reforms if she is elected "such as allowing people to buy low-cost catastrophic plans rather than requiring them to buy full-bore insurance coverage." She also supports comprehensive immigration reform to allow undocumented workers to apply for legal status and supports marriage equality.
5. While president of the Oregon Medical Association, she led a 2004 tort reform campaign. She earned her medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and was the first woman to enroll and graduate from UCLA's neurosurgery program. She also spent six months in a research fellowship and completed pediatric neurosurgery training at the University of Utah Medical Center.
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