Noah Lemas

SALEM — Don’t talk to Noah Lemas about uphill battles: Mountains don’t scare him much.

The 38-year-old Bend inventor and entrepreneur has succeeded in the rough-and-tumble arena of retailing. He opened, expanded and then sold two snowboarding outlets, in Sunriver, and then in Bend.

Now, he’s got his sights on politics and a lofty goal: He hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, in the Republican-leaning 2nd Congressional District, which includes Central, Eastern and part of Southern Oregon.

Lemas, a Democrat and a married father of two who recently completed business graduate work, filed for his first political race on Tuesday.

He said Wednesday he was motivated by frustration with what he sees as Walden’s wrongheaded support of oil-based energy policy, and disappointment that Democrats appear willing to cede the district to Republicans.

“It’s hard to see the party I’m associated with just forfeit,” he said. “Oregon needs to establish this district as something other than a Republican cakewalk.”

He also opted to enter the fray because the other Democrat in the race, home-care worker Sabrina Shrake of Christmas Valley, is 20 years old — which means she is not old enough to serve in Congress if she is elected. The U.S. Constitution requires members of Congress to be at least 25 and members of the Senate to be 30 years old.

That means, if she ultimately wins the race, she would not be qualified to take office.

The two will vie for the Democratic Party nomination in the May 20 primary.

Shrake could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

Lemas said he admires Shrake for being motivated enough to file for office, but said he hopes voters support him because he could sit in Congress.

He said he doesn’t expect to compete dollar-for-dollar with Walden, who has amassed a sizable campaign fund. Federal reports show Walden had almost $900,000 in the bank at the end of 2007.

Lemas said he doesn’t want to be influenced by the special interests that pony up the big campaign bucks. He’ll ask for donations — but also will rely on his experience in marketing on a shoestring budget.

Lemas said that, after a decade of Republican control, he believes the district is ready for new ideas, particularly when it comes to renewable energy, health care and public education.

“It is easy to sit back and be a commentator, but maybe I can make my opinions matter and affect some change,” he said.

Noah Lemas

Age: 38

Office sought: Representative in Congress, 2nd District

Party: Democrat

Hometown: Bend

Occupation: Entrepreneur who started and then sold snowboard retail stores in Sunriver and Bend; working on several patents

Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of California at Santa Barbara; masters in business administration, Portland State University

Political background: Business liaison to city of Bend for roundabout development at 14th and Galveston

Family: Married, two young children