Pierce seeks to move on from domestic violence comment

The Republican candidate running for Oregon governor is hoping to turn the page of his campaign after he faced criticism for his comments about domestic violence.

Dr. Bud Pierce made a comment during the Portland City Club debate on Friday, saying that educated, well-off women are “not susceptible” to domestic violence.

Pierce told NewsChannel 21 in a telephone interview on Tuesday that he feels ‘horrid’ for his response and not being able to articulate a coherent answer.

Reporter Pedro Quintana asked Pierce if he knew anyone personally affected by domestic abuse, the Republican nominees said he did not experience violence growing up or knew anyone who suffered from domestic violence.

Trish Meyer, assistant executive director for Saving Grace in Bend, said domestic violence does not discriminate against anyone.

“This focus that’s placed on women who are successful vs. not successful and their susceptibility, what it does is it takes the focus off the person who is committing the crime,” Meyer said.

The recent fallout for the Pierce campaign is his spokeswoman Stacey Kafka resigning her post on Friday after the nominee made those comments during the debate.

In a statement set to NewsChannel 21, Kafka said.

“As a woman, I was offended by the comments at the Portland City Club Debate, which is why I resigned from the campaign.

“To me, this isn’t about politics, it’s about my moral values.

“Domestic violence is something that I believe impacts all socioeconomic classes of people.

“The victims are not to be blamed for these situations.”

Pierce said Kafka was a hard worker for his campaign.

Now he is trying to move on as he prepares for the next debate on Oct. 6 against Governor Brown.