Steve Novick

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See also: United States Senate election in Oregon, 2008

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Steve Novick
Steve Novick at City of Beaverton rally

Born	February 8, 1963 (1963-02-08) (age 45) Newark, N.J.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	University of Oregon
Occupation	Political activist

Steven Novick (born February 8, 1963) is a long-time political activist, former environmental lawyer and candidate for the United States Senate. He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination in 2008 for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Gordon Smith in the U.S. state of Oregon, but narrowly lost to Oregon House speaker Jeff Merkley.^[1]

1 Early life
2 Career
3 Senate candidacy
4 Political positions
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Early life

Novick was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1963. His parents, a waitress and a union organizer, moved his family to Cottage Grove, Oregon, in 1973.

Novick was born with significant physical disabilities which include a missing left hand and missing fibula bones in his legs. As a result he uses a hook prosthesis and stands approximately 4'9" tall.^[2] His unusual physicality has prompted him to use the slogan "The Fighter with the Hard Left Hook." His levity about his physical stature has drawn both positive and negative reviews from the press.^[2]^[3]

In 1977, after low funding caused Novick's junior high school to close, he enrolled at the University of Oregon. After graduating at age 18, he attended Harvard Law School, earning a law degree at age 21.^[4]

[edit] Career

Novick is an attorney and former U.S. Department of Justice litigator. He spent nearly ten years arguing on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), culminating in the Love Canal case, on which he served as lead counsel.^[4] Returning to Oregon, Novick worked as policy director for Tom Bruggere's 1996 Senate bid. He then served as chief of staff to the Democrats in the Oregon State Senate from 1997 to 1999.

Subsequently, he was Executive Director of the Center for Constructive Citizen Action, which spearheaded the fight against Bill Sizemore's Measure 91, which would have cut the State budget for schools, health care and public safety by more than 20%.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, Novick was policy director for Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski in his first, successful campaign for the governorship. From 2004 to 2006, he worked for Citizens for Oregon's Future, an organization dedicated to providing taxpayers useful, reliable information on tax and budget issues. In 2005, Novick developed a "balance the state budget" classroom exercise for high school students, which was used by social studies teachers in Creswell, Springfield, Salem and Portland.^{[citation needed]}

Beginning in 1999, Novick turned his attention to the Oregon Lottery's payments to retailers, which he contended were illegally high. He and other education advocates brought a successful lawsuit challenging the lottery's payment, and redirected millions of dollars to Oregon public schools.^[5]

[edit] Senate candidacy

Novick announced his candidacy for the Senate on April 18, 2007, after publishing a lengthy critique of Gordon Smith's record in Willamette Week.^[6]

On July 1, 2007, Novick announced that he had raised $190,000 in contributions during the first ten weeks of his campaign and was adding two paid campaign staff members.^[7]

By the end of 2007, Federal Election Commission records showed that Novick had raised a total of $563,000 from 2100 donors, with an average donation of $258. At the time of filing, he had $293,000 on hand.^[8]

On January 11, 2008, Novick released his first TV ad, a 30-second biographical spot that parodied the famous game show To Tell the Truth. The ad was produced and created by the firm of Eichenbaum & Associates, which also created the ads used in Wisconsin U.S. Senator Russ Feingold's three successful statewide campaigns.^[9]

Novick ended up with 41% of the vote in the Democratic primary, finishing a close second to Jeff Merkley. He has pledged to support Merkley in the general election.^[1]

[edit] Political positions

Novick spoke against the Iraq War in 2003, calling it "an oil grab and public-relations gimmick, sold on false pretenses, which is now producing $4 billion a month's worth of chaos."^[10]

He accused Gordon Smith of changing his stance on illegal immigration to appease conservative voters. Novick stated, "It shows that he’s willing to do what it takes to get reelected. And if doing what it takes means punishing innocent children and turning against his previous so-called moderation on immigration, that’s what he will do."^[11]

Novick has advocated for the removal of the cap on Social Security taxes for income above $100,000. He has stated that borrowing against the Federal retirement program has threatened the program's longevity and solvency.^[12]