The NCSD student-focused Compass news site has been investigating the candidates who are running in the North Clackamas School District board elections for 2023. Four candidates are running as a conservative coalition for seats, with four others running as a left-leaning coalition. Our investigation has found a link between Angela Pederson, one of the candidates running for the board, and Quincy Franklin, a self-proclaimed right-wing preacher, with favorable views of Neo-Nazi extremist groups.  

Right-wing candidates endorsing popular right-wing figures in this election are not new. An example includes a few of the conservative candidates running for the NCSD board attending a conference for Charlie Kirk, a far-right personality who has a history of reporting fake news, such as claiming Obama infected millions of people with H1N1, accusing the DOJ of human trafficking, and routinely making homophobic, transphobic, and other anti LGBTQ+ remarks. Quincy Franklin is different from Charlie Kirk, because Franklin is an outspoken supporter of the Patriot Front: A white supremacist Neo Nazi group, that according to the Anti-Defamation League, is responsible for most of the white supremacist propaganda that is spread throughout the United States. The group is determined to transform America into white utopia, inspired by their beliefs that America should remain a white country with closed borders, as they believe that’s what the founding fathers intended for. They also have generally racist views towards people of color and are reportedly strong supporters of the January 6th coup attempt.  

         Angela Pederson attended an NCSD Board meeting where Quincy Franklin was filming the event.  Afterward, she and others posed for a photo with Franklin. Franklin is a strong supporter of the Patriot Front, and a self-proclaimed right-wing preacher. He relishes the fact that the media calls him a fringe extremist, and often makes homophobic, transphobic, and otherwise blatantly offensive statements on his Twitter and Instagram accounts. Pederson, meanwhile, says she strives for an all-inclusive environment for the North Clackamas School District, but her relationship with Franklin might raise questions. 

The Compass is planning a series of stories regarding the candidates through election day, May 16th.