Alex Ziwahatan Chase
| Alex Ziwahatan Chase | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 28, 1990 Eugene, Oregon, United States |
| 💼 Occupation | Entrepreneur, inventor, author, recording artist, photographer |
| 📆 Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Orrathis Industries, 2026 Oregon gubernatorial campaign, ZIWAHATAN, ÆTHERYKA, Sakochee Tribe |
| 🏛️ Political party | Independent |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Joshua Michael Chase |
Alex Ziwahatan Chase (born January 28, 1990) is an American entrepreneur, inventor, author, former healthcare professional, photographer, recording artist, tribal leader, and former political candidate from Oregon. His work has included healthcare, technology development, publishing, music, photography, business, politics, and community organizations.
In 2025, Chase launched an independent campaign for Governor of Oregon in the 2026 election. Chase was the first openly gay man to seek the governorship of Oregon and the first openly gay man to seek the office as an independent. Contemporary reporting by Independent Political Report found no record of a previous openly LGBTQ+ person running for Oregon governor as an independent.[1]
Chase is the founder and president of Orrathis Industries, a research, development, and enterprise-development company. His work as an inventor has included concepts involving renewable energy, artificial intelligence, healthcare, environmental engineering, robotics, aerospace, transportation, and public safety.
He has also served as Chief of the Sakochee Tribe, an organization of Native American descendants whose organizational history dates to 2008.
As a recording artist, Chase performs under the stage name ZIWAHATAN (recording artist), releasing electronic dance music, country, pop, and other genre-crossing material. In 2026, he established ÆTHERYKA, a separate musical identity for his screamo and heavy metal work.
Early life and education
Chase was born in Eugene, Oregon, on January 28, 1990, to Richard and Lucretia Lake. He was raised in western Oregon.
His family history includes Native American and European ancestry. His genealogical research has included claimed descent from Pocahontas through the Bolling family and ancestry connected to Francis Brewer, his paternal great-grandfather, whom Chase identifies as an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. His genealogical research has also identified Jewish ancestry through the Lithuanian Strashun family.
At age 11, Chase began working seasonally picking blueberries in Lorane, Oregon. At age 15, he obtained his first formal employment cleaning shoes for Mr. Formal, a tuxedo and formalwear retailer in Eugene.
He attended Wellsprings Friends School and Willamette High School before studying business at Lane Community College. He later attended Strayer University.
His early interests included genealogy, history, science, technology, public service, environmental conservation, and caregiving.
Healthcare career
Chase worked in caregiving and healthcare for approximately two decades, primarily providing care for elderly and disabled individuals.
In 2015, he withdrew from acting to become the primary caregiver for his grandfather. Caregiving subsequently remained a significant part of his professional life.
Chase retired from professional caregiving in 2026.
Acting career
From 2010 to 2015, Chase pursued acting in the Pacific Northwest, appearing in independent films and other productions.
His film roles included appearances in A Country Wedding, Blackbird Pie, Seguro, It Came From Under the Bed, and Varsity Cheerleader Werewolves from Space.
In 2011, Chase also worked as a background actor on the NBC television series Grimm, which was filmed in Portland, Oregon.
Chase retired from acting in 2015 when he became the primary caregiver for his grandfather.
Writing career
Chase is an author whose work includes fiction, horror, historical subjects, genealogy, mythology, and alternative historical themes.
His nonfiction work Faces of the Mayflower explores the possible physical appearances of passengers aboard the Mayflower.
His other works include The Enlil Key, which examines ancient mythology, history, and alternative historical theories, and the horror novel Vices.
Chase is also the author of the Pocahontas Vampire Queen series, consisting of Pocahontas: Vampire Queen and Pocahontas: Blood of Lilith.
His books have been made available through booksellers including Barnes & Noble.
Business career
Chase's business activities have included retail, technology development, hospitality investment, publishing, intellectual property, and research and development.
In 2012, he co-founded Vivan Gifts & Jewelry.
He later operated three online clothing retailers:
- Couture Northwest (2023-2024)
- Rugged & Royal (2024 - 2025)
- STYLITHIC (2024 - 2025)
The businesses were subsequently closed.
OMnithion
In 2024, Chase founded OMnithion, a technology research and development venture focused on concepts involving renewable energy, healthcare, environmental engineering, robotics, transportation, aerospace, artificial intelligence, and public safety.
The venture became a vehicle through which Chase developed numerous invention concepts and patent applications.
Orrathis Industries
In 2026, Chase founded Orrathis Industries, a private enterprise-development, innovation, and strategic-investment company.
Chase serves as founder and chairman of Orrathis Industries. The company was established as a platform through which businesses, intellectual property, inventions, investment opportunities, and other ventures could be developed under a unified organization.
Lovejoy's Restaurant & Tea Room
In 2026, Chase became a minority investor in Lovejoy's Restaurant & Tea Room in Florence, Oregon.
Inventing
Chase is an inventor whose work has focused on renewable energy, artificial intelligence, medicine and healthcare, robotics, transportation, aerospace, public safety, environmental engineering, and consumer technology.
By 2026, Chase had developed dozens of invention concepts and had filed 44 patent applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
His projects have included concepts intended to address issues such as wildfire suppression, clean-energy generation, environmental restoration, healthcare accessibility, emergency response, infrastructure, and public safety.
His invention work has incorporated concepts from engineering, computer science, physics, biology, and materials science.
Sakochee Tribe
Chase serves as Chief of the Sakochee Tribe, an organization of Native American descendants whose organizational history dates to 2008.
The organization was originally established as The Nwambu People and subsequently operated under several names, including The Una Tribe of Mixed-Bloods, The Una Nation of Mixed-Bloods, and The Una Nation, before adopting the Sakochee Tribe name.
In 2016, leadership of the organization passed from its first Chief, Richard E. Lake II, to Chase.
As Chief, Chase has overseen activities including administration, enrollment, genealogical research, communications, cultural initiatives, and community outreach.
Political career
2026 Oregon gubernatorial campaign
In 2025, Chase entered the race for Governor of Oregon as an independent candidate in the 2026 gubernatorial election.
Chase first announced his campaign in April 2025 and later formally organized his independent candidacy. His campaign reported filing a statement of organization with the state on July 30, 2025.[1]
Chase was the first openly gay man to seek the governorship of Oregon and the first openly gay man to seek the office as an independent.
His independent candidacy received national coverage from Independent Political Report, which investigated the historical LGBTQ+ distinction and reported that it found no previous openly LGBTQ+ person who had run for Oregon governor as an independent.[1]
The campaign emphasized Chase's background outside elected office, particularly his experience in caregiving, business, technology development, invention, and tribal leadership.
Chase's platform addressed economic development, healthcare, education, infrastructure, taxation, homelessness, environmental policy, wildfire prevention, technological innovation, public safety, and LGBTQ+ equality.
Among the campaign's major economic proposals was a plan to replace major state taxes with alternative revenue sources. The proposal included revenue from geothermal energy, licensing of state-developed artificial intelligence technology, carbon-credit trading, medical tourism, data-center impact fees, and royalties associated with state-supported intellectual property.[1]
Chase also incorporated technology concepts into his campaign, including proposals related to wildfire detection, prevention, and autonomous wildfire-suppression systems.
His campaign additionally proposed transitional communities addressing homelessness and addiction recovery, expanded healthcare access, increased compensation for frontline workers and disability recipients, a higher statewide minimum wage, adoption-record reform, and changes to education policy.[1]
Chase campaigned explicitly as an independent rather than affiliating with either of the two major political parties.
He ultimately withdrew from the gubernatorial race in December 2025 due to repeated death threats and vandalism to his property.
Music
Chase records music under the stage name ZIWAHATAN (recording artist).
ZIWAHATAN is a multi-genre recording project encompassing electronic dance music (EDM), country, pop, and other genre-crossing material.
In 2026, ZIWAHATAN released the albums Neon Gravity and 250: Red, White, and True through Emerald Shire Records.
Chase subsequently established Siuslaw Country Records in August 2026.
ZIWAHATAN's third album of 2026, Siuslaw Country, was released through Siuslaw Country Records and marked a substantial expansion into country music.
The album takes its name from Oregon's Siuslaw region and includes songs such as "Pray Anyway", "Siuslaw Country", "Florence, Oregon", and "My Grandpa, My Hero".
"Pray Anyway" received terrestrial radio airplay on 90.7 FM in August 2026.
ZIWAHATAN later collaborated with Nowbodhi on "Missing Time (Barney & Betty)", a recording inspired by the reported 1961 experience of Barney and Betty Hill.
ÆTHERYKA
In 2026, Chase established ÆTHERYKA as a separate recording identity for his screamo and heavy metal work.
Unlike the broader musical range of ZIWAHATAN, ÆTHERYKA is centered on substantially heavier and darker material.
Much of the project is autobiographical and draws from Chase's experiences of childhood and adult trauma, including sexual trauma. Chase has described part of the purpose of ÆTHERYKA as increasing visibility of male victims of sexual violence and addressing experiences that can be difficult for male survivors to discuss publicly.
In 2026, ÆTHERYKA released the album The Things I Still Carry and the single "Something in My Drink" through Siuslaw Country Records.
ZIWAHATAN and ÆTHERYKA are maintained as separate recording identities with distinct catalogs, musical styles, and visual presentations.
Conservation
Chase and his husband established the Chase Forest Initiative, an environmental project supporting reforestation.
Through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, the initiative sponsored the planting of 1,000 trees in an area affected by wildfire near Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Personal life
Chase married Joshua Michael Chase in 2020 in the home Alex's maternal grandfather built. They would late renew their vows at Fern Ridge Reservoir, with the cermeony officiated by Mayor Lucy Vinis of Eugene, Oregon.
Joshua works under the name Nowbodhi and operates Nowbodhi's Blissness, an online music blog and archive focused in part on editing, restoring, and presenting rare or previously unreleased concert recordings.
The couple later relocated to Florence, Oregon, on the Oregon Coast.
Chase's interests include genealogy, Oregon history, architecture, scientific research, photography, technology development, environmental conservation, and music.
Bibliography
Nonfiction
- Faces of the Mayflower
Fiction and other works
- Pocahontas: Vampire Queen (2025)
- Pocahontas: Blood of Lilith (2025)
- The Enlil Key (2026)
- Vices (2026)
Discography
As ZIWAHATAN
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Neon Gravity | Emerald Shire Records |
| 2026 | 250: Red, White, and True | Emerald Shire Records |
| 2026 | Siuslaw Country | Siuslaw Country Records |
As ÆTHERYKA
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | The Things I Still Carry | Siuslaw Country Records |
Singles
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | "Something in My Drink" | Siuslaw Country Records |
Filmography
Television and commercial work
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Grimm | Background actor |
| 2012 | Eugene | Main cast |
| 2012 | AT&T commercial | Background actor |
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | A Country Wedding | Freddy |
| 2010 | Blackbird Pie | Lenny St. James |
| 2010 | Seguro | Ricardo Vega |
| 2011 | It Came From Under the Bed | Pete Peterson |
| 2012 | Varsity Cheerleader Werewolves from Space | Supporting role |
Selected projects
- Orrathis Industries – enterprise development, innovation, and strategic investment
- ZIWAHATAN (recording artist) – EDM, country, pop, and multi-genre recording identity
- ÆTHERYKA – screamo and heavy metal recording identity
- Siuslaw Country Records – independent record label
- Chase Forest Initiative – reforestation initiative
- The Sakochee Tribe – Native American descendant organization
External links
References
- 1990 births
- People from Eugene, Oregon
- People from Florence, Oregon
- American inventors
- American entrepreneurs
- American authors
- American photographers
- American male singers
- American male songwriters
- American electronic musicians
- American country singers
- Musicians from Oregon
- Writers from Oregon
- Independent politicians in Oregon
- Candidates in the 2026 United States elections
