In order so that those of you who have been reading my Oregon politics diaries can understand who these people are I have been talking about, I present the following entry. For brevity’s sake, only statewide and congressional candidates will be discussed.
For your information, my last Oregon elections preview is here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/10/12954/7313/791/549408.
Cross posted from Loaded Orygun: http://www.loadedorygun.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=1234
Statewide Offices:
US Senate (R Defending)
Incumbent: Gordon Smith
Party: Republican.
Birthdate: 05/25/1952
Hometown: Pendleton.
Experience in Current Job: 12 Years.
Previous Government Experience: Oregon State Senator 1993-1997
President, Oregon State Senate 1995-1997.
Key Interest Group Ratings:
NARAL-40%.
ACLU-57%.
Gun Owners of America-0% last year, 100% the year before that.
AFL-CIO-44%.
Did You Know: Gordon Smith’s brother Milan Dale Smith, Jr. is a federal judge, appointed by Dubya in 2006 to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Challenger: Jeff Merkley
Party: Democratic
Birthdate: 10/24/1956
Hometown: Portland.
Experience in Current Job (If an elected official): 10 Years.
Previous Government Experience: Speaker of the House, Oregon State House of Representatives, present
Representative, Oregon State House of Representatives, 1998-present.
Democratic Leader, Oregon State House of Representatives.
Key Interest Group Ratings:
NARAL-100%.
ACLU-75%.
NRA-F, every year they have rated him.
AFL-CIO-94%.
Did You Know: Among his previous work, Merkley was head of Portland Habitat for Humanity, where he successfully helped expand the program’s reach and success.
Congressional Races:
District 1 (D Defending):
Incumbent: David Wu
Party: Democratic
Birthdate: 04/08/1955
Hometown: Portland
Experience in Current Job: 10 Years
Previous Government Experience: Commissioner, Oregon Planning Commission.
Key Interest Group Ratings:
NARAL-100%.
ACLU-100%.
NRA-F.
AFL-CIO-96%.
Did You Know: David Wu was the first-ever Taiwanese-American representative.
Challenger: Joel Haugen
Party: Republican
Birthdate: 11/19/1949
Hometown: Scapoose
Experience in Current Job: N/A
Previous Government Experience: Scappoose Park and Recreation Commissioner, Scappoose Park and Recreation Commission, 2002-2004.
Key Interest Group Ratings: N/A
Did You Know: He cites as his political inspiration a Minnesota legislator by the name of John McKee.
District 2 (R Defending)
Incumbent: Greg Walden
Party: Republican
Birthdate: 01/10/1957
Hometown: Hood River
Experience in Current Job: 10 Years.
Previous Government Experience:
Senator, Oregon State Senate, 1995-1997
Representative, Oregon State House of Representatives, 1988-1995
Majority Leader, Oregon State House of Representatives, 1991-1993
Key Interest Group Ratings:
NARAL-100% last year, 35% the year before.
ACLU-17%.
NRA-A.
AFL-CIO-42%.
Did You Know: Until recently Walden owned Columbia Gorge Broadcasting, which ran five radio stations in the Columbia Gorge area.
Challenger: Noah Lemas
Party: Democratic
Birthdate: 02/16/1970
Hometown: Bend
Experience in Current Job: N/A.
Previous Government Experience: N/A.
Key Interest Group Ratings: N/A.
Did You Know: Noah has been a successful entrepreneur in the snowboard industry, building and then selling off two companies (Sunriver Snowboards and Side Effect Board Shop).
District 3 (D Defending)
Incumbent: Earl Blumenauer
Party: Democratic
Birthdate: 08/16/1949
Hometown: Portland
Experience in Current Job: 12 Years.
Previous Government Experience:
Commissioner of Public Works, Portland City Council, 1986-1996
Commissioner, Multnomah County Commission, 1978-1986
Representative, Oregon State House, 1973-1978.
Key Interest Group Ratings:
NARAL-100%.
ACLU-100%.
NRA-F.
AFL-CIO-96%.
Did You Know: Earl got his start in elected office in the 1970s as a proponent of the Right to Die, Right to Vote Constitutional amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18.
Challenger: Delia Lopez
Party: Republican
Birthdate: 02/14/1963
Hometown: Oakland (OR)
Experience in Current Job: N/A
Previous Government Experience: N/A
Key Interest Group Ratings: N/A
Did You Know: Is running in Earl’s district despite the fact that she lives in the fourth district, in which Peter DeFazio (D) is unopposed.
District 4 (D Unopposed)
Incumbent: Peter DeFazio
Party: Democratic
Birthdate: 05/27/1947
Hometown: Springfield
Experience in Current Job: 22 Years.
Previous Government Experience: Chair, Lane County Commission, 1982-1986.
Key Interest Group Ratings:
NARAL-100%.
ACLU-100%.
NRA-B.
AFL-CIO-96%.
Did You Know: In his prior life before becoming an elected official, DeFazio was a gerontologist (someone who studies the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging).
District 5 (D Open)
Democrat: Kurt Schrader
Birthdate: N/A.
Hometown: Canby.
Experience in Current Job: 6 Years.
Previous Government Experience: Senator, Oregon State Senate, 2002-present
Representative, Oregon State House of Representatives, 1996-2002
Former Chair, Canby, Oregon Planning Commission.
Key Interest Group Ratings:
NARAL-100%.
ACLU-67%.
NRA-B-.
AFL-CIO-89%.
Did You Know: Kurt has been both an organic farmer and a veterinarian. His wife is currently chair of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners.
Republican: Mike Erickson
Birthdate: N/A
Hometown: Salem
Experience in Current Job: N/A
Previous Government Experience: N/A
Key Interest Group Ratings: N/A
Did You Know: Erickson was the placekicker and punter for Portland State’s football team and still holds the school record for career field goals made with 32.
Statewide Offices:
Attorney General (D Unopposed)
Democrat: John Kroger
Birthdate: N/A
Hometown: Portland
Experience in Current Job: N/A
Previous Government Experience: Deputy Policy Director of Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, legislative assistant to U. S. Representative Tom Foley (D-WA) and U. S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Key Interest Group Ratings: N/A.
Did You Know: Kroger was a well-respected prosecutor, having won cases against defendants ranging from Mafia kingpins to Enron executives before moving to Portland to become a professor at the Lewis and Clark Law School.
Secretary of State (D Open)
Democrat: Kate Brown
Birthdate: 06/21/1960
Hometown: Portland
Experience in Current Job: 12 Years.
Previous Government Experience: Senator, Oregon State Senate, 1996-present
Representative, Oregon State House of Representatives, 1991-1996.
Key Interest Group Ratings:
NARAL-100%.
ACLU-56%.
NRA-F.
AFL-CIO-89%.
Did You Know: Kate Brown was born in Torrejon de Ardoth, Spain and grew up in Minnesota. Before running for elective office, she was an attorney, practicing Family and Juvenile law.
Republican: Rick Dancer
Birthdate: N/A
Hometown: Eugene
Experience in Current Job: N/A
Previous Government Experience: N/A
Key Interest Group Ratings: N/A
Did You Know: Dancer’s last job was an the anchor for Eugene’s ABC affiliate, KEZI.
State Treasurer (D Open)
Democrat: Ben Westlund
Birthdate: 09/03/1949
Hometown: Bend
Experience in Current Job: 6 Years.
Previous Government Experience:
Senator, Oregon State Senate, 2002-present
Representative, Oregon State House, 1997-2002.
Key Interest Group Ratings:
NARAL-100%.
ACLU-50%.
NRA-A+ (While still a Republican)
AFL-CIO-100%.
Did You Know: In response to a number of his positions, not least of which was his fight for GLBT rights and universal health care, opposed by the Republican Party, Westlund switched from Republican to Independent in 2006 and then from Independent to Democrat last year.
Republican: Allen Alley
Birthdate: N/A.
Hometown: Lake Oswego
Experience in Current Job: N/A
Previous Government Experience: Former Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Kulongoski (D) for about a year.
Key Interest Group Ratings: N/A.
Did You Know: Alley was the co-founder and former CEO of Pixelworks, a “Semiconductor company which designs, develops and markets highly integrated system-on-a-chip solutions for broadband communications.”
Let me know what you think.
Let me know what you think!
into another football diary, but regarding Mike Erickson, does that mean he was placekicker for Portland St. back in the early 80s during the Neil Lomax era, when they won all their games by about 70-0 (when they were still Division II)? Not to take anything away from his own record, but it’s easy to get a whole lot of field goals when you’re playing for a team that’s that good at marching down the field over and over again.
My family is moving to SD 10 and HD 20 in south salem and cannot believe both seats are R held. I hope that I can change that in the coming years!