Davids vs. Goliath

MANY ARE WONDERING if the 2010 race for Oregon governor is
over before it has begun. Of the two Democratic candidates in the race,
former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber already has 8,584 supporters on
Facebook, while former Secretary of State Bill Bradbury has just
1,371—if social networking polls are to be trusted. However, the
disparities don’t stop there.

Kitzhaber, who still has a 10-foot oil painting of himself wearing
his signature cowboy boots hanging in the state capitol from his last
two terms as governor between 1995 and 2003, held an intimidating press
conference on the roof of the Ecotrust building in Portland’s Pearl
District on Wednesday, September 16.

Oregon Attorney General John Kroger, himself considered a strong
candidate for the governor’s job once he’s proven himself in his
current office, spoke of Kitzhaber’s “moral conviction” and sense of
“moral urgency” in the race. “We can’t sit on our hands and wait. We’ve
got to move forward and take action” on issues like health care and job
creation, Kroger said.

Supporters aren’t surprised by Kitzhaber’s rush of popularity.

“I know he will be an incubator of and a champion for the next group
of leaders in this state,” said State Representative Jefferson Smith,
who founded the Oregon Bus Project.

Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler said he was convinced that
Kitzhaber not only understands the issues facing the state, but that he
has the skills to affect change. A host of other state representatives
and city politicians have also signed on to support Kitzhaber,
including former Mayor Vera Katz and City Commissioner Randy
Leonard.

Bradbury, meanwhile, can only claim former Governor Barbara Roberts
as a prominent endorsement. City Commissioner Nick Fish had made
friends with Bradbury’s campaign on Facebook, but told the
Mercury on Tuesday, September 22, that he accepts almost all
friend requests and has not made an official endorsement in the
race.

Bradbury says he plans to focus on job creation, funding education,
and on protecting Oregon’s environment if elected. He refutes the idea
that the race is one between David and Goliath, adding: “Nobody is
entitled to be governor.”

Bradbury says he represents all of Oregon, and that his campaign
kick-off, going from Salem to Eugene, Medford to Ashland, and Bend to
Coos Bay is reflective of a difference in approach between himself and
Kitzhaber. “You have to be inclusive, and you have to earn people’s
support,” he says. “And I intend to do just that.”

Meanwhile Republican candidate Allen Alley, a semiconductor
entrepreneur, has walked through 400 miles of the state since April and
Twittered most of the way, but has only garnered 907 fans on Facebook
for his efforts. “I’m not intimidated,” he says, when asked about
Kitzhaber’s social networking popularity. “I’ve been in politics 15
months, John’s been at it for 31 years.”

Alley’s platform is also jobs and education, he says, “but the
difference is the background of the candidates. I’ve been investing in
Oregon since 1988 and I know what it takes to compete in a global
economy.”