PORTLAND- In a move expected by most local political experts, the Service Employee International Union made public their endorsement of former Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber on Thursday.

SEIU represents over 50,000 employees, primarily in state and local government but also in some private sector industries like nursing homes, hospitals, and property services.

PORTLAND- Democrat veteran John Kitzhaber released his latest campaign ad featuring himself saying this year’s gubernatorial races is “not about being a Democrat or a Republican, or an Independent,” but about being an Oregonian.

He goes on to say that is main job as governor is to create jobs.

“If we can’t put Oregon back to work we can’t make investment in our kids for the future,” says Kitzhaber.

He finishes by saying that he’s not asking for a vote but instead asking for help.

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PORTLAND- A new poll released on Tuesday continues to show this year’s gubernatorial race to be a close one, despite fundraising efforts telling a different story.

Rasmussen Reports, the firm conducting the poll, stated, “Little has changed in the race to be Oregon’s next governor, with Republican Chris Dudley and Democrat John Kitzhaber still running neck-and-neck.”

SALEM- In a decision released Tuesday morning, Marion County Court Circuit Judge Mary James denied a motion to allow Petition 50 signatures rejected by the Secretary of State’s Election Division to be reconsidered.

“The failure to demonstrate likelihood of success on the merits requires denial of petitioners’ motion,” wrote James in her opinion letter.

SALEM- Secretary of State Kate Brown’s Election Division announced Tuesday that one initiative petition for allowing private casinos has failed to gain enough signatures, yet its sister petition to authorize a Multnomah County casino succeeded and will be on the November 2 ballot.

Petition 77 required 82,769 signatures to be approved for the ballot, while Petition 76 required 110,358. Brown’s office was able to verify 82,865 signatures for the first measure, putting it over the threshold, but 76 failed to meet its required quota with just 104,629.

SALEM- A hearing on the future of Petition 50 ended Monday afternoon, but no ruling by Judge Mary James has been made yet.

Petition 50, which would put the power of redistricting in the hands of a non-partisan panel of retired judges, was spearheaded by former Rep. Kevin Mannix and Common Sense for Oregon.

BEND- Jim Klahr made his way to Bend, Oregon on Friday to happily announce that Initiative 28, which would establish medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, would be on the 2010 ballot.

Klahr, the co-chief petitioner of Initiative 28, said the regulated medical marijuana supply system would allow patients instant access to their medicine from a qualified and reliable source.

PORTLAND- With the end of the second quarter in 2010, congressional candidates across Oregon have released their fundraising data.

State Rep. Scott Bruun, R-West Linn, sent out a release shortly before financial data was due to the Federal Election Commission. The Republican candidate hoping to unseat freshman Congressman Kurt Schrader raised $198,000 between March 30 and June 30. This has been his strongest quarter in the election so far, with over $150,000 coming from individuals and just over $13,000 coming from political action committees (PACs).

PORTLAND- An internal poll released Wednesday brings into question the electoral safety of long time Senator Ron Wyden.

Portland based polling firm, Moore Information, made public their survey results paid for by the Huffman campaign which showed that 37% of Oregonians support a GOP candidate for Sen. Wyden’s seat while 36% favored the incumbent Democratic Party. Twenty-eight percent of respondents remained undecided, as of when the survey was performed on July 10th.

HILLSBORO- Oregon’s general elections have faced a second unexpected candidate withdrawal with the announcement Tuesday that incumbent candidate David Edwards will not be running for re-election in 2010.

In a press release sent out by the House Democrat’s Future PAC, Edwards cited his wife’s health as his main reason for dropping his bid.