BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- The four leading candidates for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Chris Dudley, Allen Alley, John Lim, and Bill Sizemore, faced tough questions Friday from leaders at the City Club of Portland.

When each of the candidates was deemed by the Club’s judges to not have adequately answered the question asked, they were each given additional time to try and answer the question again.

John Lim was asked how we would, as Governor, represent the interests of Oregon’s socially liberal and moderate youth.

Sizemore was made to face his current court proceedings with a question asking him how he was a better candidate for Governor considering the current accusations against him.

Alley was told to tell the crowd how he would be better suited to boost the state’s when the company which he founded, Pixelworks, has had to send jobs out of state and overseas and has lost much of its market value since 2000.

Finally, Dudley was asked whether he thought teachers, firefighters, and police officers are paid more than they deserve and what the proper level of compensation should be for these public employees.

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo2svwfA3I0

The candidates faced additional questions on topics such as education, climate change, land use, and how they each compared themselves to Tom McCall, former Republican Governor of Oregon. To conclude the event, each of the candidates were allowed to ask one other candidate a question of their choice which brought up issues like abortion, leadership, and Democratic candidate John Kitzhaber’s previous time as Governor.

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- Republican gubernatorial candidate, Allen Alley, announced Thursday that he received endorsements from two state representatives, Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, and Rep. Vic Gilliam, R-Molalla.

“For more than a year, I’ve watched Allen passionately campaign to save this talent-rich, independent state that he and I both love,” said Wingard. “Rarely do voters get a chance to elect a person who has both the courage to tell the truth and the wisdom to show the way.”

“Consider Allen’s valuable experience in the real world of job creation and his understanding of our state’s failure to control spending and I believe you will agree that Allen Alley will lead our state forward,” added Gilliam.

Alley previously secured support from many GOP activists at this year’s Dorchester Conference held in February. Alley won the straw poll at the conference, beating out the other Republican candidates, Chris Dudley, Bill Sizemore, and John Lim.

PORTLAND- In a forum hosted by numerous members of Oregon’s business community, Democrat candidates John Kitzhaber and Bill Bradbury answered questions from participating oreganizations on matters of policy ranging from the state’s budget problems to education and transportation issues.

FULL DEBATE PART ONE

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-qMe8_-Zbk

FULL DEBATE PART TWO

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXwDMb0ocfo

FULL DEBATE PART THREE

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JvsOreiLtg

FULL DEBATE PART FOUR

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSnrpFmuGyQ

CLOSING STATEMENTS

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q2SFA8TDd4

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- Common Sense for Oregon announced Thursday that the conservative group has endorsed Republican candidate Chris Dudley for Governor.

This move comes after Dudley received endorsements from the Oregon Business Association, the Oregon Farm Bureau, and the Oregon Restaurant Association.

“From Day One, Dudley’s message has been spot on,” said Ross Day, Executive Director for Common Sense. “Oregon has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”

“In addition, Dudley’s plan for Oregon will reverse over two decades of policies implemented by the state that have damaged Oregon’s ability to be a national leader in education and economic development,” Day added.

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- The house was packed Wednesday night at Portland State University for the gubernatorial debate hosted by five of Oregon’s largest environmental organizations.

Three candidates for the office of Governor appeared at the event: Democrats John Kitzhaber and Bill Bradbury and Republican Allen Alley. The sponsoring organizations included the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club, Environment Oregon, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the Oregon Environmental Council, and Oregon Wild.

The three candidates were fielded questions by the five hosting organizations on multiple environmental issues including land use, toxics and public health, climate change, forestry, salmon restoration, energy, transportation, and the Columbia River Crossing project.

As the lone Republican, Alley spoke his mind encouraging the use of markets and technology to improve the environment. He said his number one priority if elected will be jobs and the economy, with environmental issues following the needs of the economy. Additionally, Alley promoted the use of personal, as opposed to mass, transportation and said it was time to get going on building the Columbia River Crossing project. He encouraged private-sector energy innovation and market-based environmental solutions.

Bradbury drew large applause when he called for the closing of the coal-powered Boardman plant after its license expires in 2014 and for strong energy regulations to open the market for renewable energy needed to combat climate change. He also stressed the need to stop old-growth logging and to work more aggressively on salmon restoration efforts. He supported a new proposal on the Columbia River Crossing project, advocating for a smaller mass transit plan and a pedestrian bridge, instead of building an entirely new bridge.

Kitzhaber promoted similar ideas regarding improving bike paths and mass transit; but he differed with Bradbury on the Columbia River Crossing, suggesting a plan similar to the current project proposal. He added that an ideal energy policy would be to eliminate subsidies from the equation and let energy sources compete in a free market. While he was not in favor of using natural gas currently, it should not be eliminated as an option if the need arises. He also encouraged further salmon efforts and new leadership on the State Board of Forestry.

Conflict came at the end of the debate when Bradbury accused Kitzhaber of taking money from polluters and Kitzhaber then saying, “Way to lower the bar there, buddy. I guess we take the gloves off from here on out,” quietly to Bradbury after the conclusion of the event.

Republican candidate Chris Dudley declined to attend the event.

BY SARAH ROSS

BEND- Gubernatorial candidate and former Secretary of State Bill Bradbury earned the support of the Bus Project Sunday, winning the group’s straw poll by a 13-point margin over former Governor John Kitzhaber.

The straw poll conducted at the end of the Bus Project’s “Rebooting Democracy” event held in Bend, showed Bradbury winning with 55% of the voters and Kitzhaber falling short at 42%.

Following the straw poll results, Bradbury said, “I am extremely honored to have won this straw poll. To have the support of the young activists of the Bus Project across the state who do so much to engage, energize and mobilize voters is a great boost to my campaign.”

The Bus Project is a non-profit organization for young activists around the state, holding policy and candidate forums as well as voter drives to “bring voters out of the woodwork.”

UPDATE: Dudley’s other big money contributors include Sports Agent Dan Fegan with $100,000, Managing Director of M Benefit Solutions Steve Shepard with $50,000, American Industries with $25,000, Common Sense Investment’s President James Bisenius with $25,000, owner of the Florida Marlins Jeffrey Loria with $50,000, investment manager Edward Maletis with $15,000, and banking executive Diana Yates with $5,000.

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- Former Trail Blazer, Chris Dudley, has brought in the most campaign contributions so far for the month of March in Oregon’s race for governor.

Bringing in just over $309,000 during March, as of Tuesday, Dudley had only one large contribution from a company, S&G Properties, which provided an in-kind, non-cash contribution of $14,000. He also had several large private donations this month, including one $50,000 contribution from Phil Knight, co-founder and Chairman for Nike.

Some of the big name contributors this month for Oregon’s former governor, John Kitzhaber, are Safeway giving $10,000, Union Pacific giving $5,000 and Kroger, Inc. giving an additional $10,000. His total March contributions, as of Tuesday, were just over $110,000.

Allen Alley and Bill Bradbury also received private donations this month, mostly coming in at the $5,000 level and below. Alley has brought in just over $111,000 for March and Bradbury showed just under $10,000 for March, so far, with his last listed contribution made on March 13^th.

Total campaign contributions since 2008 are as follows: Dudley leads with $1,101,272; Alley’s campaign has received $1, 079,317; Kitzhaber has brought in $737,159; and Bradbury trails with $384,960.

All calculations are based on numbers from the Secretary of State’s election tracking system, ORESTAR.

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- The state’s public employee union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) revealed Saturday their endorsement of former governor John Kitzhaber.

“For us, the most important point is that we know we can talk to John Kitzhaber about any issue we feel needs discussion,” said AFSCME Executive Director Ken Allen in Saturday’s press release. “We won’t see eye-to-eye on every issue, that’s just reality. But as long as we can count on access to his office and the ability to have a discussion, that’s what matters to us.”

The union’s Political Action Committee made the recommendation Friday night and was approved by its Executive Board Saturday.

“Based on the excellent relationship we had during his first two terms, we’re confident he is once again the best person to lead our state,” stated Allen.

The decision was made after a January candidate’s forum including the gubernatorial race’s two leading Democrats, Kitzhaber and former Secretary of State, Bill Bradbury.

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- The Oregon Business Association made their decisions Tuesday to endorse gubernatorial candidates Chris Dudley and John Kitzhaber in their respective primary races.

The chair of the OBA’s political action committee, Scott Bolton, spoke on each of the candidates’ qualities for the position of governor.

“Governor Kitzhaber earned the OBA endorsement by honestly addressing the difficult issues we are facing as a state and by committing to address the challenges ahead in partnership with Oregon’s businesses,” remarked Bolton on the Democratic candidate, former Governor John Kitzhaber.

Referring to GOP candidate Chris Dudley, Bolton said, “Chris came to OBA with a clear understanding of the challenges facing Oregon and specifics about his plans to address those issues. He has fresh ideas and a sincere willingness to listen to the business community.”

The Oregonian reports that it is unclear if the OBA will endorse a candidate in the general election.

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- Democrat gubernatorial candidates John Kitzhaber and Bill Bradbury both gained support from union organizations this weekend with endorsements coming from the AFL-CIO and the state’s teachers unions.

Former Governor Kitzhaber received the private sector endorsements of the AFL-CIO, which add to his list of endorsements from numerous other labor organizations including firefighters, carpenters, and electricians.

In their endorsement of Kitzhaber, AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain praised Kitzhaber for his understanding of the pressures faced by union members and middle-class families.

“Of all the candidates he has the strongest plan to create jobs and help lead Oregon out of the recession. We are looking forward to playing an active role in his campaign,” said Chamberlain.

Meanwhile, the Oregon Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, and the Oregon School Employees Association announced Saturday their endorsement of former Secretary of State Bradbury.

“It is clear to us that Bill Bradbury understands our schools and our students need support today – not sometime years in the future. He knows today’s students deserve the high quality education they have been promised, and as governor he will fight for them,” stated OSEA President Merlene Martin.