So, who is running for anything in '06?

This will be my first time voting in Oregon. I know Kulongoski is up for reelection. Who will be challenging him in the primary? Is Vicki Walker still in there? If so, who do you prefer, and why?

Will ANYONE challege Greg Walden?

Is anyone challenging Gene Whisnant in the state legislature? Not according to my local paper on 2/2. The headline read: "Dems fade from area campaigns" and quotes Phil Philiben, chairman of the Deschutes County Democrats saying "he's had conversations with doezens of potential candidates in Central Oregon but none have committed to run."

With the primaries coming up this spring, and the general election in the fall, I wanted to inform myself about my choices. If I have any.

Anyone have further information for me?

http://www.petesorenson.com Jim Hill is also running, no web site for him yet. I don't know about Walden, that's a tough district although somebody usually challenges him. Oregon politics are rather mundane, for the most part. Seems to me anyway. Other than the Kulongoski, Sorenson, and now Hill race. I'm more concerned on how that is going to hurt the party in the fall than the race itself. It's not Kulongoski's fault that we're being fucked by DC. Or that nobody in this state wants to pay for schools. I don't know how Kitzhaber ever got OHP through, must have been because people were in a better mood in the 90's.

I always liked that guy. I'm glad to hear it.

There's an interesting little storm brewing on this side of the mountains. My state senator, Ben Westlund, just jumped ship from the Republican party and registered as an independent. He's also running for governor.

He's an interesting guy. He strikes me as one of the vanished "moderate" republicans from my younger years, and he's infuriated many of the more conservative Rs over here with his support of SB1000 last year.

I doubt that I will be supporting him for governor; I'm along way from moderate. I'll be watching his entry into "independent" politics with interest, though.

I've been seein' an awful lot of people with Valley-type politics move there.

The Bend area is a diverse mix. The further out you go, the more conservative it gets, but there are still some "others," other being anything not republican.

Here's an interesting measuring stick: middle schoolers. I got to listen in to a casual conversation between some middle schoolers in a tight little rural community last week. They were discussing politics. It sounded to me like they were recycling their parents' talking points, and they were pretty evenly divided between bush supporters and bush despisers.

Then there is my local state senator, who just jumped ship from the republican party and declared himself an independent, and a candidate for governor. Many of the local conservatives are furious with him; they have been since he supported SB 1000.

I look forward to a changing political spectrum here. If we take some care not to alienate the ranchers and outdoor sportspeople, some will probably be a part of the change.

This guy won his seat with the help of Oregon Dems. This guy had lost an election to Weyden and sat over and sniveled about how we in the vally were not giving voters in eastern oregon a chance in state wide votes because our numbers. Like saps when the next election oregon dems gave him pity votes, I did too. He rushed off to DC, got himself set up in a cushy post, and started fucking us over the first chance he got. I am looking forward to correcting that vote:wtf:

I don't think Smith's seat is up this year.

how the guv race goes....

SOMEBODY needs to send Gordy packing.