GOP struggle to find candidates continues

The Oregon GOP has yet to fill the void of statewide candidates for the 2008 election cycle. Some operatives claim its their “strategy” to stay out for as long as possible allowing the Democratic candidates beat each other up until the March filing deadline, thus saving costs on opposition research and entering the race with a clean slate.

However, there are some GOP insiders, in their infinite wisdom, who see a party collapsing before their very eyes. Craig Campbell, the only prospective statewide candidate that has surfaced in past weeks, has told his lobby buddies he’s only “contemplating” the treasurer’s race until the party organization can find a different sacrificial lamb to take his place, as he has no interest in that position (or pay cut).

And frankly, a party “strategy” that chooses not to raise money or build any sort of campaign infrastructure until the actual filing deadline in March seems to be one built on missed opportunities rather than a cunning scheme to take back any statewide office. So, here are a few thoughts on why Oregon Republicans are having a tough time with statewide recruitment.

As it stands, Republican legislative candidates are elected by campaigns financed primarily by their respective party caucuses. A few phone calls from leadership to Big Timber, the Restaurant Association and Associated Oregon Industries and quickly the party has built up enough campaign cash to distribute among their targeted candidates.

Democratic counterparts make the same calls to their own benefactors (Organized Labor and the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association), but they also force their candidates to step outside their comfort zones by raising more money from individual donors and gathering grassroots support through house parties and organized door-knocking groups (as made popular by the Oregon Bus Project), thus building a solid base of support to build upon as they climb the political ladder.

Also, many Republican legislators view leadership roles as the only path to statewide office, however, historically Republican legislators like Mark Hatfield, Bob Packwood, Norma Paulus and Bill Rutherford were considered “back-benchers” and not a part of leadership when they broke for higher office. Viewing party leadership as the only way to achieve statewide office ultimately produces unelectable conservative candidates like Betsy Close and Lynn Snodgrass rather than viable moderates like Max Williams, Lane Shetterley and Jack Roberts.

The bottom line? Moderate Republicans don’t think they can win primaries and, given the blue wave extending across Oregon the last few elections, conservatives don’t think they can win general elections. Ron Saxton claimed he lost his 2002 gubernatorial bid in the primary because he wasn’t conservative enough. In 2006, he made sure that didn’t happen again…with predictable results.

So this leaves us with only one political party representing all candidates currently on the ballot.

In the end there will be some conservative egomaniac who puts his or her name on the ballot who caters to the anti-abortion, immigrant-hating community, thus producing another Republican loss, but preventing a total free ride for the Democrats in the general election. However, if the Oregon GOP has any hope of keeping the state from turning navy blue next November, it had best recruit some candidates of true substance, not mere rhetoric (…and quickly).