Oregon's Ten Best Campaigns of the 21st Century
Submitted by editoror on November 19, 2007 - 7:00am.One of our regular features at PolitickerOR.com will be a series of lists that we hope you will enjoy. With the launch of our new Oregon-based political news site, we are pleased to offer our lists of Oregon's Ten Best and Worst Campaigns of the 21st Century.
For the most part, we looked at races that were highly competitive. Some campaigns perform extremely well, but of course, they are expected to win. And there are the so-called sacrificial lambs, running for various offices across the state that are not expected to raise money, go in the mailbox, or even send out press releases; we tried not to bother them.
Remember, this list – like all lists – are highly subjective. And as always, we encourage the feedback of our readers.
1  With Democratic opposition mounting, Senator Gordon Smith effectively walked the tightrope by catering to his conservative base with his views on outlawing abortion and fiscal spending, meanwhile throwing some red meat to moderate Democrats and independents with ads featuring the support of parents Matthew Shepard, the University of Wyoming student who was murdered for being gay. He beat challenger Secretary of State Bill Bradbury with a solid 56%. Given the current blue trend in western states and Smith’s low approval ratings in Oregon, many wonder if he can pull it off again. Key player behind the scene: Kerry Tymchuk. |
2  Liz Kaufman, once again, showed that no one knows better how to woo Oregon voters when it comes to supporting (or opposing) a ballot measure. By displaying the average Oregonian farmer on television and keeping the politicians at bay (with a few exceptions for appearances by co-authors State Senator Floyd Prozanski and Representative Greg Macpherson), she successfully convinced voters to ignore Dave Hunnicut’s rhetoric that Oregonians might like multiple subdivisions and strip malls sprawling continuously from Portland to Mt. Jefferson. Key money behind the scene: Eric Lemelson. |
3  Striking while the Iraq War iron was hot, then minority leader and current Speaker Jeff Merkley raised enough dough for the Dem caucus and campaigned aggressively for his challengers ultimately leading to a net gain of four seats and a majority in the House for the first time since 1990. Still many wonder whether Democrats will remember such victories next May as Merkley campaigns against activist Steve Novick in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Key player behind the scene: Jon Isaacs. |
4  Facing severe backlash from SEIU Local 503 for his PERS reform, perpetual anger from State Senator Vicki Walker over revelations of former Governor Neil Goldschmidt’s sexual affair with his baby-sitter and frustration by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde for his promotion of a casino in Cascade Locks, Governor Ted Kulongoski soundly won the Democratic bid, ultimately moving on to defeat Republican candidate Ron Saxton in what many thought would be a much tighter general election campaign. Key player behind the scene: Roy Behr. |
5  With the exit of shrewd campaigner State Senator Gene Derfler and a significant war chest, then minority leader State Senator Kate Brown and company launched an ambitious attack by forcing the Republicans to spend money on the Jackie Winters race which should normally be a GOP stronghold, protecting vulnerable incumbents like State Senator Rick Metsger because of his marginal district and State Senator Vicki Walker because of her marginal campaign abilities. Key player behind the scene: Barry Pack. |
6  When then candidate Tom Potter announced his campaign in 2004 for Portland Mayor many political insiders shrugged and discounted him as one of the less serious contenders trying to fight for their 15 minutes. When he announced he was limiting his campaign contributions to a mere $25 per person the pundits paid even less attention. His ability to present a vocally under-funded grassroots campaign against a well-funded and insider favorite Jim Francesconi eventually earned Potter the title of Mayor. Key player behind the scene: Marlis Miller. |
7  Taxpayer protagonist and convicted money launderer Bill Sizemore opened a can of worms back in 2000 with ballot measure 7 that Oregonians are still paying for today. Sizemore passed the constitutional amendment requiring the government to reimburse landowners for value reducing land regulations. Despite being overturned by the Oregon Supreme Court, the measure paved the way for Measure 37 in 2006 and its victorious nemesis Measure 49. Key player behind the scene: Big Timber. |
8  Despite a well-funded, moderate opponent and the constant barrage of articles printed in the Oregonian alleging an attempted sexual assault on his girlfriend of 20 years prior, Congressman David Wu takes a licking and keeps on ticking as he won re-election that year with a resounding 58% of the vote. Key reason for winning: Wu’s fundraising prowess. |
9  Taking a page from the Gordon Smith play book, former State Senator Kevin Mannix was able to sweep his staunch social conservative views under the rug for long enough to maintain a competitive campaign against Dem nominee Ted Kulongoski. With nearly unlimited funds and a great deal of charisma, Mannix narrowly lost in a campaign that took elections officials more than 48 hours to settle. Key money behind the scene: Loren Parks. |
10  The only thing stopping State Senator Kate Brown from grasping the gavel in 2002 was the defeat of Barbara Ross by then moderate Republican candidate Frank Morse. Staying away from hot button issues like abortion and gay marriage, Morse appealed to voters with his background and sound negotiating abilities. Some insiders claim that his victory forever withheld the gavel from Brown as State Senator Peter Courtney refused to relinquish it once she established the majority the following cycle. Key reason for winning: the absence of Chuck Adams. |
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Kulongoski 2006
There's no doubt that Roy Behr was a key part of Governor Kulongoski's successful re-election campaign team, but a lot of people witnessed the energy of the campaign grown when Campaign Manager Jim Ross hit the ground. Ross was a key player behind the scene.
Campaign
Your comment about my marginal campaign abilities is way off base. I'm one of the toughest campaigners in the state, in a very difficult district, and the only one who could have held the senate seat in 2006. I haven't lost an election yet, and I don't intend to do so now. My first run at the senate in 2002, when Barry Pack was at SDLF, was a piece of cake. It was the re-election campaign of 2006 that was one of the most difficult in the state, and Barry Pack had absolutely nothing to do with that campaign's success, nor any other campaign I've ever run. If you want to be successful with your blog, you really need to do a better job of research.
Kulongoski 2006
"Southern Oregonian" is absolutely correct. Jim Ross was indispensible to the campaign, as was Lisa Grove. Across the board, this was a great campaign team.
One that should have been added...
1998 & the 2000 cycles, Bill Sizemore introduced m59 and m92 &98. All three of these measures were different versions of "paycheck deception" that would have severely undercut labor and progressives from participating in Oregon's political process.
All three of these measures were down by over 70 points. Player behind the scenes to come from behind and win: Roger Gray.
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