Brianne Hadley

In the ongoing quest to determine who the Oregon Republican Party will run in state-wide races, a new tidbit of information has surfaced regarding the Treasurer’s race.

Rumors have been bouncing around Republican circles that Rick Miller, CEO of Wilsonville-based Avamere Health Services, is strongly considering a run to challenge Democrat Ben Westlund.

Miller did not return calls by Thursday afternoon, but conservative blogger Rob Kremer, a friend of Miller’s who is familiar with the decision-making process, said in a phone call that he doesn’t believe Miller has arrived at a final decision yet.

U.S. Senator Gordon Smith is waiting to see which Democrat wins the primary to challenge him: Jeff Merkley or Steve Novick: Getty Images Photo
Despite the uncomfortable reality for many Democrats that tensions continue to escalate in the primary race between the two candidates battling to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Gordon Smith next year, Democrats both here in Oregon, as well as inside the beltway, still smell blood in the water.

Speaker Jeff Merkley, the so-called establishment candidate, and his underdog opponent Steve Novick, have consistently portrayed Smith as a firm Bush ally, and have pointed to dismal approval numbers in the low 30’s, which conventional political wizardry suggests spell doom for any incumbent seeking reelection.

But publicly, GOP officials in the state, along with Smith’s aides in Washington, refuse to acknowledge even the most remote sense of concern over the Senator’s reelection prospects.

John Kroger, who’s running for the Democratic nomination for Hardy Myers' retirement after three terms as Attorney General has sparked a spirited Democratic primaryState Attorney General, addressed an intimate group of about fifty Thursday night and engaged in a brief Q&A session.

Kroger, a professor at Lewis and Clark Law School and a former federal prosecutor, praised current Attorney General Hardy Myers, who announced this summer he would not be seeking reelection after almost twelve years as Oregon’s top law enforcement official. In announcing his decision, Myers, now 68, cited his age and a belief that the Justice Department can benefit from fresh leadership.

Kroger did however, highlight some key philosophical distinctions between himself and Myers, and suggested he would pursue a broader approach to the position.