David Frohnmayer

John Frohmayer is challenging U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith as an IndependentA popular refrain among those affiliated with one party or the other when it comes to Independent candidates, is that they don't stand a remote prayer of winning, which leaves only one realistic role, and that is the role of spoiler.

But John Frohnmayer, who is running for Sen. Gordon Smith's seat next year as an independent, firmly rejected both assumptions in an interview Monday.

"That's absolutely wrong," Frohnmayer insisted. "I'm in the race to win, and I have no desire for any other office, I'm not positioning myself for anything else, I just believe the voters need a legitimate choice in this race, and the Democrats and Republicans are not going to provide that." "I also think the word ‘spoiler' suggests a certain sense of entitlement, as if the Democrats or Republicans own the election, and are entitled to the seat," he said.