Republican National Convention

DENVER--State Sen. Bruce Starr (R-Hillsboro) believes that with McCain choosing Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Ak.) as his running mate, the first woman vice-president will be a member of the GOP.

Former CD-5 congressional candidate Kevin Mannix was ecstatic on Friday morning that Republican presidential candidate John McCain (R-Ariz.) chose Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) as his running mate.

“I think it’s a brilliant choice,” Mannix said. “She’s a state executive, she’s a reformer, she’s already got results, she’s old enough to have some experience, but young enough to be dynamic.”

Mannix also pointed out that the addition of Palin to the ticket brings in several unknown dynamics to the race. It’s the first time Republicans have run a female on the ticket. Palin, also being from the western-most state in the nation, will have that strong new west pioneering spirit, Mannix said.

“I think she’ll play really well because it’s sort of like the mavericks against the good old boys,” Mannix said.

U.S. Senator Gordon Smith's (R-Pendleton) campaign responded to Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley's (D-Portland) convention speech Wednesday saying that Merkley only managed to affirm to Oregonians that he would be very partisan if he was elected to senate.

"Jeff Merkley aired his divisive partisanship loud and clear today," Smith campaign spokeswoman Lindsay Gilbride said.

According to Gilbride, Smith has spent the week campaigning in Oregon, before he has to return to Washington D.C. for Senate work in September.

Oregon Republican Party chairman Vance Day said on Monday that Democrats were obviously not united around Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-Ill.) because Obama’s pick of U.S. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) was a sign that Democrats were afraid he was unprepared to be president.

By not attending the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis in September, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) is just trying to avoid his associations with wealthy interests, Jeff Merkley said in an exclusive interview with PolitickerOR.com Tuesday.

"Smith is trying to do everything he can to avoid being accountable," Merkley said. "He now realizes that he cannot win this election as a lap-dog to wealthy, powerful interests, so he has to run away from his record. And it's a horrible position to be in when you have to change your views to win an election. When that happens, it's time for him to retire."