SALEM, Ore. (AP) - In a story Sept. 25 about the Oregon gubernatorial race, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Republican candidate Knute Buehler announced his candidacy April 3. He announced it Aug. 3.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Oregon governor casts herself as counterweight to Trump
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced re-election bid, casting herself as a liberal counterweight to President Donald Trump
By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Oregon Gov. Kate Brown officially announced her long-anticipated bid for re-election on Monday, casting herself as a liberal counterweight to President Donald Trump.
Brown made the announcement via a statement, social media and a YouTube video.
A montage of images - a placard saying “make America hate again,” a street protest in Washington, Trump, smokestacks spewing pollution - kicked off the video with an ominous soundtrack. It then showed picturesque images of Oregon’s countryside and of Portland, accompanied by gentle chords on a piano.
“As your governor, it’s my job to make things better, to stand up to anyone who would take our rights away,” the Democratic governor said.
Since taking office in in 2015, Brown has shored up protections for immigrants in Oregon who are in the U.S. illegally, successfully pushed for the phasing out of coal-generated power and last month signed into law a bill expanding coverage on abortions and other reproductive services.
Her campaign has raised at least $1.25 million in cash from more than 10,000 contributions since Jan. 1.
Knute Buehler, a Republican state lawmaker and orthopedic surgeon from Bend, is running for the GOP nomination for governor. He has raised at least $1.13 million since Aug. 3, the day he announced his candidacy, from at least 2,887 contributions.
Rebecca Tweed, Buehler’s campaign manager, was dismissive of Brown’s announcement.
“Under Kate Brown, Oregonians can expect more of the same - failed leadership, failing schools, and an endless cycle of chaos, corruption and incompetence in and around state government. Knute Buehler will bring the change Oregon needs,” Tweed said in an email.
Oregon’s high school graduation rate is ranked 48th in the nation. Student-teacher ratios are often disproportionately large. A ballot measure that would have helped by increasing business taxes, with revenue earmarked for education, health care, and senior citizens services, was rejected by voters last November.
Brown, who held the state’s second-highest elected office, secretary of state, became governor in 2015 when then Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, resigned amid an influence-peddling inquiry. She then ran in 2016 to fill the remaining two years of Kitzhaber’s term, beating Bud Pierce, the Republican nominee and Salem oncologist.
She now again finds herself seeking support.
Since Trump was elected, Brown and several other Democratic governors have joined forces to oppose White House positions on immigration, health care, and a threatened federal crackdown on marijuana in states where it’s legal - including Oregon.
The last Republican governor in heavily Democratic Oregon was Victor Atiyeh, who served from 1979 to 1987.
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Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky
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This story has been corrected to show that Republican gubernatorial candidate Knute Buehler announced his candidacy Aug. 3.
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