2008 has seen many surprises in the political arena.
First, a young black senator became the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party, then the Republican Party selected a woman as its vice presidential candidate. So it seems only fair that we have our own little surprise here in Oregon.
Rick Dancer, the Republican candidate for Oregon Secretary of State, is that surprise, and he made an appearance Tuesday afternoon outside the EMU.
A former television personality and journalist for KEZI News in Eugene, Dancer is not an expected candidate for the position. However, Dancer considers the fact he is not a career politician one of his greatest strengths. He appeared on campus to show students how labels are unimportant, and how regardless of party affiliation or previous job experience, the secretary of state is simply a watchdog for the people.
Dancer is unconcerned with titles; he believes the goal of his position should be to reach across party lines and make voters feel more a part of the political process. He has spoken up about ballot measure 65, a controversial issue in Oregon that would open up the primary elections, allowing Independent voters to participate in the early elections. Dancer also believes the people skills he learned as a journalist will help him address issues from a nonpartisan position.
As the two main responsibilities of the secretary of state include overseeing elections and auditing state government, Dancer has said his party affiliation should not be connected to the job description. He added that running for this position as a Republican in Oregon will make winning the race significantly more difficult.
In order to overcome his political affiliation, Dancer has amped up his campaign against his Democratic adversary, Sen. Kate Brown (D-Portland). Drawing from his experience in media, Dancer maintains a Web site to facilitate his campaigning blog, which spans everything from events in which he has participated to quotes he finds inspiring. He also uses the site to post pictures of his family, friends, campaign trail, and special events. Dancer has not only opened up about his political views, he has opened up his life to the public.
Although Brown was ahead by 8 percent according to an election poll The Portland Tribune conducted in mid-September, Dancer hopes his fresh campaigning ideas will close the gap. He also says groundbreaking ideas and activism are favors he would like voters to return to him if he is elected.
“My hope,” he said, “is that I can post a welcome sign outside of the capitol building that reads: This is yours – speak up.”
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