What is considered the second most important position in state government, the secretary of state, is so far showing a lopsided race for the 2008 election to replace incumbent Bill Bradbury – four Democrats actively campaigning with no Republican candidate in sight.
The election for the secretary of state doesn’t stand alone however, as no one has been announced as the GOP candidate for the state attorney general or treasurer either.
While some critics have said the lack of a Republican nominee for these positions speaks to the difficulty of finding a viable Republican candidate, the Republican party says it’s part of its strategy.

“We have recruited candidates for all statewide positions, but timing is important,” said Brianne Hyder, spokeswoman for the Oregon Republican Party. “The Democrats are fighting it out right now in the primaries, so there is no reason to join in the fight,” she added.
The Republicans plan to nominate only one candidate for each position – each of which has already been decided – whom they’ll announce closer to the March 11 deadline, Hyder said.
The secretary of state oversees a number of high-profile divisions. The office is responsible for elections, government records, government accountability, business registration and providing strategic, legislative and policy guidance for the governor.
Four Democratic candidates have announced their desire to run. All are state senators, and one has an unusual chair for his campaign.
Sen. Rick Metsger, D-Welches, announced earlier this month that well-known NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton will be the chairman for Metsger’s bid for the democratic nomination.
While the move to have a sports icon jump into the campaign process may seem unorthodox, Walton insists that “sports and politics share many similarities.”
“True winners are those who can inspire and lead others to be their very best. Rick is that kind of leader,” Walton said in a press release.
Metsger began his senate career in 1998, and he claims to be the only candidate whose district represents both urban and rural Oregonians. Should he win the post, Metsger has said he plans to use the secretary of state’s office to make sure money is being properly spent and going to schools, while also pushing for fair elections.
Sen. Kate Brown, D-southeast Portland, not only gained some big support recently, but also has a big goal for the secretary of state’s office, should she win.
She hopes that Oregonians will have the easiest access in the nation to track campaign spending.
She recently earned the endorsement of the Twenty-First Century Democrats, a national organization that works to elect progressive populist Democrats.
Sen. Brown also said she wants to build accountability in state government and crack down on fraud surrounding the signature gathering process, she said.
As the first woman in Oregon elected as the senate majority leader, she said her leadership experience is what separates her from the rest of the Democratic pack.
The two other Democratic candidates that have entered the race so far are Brad Avakian, D-Bethany, and Vicki Walker, D-Eugene.
Sen. Avakian’s campaign motto has been “priorities, not politics,” and he insists that Oregon have fair, open and transparent elections.
The local candidate, Sen. Walker, said she plans to “bring transparency and accountability to the office of secretary of state.” She “will ensure that people’s votes and tax dollars are counted correctly,” Walker said in an e-mail.
She offered an example of how her fiscal policy has affected students. In the 2007 legislative session “I passed the textbook pricing bill to bring more transparency to the process of buying textbooks from publishers thereby lowering costs to students,” she said. “Additionally, with the help of the OSA, the State Board of Higher Education has agreed with our proposal to add programmatic resource fees into tuition so there are no hidden costs for Oregon students,” Walker added.
Republican Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, was considered by many to be the GOP front-runner for the secretary of state position, but said in late November he was not interested.
The Republican party’s plan was to recruit candidates who are “more involved outside of Salem politics … such as small business owners, entrepreneurs and everyday Oregonians,” Republican party spokeswoman Hyder said. “That makes them more relatable.”
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