The race for Oregon Senate District 7’s seat in the state legislature has been one of the most competitively heated in the state. Incumbent Sen. Vicki Walker, Democrat, and her challenger, former Eugene mayor, Jim Torrey, Republican, have campaigned fiercely for the district’s representation in Salem this upcoming congressional session.
Both experienced politicians, Torrey and Walker have squared off on issues ranging from education to campaign finance for this election. While the two agree change is needed in many arenas for District 7, the means differ strongly between the two, especially in regard to funding.
Torrey has said he would prioritize money in the in budget to fund new initiatives, mainly regarding education. However, he does not support a roll back of corporate tax breaks. Walker has also pledged to increase efficiency in budget spending, while also supporting a roll back for the corporate kicker tax break, in order to increase revenue for new programs.
Education stands out as one of the main issues contested by the candidates in this election. Torrey has pitched himself as a champion of reform in this area, pledging to bring a non-partisan work ethic to Salem in an effort to end a stagnant partisan dynamic. Walker, who has served District 7 in the state legislature since 1998, has worked to pass a sizable amount of education-related legislation in her career. In 2005, Walker ushered in seven new pieces of educational reform, including a bill that requires students to complete at least 24 credit hours of high school course work prior to their graduation. She also increased the high school math requirement to three years and the English requirement to four years. These, among others, were progressive steps toward improving education in local school districts. Walker has also received endorsements from the state’s leading educational advocates, such as the Oregon Education Association, the Oregon Federation of Teachers and the Oregon Stand for Children.
Torrey’s claims to transcend partisan boundaries if elected to the state Senate raise questions regarding his continued support for President Bush and administration. His unwavering endorsement of its policies suggests that he may not in fact be the type of non-partisan candidate he touts himself to be. If Torrey was actually committed to crossing partisan lines, he would be willing to compromise in his support of a presidency characterized by so many obvious shortcomings. Furthermore, Torrey is decidedly anti-abortion.
In our endorsement of candidates, we tend to weight our decisions on a person’s record, as opposed to their political promises. Vicki Walker, in her long-running representation of District 7’s voters, has a history of lobbying for the interests of her constituents. She has a record of working toward school funding in the state legislature and is not afraid to be critical of the state government and other institutional forces like campaign finance reform.
In his current campaign and as mayor of Eugene, Torrey has always enjoyed a strong business backing, mainly as a result of his support for corporate tax cuts. We’ve found his campaign to be confusing and, at times, misleading. His efforts to divert attention from the fact that he is a Republican in a largely Democratic district, coupled with his questionable campaigning tactics, (“Senate candidate receives criticism for ads,” ODE, Oct. 20), (“Elephant in donkey’s clothing,” ODE, Sept. 28) lead us to believe that his message is not genuine.
Because of these reasons and others, we endorse Vicki Walker for re-election to the state senate. As a more apt representative of District 7, Walker’s proven commitment to education and corporate tax reform to increase state revenue make her a progressive choice for voters in this district.