Could Allen Alley Unseat Governor Kate Brown?
Friday, October 23, 2015
“I would like to run,” Alley said when asked if he was considering a bid for the State House. “I’m considering doing it. Right now, I have a few business investments I need to take care of first. I have about 10 or 11 companies I’ve invested in and I want to make sure they’re headed in the right direction.”
Alley said he has been traveling often in the past weeks in order to ensure that his companies are prepared for the possibility of his campaign. Alley said he wants to take a run at the State’s highest office because he believes he can fix some of the problems plaguing Oregon.
“I laugh a little bit, because I think it should be obvious,” Alley said when asked what improvements he could make as governor. “If you look at the economic condition of the state and the lack of performance in our schools, there’s a lot that can be done.”
Could He Win?
If Alley was to enter the race and amass enough support to take over the Governor’s Office, it would be a history making day in Oregon. Alley would be the first Republican Governor of Oregon in nearly three decades. It’s a big challenge, according to Jim Moore, Director of the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation at Pacific University.
“He has a chance, but it will be very difficult,” Moore told GoLocal. “A strong Republican can get to 45% of the vote, a mediocre Democrat can get to 50% of the vote. Alley will have to convince that crucial 5% of the voters to go for him over Brown. And virtually all of those voters will have to come from the Portland metropolitan area.”
Moore said that Alley would stand a better chance against Brown than other incumbents, as she has yet to win an election to the Oregon’s governor. She assumed the office earlier this year after former Governor John Kitzhaber resigned following a scandal.
“She has a record to run on, but it is mainly based on Kitzhaber’s policies, so that can be used in the race against her,” Moore said. “Brown has the advantages of the incumbency, but because of the high-profile nature of the office, people will remember that she was not elected to the post.”
How He Could Pull It Off
It may be a difficult challenge to win back the Governor’s mansion for the Republicans, but Alley believes he is up to the task. He said he has the experience and background to lead the state, and learned from his defeats in the 2008 race to be State Treasurer and the 2010 campaign for Governor.
“I learned a lot about running a campaign, and about communicating with people. Before 2008, I had never been involved with politics” Alley said. “I think I have a background where I could be successful. I worked in the Governor’s Office for about a year under Ted Kulongoski, and I saw what the governor does. I think I could be very productive.”
Moore said that in order for Alley, or any Republican, to win a race for governor, they would need plenty of luck.
“First, it would take a strong candidate, and Alley is much stronger than Bud Pierce,” Moore said. “Second, some crisis in governance among the Democrats. The closest we got was the Kitzhaber meltdown in 2014, and that was not enough for a Republican win. But Dennis Richardson was not a strong candidate. Third, wait for the demographics to change. Since the demographics have been favorable for the Democrats, and getting more so, for the past 15-20 years for statewide offices, this will have no bearing on the 2016 elections.”
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