Oregon is blessed with people who are smart and care about their communities, incredible natural beauty, and abundant natural resources..  But for too long Oregon’s political leaders have made job creation and economic growth an after-thought rather than the central focus of protecting and improving our quality of life. And without jobs and a growing economy, our families are worse off and so are our schools, health care and other essential government services.

This is our greatest challenge – to protect the quality of life we all cherish while expanding the economic opportunities we need to enjoy it. Helping us meet this challenge is why I want to be your next Governor.  Read Jobs First: Oregon’s Recovery Plan here.

This November, more than names, I believe Oregon’s future is on the ballot. At stake is whether we can embrace the big changes needed to fix our economy and reform our government. Changes in how we tax, how we spend, how we educate and how we position ourselves in a global marketplace of ideas, products and culture–in short, big changes in how we govern ourselves.

Change won’t come from the inside. The inside crowd has proven they are good at protecting the status quo and business-as-usual. They also want us to believe the myth that only politicians with years of experience in government are qualified to govern. These are the same people who’ve left us with the mess we’re in today. So, if you like how things are going, stick with the same people who’ve been in-charge for decades, but if you want change – join me.

As I travel our state, I hear people’s frustrations and anxieties and some question whether it’s worth the fight. I believe it is. Now is not the time to quit on Oregon. Now is the time to stand-up and be heard…to stand and fight for our future.  I’m not running to be the best politician or expert on state government…or to join the crowd in Salem… I’m running to put jobs front and center in Oregon’s economic future and quality of life. Please join me today.

Sincerely,

Chris Dudley

Read Jobs First: Oregon’s Recovery Plan here.

Kevin Gaboury
February 23, 2010
Central Oregonian

Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley spoke to around 30 Crook County residents Tuesday morning during a town hall meeting at Brothers Diner.

The republican candidate from Portland touted education and job creation as two factors that can help pull Oregon out of its slump.

To kick off the meeting, Dudley discussed the two defining moments that brought him to his decision to run for governor.

The first occurred was when he was around 10 years old and visited his grandfather, a Hungarian immigrant.

“He told me this is the best country in the world,” Dudley said.

The second occurred when he arrived in Portland in 1993 to play for the Trailblazers.

“I fell in love with all Oregon has to offer,” he said.

However, he admitted that lately, he has been “concerned and frustrated with the course Oregon has been on.”

According to Dudley, Oregon has been consistently third and fourth in the nation in unemployment, second in the “misery index” (unemployment rate plus inflation rate), and 43rd in schools.

“How can anybody say we’re headed in the right direction?” he questioned.

What Oregon needs, he argued, is not more taxes, but more taxpayers. Oregon doesn’t have a tax deficit, it has a jobs deficit, he added.

“We have a strong need to create jobs,” he said. “The answers have been more taxes. We are not taking care of our businesses.”

Government should not control business, but create an environment where business can succeed, he said.

The state also has a leadership deficit and a trust deficit, he added.

“People do not trust their government,” he said. “People do not feel they have a seat at the table or that their voice is being heard.”

A deficit Oregon does not have, however, is an “optimism deficit.”

“The time for change is now,” he said.

Dudley also took questions from the audience. Topics included Measures 66 and 67, the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS), and education.

“If we say education is our number-one priority, then why is it the first thing we always cut?” Dudley questioned.

Bend, OR- Central Oregon Builders Association announced today the Board of Directors unanimously endorsed Chris Dudley for Governor of Oregon.

“The board felt that 2010 is a critical election year and it is important that we get out early in the race and promote a candidate who we believe he can put Oregon back on track and represent the whole state not just the Willamette Valley” said Tim Knopp Executive Vice President. “Our organization typically stays out of primary races but we felt that Chris Dudley was the right guy and we look forward to doing what we can to help him win in November”.

Central Oregon Builders Association represents over 700 members in Central Oregon. COBA was created in 1972 “To represent the building industry before government and the community, to promote high ethical standards within the building industry, to provide service to its membership and to the defend opportunities of home ownership for all.”

Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley doesn’t like the direction that Oregon is headed and believes the state can do better.

He is ready to lead the charge.

While basketball fans likely remember Dudley as a former NBA center for the Portland Trailblazers, among other teams, he has leadership experience in places beyond the basketball court.

“I’ve been the vice-president of a business (M Financing), I’ve been a union negotiator and (union) treasurer in the NBA,” he said. “I’ve walked in a lot of different shoes.”

Dudley will rely on that leadership experience if elected governor, stating that leadership is the top priority of the governor’s office.

As leader, Dudley would take on what he feels is the most pressing issue in Oregon – the economy.

“We’re losing jobs,” he said. “The state is getting a reputation for being unfriendly to business.” Dudley went on to point out that Oregon is among the highest in the nation in unemployment, homelessness, and hunger – “the misery index.”

To rescue the economy, Dudley first believes that the current tax structure needs to be amended.

“We need a tax structure that encourages business,” he said. Dudley was opposed to Measures 66 and 67. “To me it was a wrong step,” he said. As governor, Dudley would “undo a lot of what was done” by the passing of those measures.

Rather than increase business taxes, Dudley would like to curtail government spending. “That’s where the governor has the power of the veto pen,” he said. Along with that, he would like to possibly incorporate tax incentives for businesses like the free enterprise zone. In doing so, he hopes to not only attract businesses to the state, but also retain the businesses that are already here.

“Job number one is to take care of businesses that are already here,” Dudley stated. “I was very concerned about visiting business owners around the state who are looking to leave.”

Along with the state economy, Dudley would focus on education. In a climate where state revenue is increasingly scarce, he believes that the state must prioritize their spending with education near the top.

“You make sure you’re funding your top priorities,” Dudley said. In addition, he believes that Oregon should save up money during economic prosperity. “You make sure you put dollars away when times are good,” Dudley said. “And that’s something we haven’t done.”

Dudley is one of seven republican gubernatorial candidates, a list that includes former Oregon representative and senator John Lim, former Oregon governor deputy chief of staff Allen Alley, and tax advocate Bill Sizemore.

The primary election takes place on May 18, and the general election is Nov. 2.

Find the article here.

This poll proves that the momentum Chris has been hearing and feeling out on the trail is felt across Oregon. The voters are saying loud and clear, they want someone from outside government and not tangled up in special interests to lead our state.

The frustration with politics as usual and the status quo is more apparent than ever. Both Kitzhaber and Bradbury are representative of the politics of the past and are viewed unfavorably by a significant portion of those polled.

Most notable in Rasmussen’s report is the results among Independents where Chris Dudley beats Former Governor John Kitzhaber. The trend of independents supporting and voting for the outsider in the race, started in New Jersey and Massachusetts, has reached Oregon.

Chris Dudley will be the outsider that Oregonians can trust to make the difficult decisions to get the state back on track. But, Chris needs your help to win so we move Oregon in a new direction. Join Chris’ team with a contribution of $10, $25, $100 or even more – whatever you can give today is important to the fight!

Thank you for your support!

Chris Guluigian-Taylor
Campaign Manager
Chris Dudley for Governor

Read the full poll here.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley on Friday was endorsed by the Oregon Farm Bureau, which is one of the most important political groups on the GOP side of the political divide.

The farm bureau’s backing comes after another important Republican-leaning group, the Oregon Restaurant Association, also announced that it would support the former professional basketball player.

Paulette Pyle, a pesticide and agricultural lobbyist who is backing Dudley, said the farm bureau endorsement sends an important signal to the rest of the natural-resource community about coalescing around Dudley.

She said that in addition to praising Dudley’s “business mind,” farm bureau officials also thought he was the best positioned Republican to win because of his fundraising and his potential appeal in the populous Portland area (Dudley played for the Trail Blazers for several years).

Barry Bushue, the farm bureau president, was struck by Dudley’s “real sincerity” and openness to working with the agricultural community. Because of Dudley’s lack of political experience, “he comes unencumbered. He doesn’t have the debts owed to other folks.”

And, said Bushue, “you can’t ignore the fundraising.” Dudley has raised more than $800,000 so far, compared to less than $330,000 for Alley.

Farm bureau board members also interviewed Alley as well as the major Democratic candidates, former Gov. John Kitzhaber and former Secretary of State Bill Bradbury. But given the bureau’s political leanings, it would have been a real shock for the bureau to back Kitzhaber or Bradbury.

Find the article here.

Watch Video Here.

COOS BAY, ORE – Fighting to get Oregon to rebound is the goal of Republican candidate for Governor Chris Dudley, and he brought his message to the South Coast this week.

Still in the early stages of a two month campaign tour around the state, Dudley paid a visit to Kaffe 101 in downtown Coos Bay on Tuesday, February 16th.

He says people outside of Portland and the I-5 corridor feel disconnected and that is something he wants to address.

So, as part of his “Renew Oregon” tour, he is making stops in all 36 counties to hear about the issues that are important to each community, while also driving home his message that change is needed.

“We’re among the national leaders in hunger, homelessness, and our schools, just last week, got rated 43 in the nation. We’re 47th in job creation, our funding for higher education is 48th. Go down the list, it’s not pretty.”

Dudley says the problem is not, as some may claim, with a tax deficit, but rather it is due to a jobs deficit and a leadership deficit. “The answers coming out of Salem have been the same, more taxes, more spending, more government, more regulation, and we have not gotten anywhere. We’ve had so much time for partisan fighting, but not enough time for working together to come up with real solutions to get us going down the right path.”

The 6′11” Yale graduate played in the NBA for 16 years, including two stops with the Portland Trail Blazers, and he agrees that, right now, he is probably better known as a basketball player and not a politician.

He adds quickly though, that in the current political climate that is actually a positive these days.

Find the article here.

Chris Dudley, Republican candidate for Oregon governor, visited The Dalles Tuesday, touring Columbia Gorge Community College and stopping in at Spooky’s to visit with prospective voters on his jobs message.

“The reason I’m running is pretty simple,” Dudley, a former Trail Blazer basketball player, told a group of about 20 people. “I think we need change. I think we’re headed in the wrong direction…

Jobs will be the central issue in the coming gubernatorial election, Dudley said.

“[Government says] we have a tax problem,” Dudley said. “We don’t need more taxes; we need more taxpayers.” Dudley has degrees in economics and political science from Yale University.

He’s also the son of teachers. “We need to fund schools, community colleges and higher education,” he said. “That’s what will lead us to Oregon’s future.” Dudley said there is a “trust deficit” in Oregon.

“People don’t trust that the government is doing the right things for the right reasons.” Dudley also took questions from the audience. The Dalles City Councilor Jim Wilcox asked how Dudley would address the “green” shutdown of Oregon’s natural resource use under the past 24 years of Democratic governors.

“I go back to something I learned a long time ago,” Dudley said. “A responsible farmer is one who leaves his land to his heirs in better condition than he inherited it. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t work it.” Dudley said he would work toward a balanced solution in Eastern Oregon, allowing land owners to work the land and leave it better for the next generation.

He said one of his biggest tools as governor will be the power of appointment, which he hopes to use to restore balance, including balance between the urban and rural parts of the state.

“There’s a real separation right now,” he said.

“They need to be brought together. I think the governor has to realize, as governor, I’m the people’s governor, rather than one part of the state dominating the conversation.”…

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 15, he established The Dudley Foundation in 1994 to promote efforts to find a cure.

As part of that effort, he said he has testified before the U. S. Senate twice and lobbied for funds on Capitol Hill a number of times, which is where he met U. S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.)…

…

Dudley talked about the diverse life experience he brings to the governor’s race, including work with the players union, a son of teachers, a successful businessman, and someone who struggled financially growing up.

“A lot of different life experiences makes the biggest difference to leadership,” he said.

Asked about education and teachers unions, Dudley said, “I think we’re misconstruing something. The union’s job is not to do what’s best for Oregon, it’s to do what’s best for the union. Teachers are not bad people. It’s the system that’s broken.”

…

Dudley also said the state needs to re-examine PERS.

“Tier 1 is really killing us,” he said. “We need to make sure we can live with it. Going forward, the state has to look at every possible option and have a true negotiation. It’s unsustainable going forward.”

Dudley played 16 seasons with the NBA, six in Portland. He and his wife, Chris, are raising three children in Lake Oswego.

He was a senior vice president at M Financial and is now a partner in a small financial company in Oregon. He has been recognized nationally with many awards including, the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, the USA Today’s Most Caring Athlete Award, and the Freedom Corp Award.

CORVALLIS, OR — At 6’11,” Chris Dudley stands out in any room. But the former Portland Trail Blazer is especially noticeable in a room full of Republicans like Friday night’s Linn County GOP Lincoln Day dinner.

He is younger than most except for the College Republicans from nearby Oregon State University and Western Oregon. He is new to politics. And he is a draw, fully wired into a social media network that will certainly grow as word of a serious hoopster-turned-pol spreads. (www.ChrisDudley.com)

Dudley is running for governor in a state where Republicans have slipped to a level not seen in places except, well, like Massachusetts. Of Oregon’s two United States senators and five congressmen, only one is a Republican, Greg Waldon. President Obama bested Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, by more than 275,000 votes in 2008.

Both houses of the state legislature are under Democratic control. Democrats have held the governorship for 24 years. Last month, with the public fisc in tatters after decades of binge spending and anti-competitive legislation, voters socked it to the wealthy and corporations, passing by initiative punishing taxes on the top 3% of the state’s income earners and the biggest businesses.

That was hardly the best response to an unemployment rate that hit 11% as 2009 came to an end, but the public employee unions that powered the vote would rather pocket their share today than work towards the repair of the Oregon economy.

The state is reeling, but is it ready for a fundamental change? As with many other places long held captive by entrenched Democratic majorities powered by union dues and trial lawyer generosity, there is a sense that if the direction doesn’t change in 2010, then the entrepreneurs will head elsewhere, to places like Arizona and Texas, where voters are looking for job generators, not tax targets.

Dudley has talented challengers for the GOP nomination, including former state senator Jack Lim, and businessmen Allen Alley and W. Ames Curtright. But the story of the Yalie with diabetes who made it to a 16-season NBA career will soon capture the national attention as the national political press corps looks for the next Scott Brown and notices the tall –very tall—Dudley, holding court on repairing a broken business environment.

Democrats seem likely to nominate a retread, former governor John Kitzhaber, who left office complaining bitterly that Oregon was “ungovernable,” and who has spent much of the last decade pushing the “Archimedes Movement,” which some would call neo-crackpot, but others simply full-frontal single payer.

If you liked Obamacare, you will love the Archimedes Movement. The Kitzhaber candidacy represents a left-of-Obama alternative to a state already traumatized by the lethal combination of hard-left environmentalism and public sector appetite.

Oregon enacted a “Death with Dignity” assisted suicide law more than a decade ago. Returning Kitzhaber to office would be a compelling act of political symmetry, but there are still hundreds of thousands of Beaver State residents who would prefer to live and work there.

Will an exhausted and broke state spiraling down the economic drain despite abundant resources and beauty turn into an even more divorced-from-economic-reality fantasy?

Or will Oregonians finally wake up to the facts that their state – unique and wonderful in many ways – still has to have an economy beyond Nike and a Shakespeare Festival?

Dudley is counting on the national wave that began in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts making it all the way across the continent. If it does, there will be a national political figure rising in the west.

Find the article here.

Chris Dudley paid a visit to Albany on Friday in his campaign to become Oregon’s first Republican governor since Vic Atiyeh.

The former NBA player said he’s found business leaders around Oregon discouraged about the state and some ready to move.

“I’m very concerned,” he said in an interview with the Democrat-Herald.

…

He said he keeps hearing from businesses, especially in farming, that lost money last year but still face hefty new taxes based on their gross sales.

Dudley, 44, graduated from Yale University with a degree in economics and political science.

He has had diabetes since age 16. At 6-foot-10, he played basketball in college and then for 16 seasons in the NBA, including six with the Portland Trail Blazers, retiring from the league in 2003.

He is a certified financial planner and a partner in a small investment firm.

He and his wife have three children; the family lives in Lake Oswego.

…

He has not been involved in politics before, though during his basketball career he served on the negotiating committee of the players’ association. “Being an outsider is a positive” in the campaign, he said.

Dudley was accompanied Friday by state Sen. Frank Morse, R-Albany, who had briefly considered seeking the nomination for governor himself but decided to support Dudley instead.

Dudley also met with a group at the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce.

…

Read the full story here.