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GOP chairmanship could turn on fund-raising knack By PETER WONG The two declared contenders for chairman of the Oregon Republican Party have a lot in common. Perry Atkinson of Medford and Joe Foxall of Portland are conservative activists. They were delegates to the party's 1992 and 1996 national conventions. Each proposes a state representative as the party's vice chairman, though that position will be filled in a separate vote. So far, more moderate Republicans have not offered a candidate. But when the 132 delegates of the party's central committee meet Saturday morning in Lake Oswego, they still will have a choice about the direction of the state party as they choose officers for the next two years. Atkinson, a three-time candidate for the 2nd District congressional seat of Southern and Eastern Oregon, said he wants to move party headquarters from Beaverton to Salem and work more closely with state legislators to advance the party's agenda. He has teamed up with state Rep. Kevin Mannix of Salem, who changed his party registration from Democrat to Republican two years ago and seeks the party's vice chairmanship. "He will help us build a relationship so that the party can do what it should have been doing all along," Atkinson said. "We want to support our legislators and help them with our resources in any way we can. If there is ever a possibility for us to do it, now is the time -- and he is uniquely qualified to do so." Mannix said he supports Atkinson's aims. "This is how we get our agenda moving," said Mannix, who returns to the Legislature after four previous terms in the House and a five-month appointment in the Senate. "We also have to look at the coming election cycles and how we can build the party for the future. I am excited about the idea of interacting with legislators and developing a stronger agenda and outreach to voters." Atkinson, 50, is general manager of Medford radio station KDOV, which he founded in 1983. He was Jackson County party chairman and state party vice chairman the past two years. His older son, Jason, is the new state representative from District 51 in southwest Jackson County. He lost the state chairmanship to Deanna Smith of Salem by one vote two years ago. Smith, the wife of former U.S. Rep. Denny Smith, is not seeking re-election. Foxall, who headed Pat Buchanan's 1996 presidential campaign in Oregon, said his emphasis will be different. He wants to raise the party's public visibility and elect more Republicans -- and to achieve those aims, raising money is required to buy advertising. "I think what most of us who follow politics realize quickly is that you need financial resources to be able to use the media to reach the broadest possible audience," he said. "That's what my background is -- formulating a message and getting together the resources to get that message out." Foxall, 36, is the chief financial officer at Wittco Systems Inc., a business machines company owned by state Rep. Bill Witt, R-Portland. He raised money for Witt's losing campaigns in 1994 and 1996 for the 1st District congressional seat in northwest Oregon.The manager of those campaigns was Tim Knopp of Bend, who himself was elected a state representative last year and has teamed up with Foxall for the vice chairmanship. "The candidates are not far apart philosophically," Knopp said. "I think it comes down to a matter of management styles and whether we go with experience or try some people who are not tested. "Joe and I would make a formidable management team; we have a track record of being able to raise substantial amounts of money. This is nothing derogatory about Perry Atkinson, but he has not been able to raise money. If he had, he would be in Congress today." Atkinson raised far less than the half-million dollars that U.S. Rep. Greg Walden spent in winning the party's nomination for the open 2nd District seat last year. Jim Moore, a political science professor at the University of Portland, said the party contest may turn on that single point. "The main functions of the party apparatus in Oregon, of which the chair is the biggest part, are to raise money and recruit candidates," said Moore, who grew up in Medford. "Regardless of the chairman's philosophy, a political party has to be able to do those things successfully. "Perry Atkinson is someone who has run for Congress unsuccessfully, and one of the main reasons he has failed is not because of his message, but because he had a hard time raising money for his congressional race. If I were a central committee member, that would worry me." Atkinson said his optimism this time is tempered by memories of his one-vote victory for county party chairman in 1996 and one-vote loss for state party chairman in 1997. "These things have a way of going crazy on you," he said. "Joe is a formidable opponent. But I am doing things as if I had a lot of competition." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA