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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 3, 2004 Bates beats Wright in state Senate race By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Overcoming a race that turned ugly at the end, Democrat Alan Bates appears to have won the Senate District 3 seat Tuesday, beating his Republican opponent, Jim Wright, by five points. "It was a real battle," said Bates. "It was harder than I ever thought it would be." As of 11:30 p.m., Bates had 28,962 votes, or 51.9 percent, to Wright’s 26,760 votes, or 48 percent. Mailers sent out last week by the Leadership Fund, a Republican political action committee in Salem, attempted to tarnish Bates’ reputation. The mailers called into question Bates’ messy child custody dispute that began more than 20 years ago. Bates said he ran his campaign the way he wanted. "We did all the things the right way," he said. "We stayed positive." Advertisement He expected the race to be closer because Republicans have a 3.5 percent edge in the Senate district. "This has been a seat that has been Republican for 30 years," he said. With Bates and other Democrats winning, the once- split Senate is expected to have a Democratic majority. Despite the edge to his party, Bates said, "We will set a tone of being really bipartisan." But the Legislature will have to face major funding problems, with a state shortfall estimated at a minimum of $600 million. "Funding K-12 is going to be harder than ever," he said. He will push for education to get $5.4 billion to maintain it at its current levels. In light of the mailers, Bates said he would like to see campaign finance reform. Citing negative campaigns in other parts of the state, Bates said, "We have to stop that kind of thing from happening." Wright said Tuesday night that he wasn’t prepared to concede the race yet, but acknowledged Bates appeared to be the likely victor. Wright said the race was marred by the last-ditch effort by the Leadership Fund. "It was a terrible thing for me," said Wright. "I’ve led a principled life and to have this happen to you. "With that kind of help from friends, who needs enemies?" said Wright. He said the mailer probably cost him three or four points in the election, although he thinks he might not have won anyway. He said he would press for some kind of legislation that curtails third-party groups from acting without the candidate’s knowledge. Wright, 64, said it was a wonderful experience, but he wouldn’t consider running for another office. He said he wanted to go to Salem and make a difference, and his campaign could still influence what happens in the Legislature. "You can make a difference without winning," he said. "After what I said during the candidates’ forums, education moved up to a No. 1 priority." Wright’s campaign manager, Burke Raymond, said the mailer has soured him on getting involved in the political process. "I don’t have much use for the process," he said. "It’s disgusting." Raymond said these kind of tactics make many potentially good candidates stay away from running for office. Although Wright thought the mailers had a negative impact on his campaign, Bates’ campaign manager, Cathy Shaw, thought they had little or no impact because they were sent out so late. She said Wright ran a strong campaign, increasing his name recognition from 40 percent at the outset to 90 percent at the end. "He ran a very competitive race," she said. "We were outspent 2 to 1." But she said the Leadership Fund’s mailers reflected poorly on both Bates and Wright. "I feel really sorry that they did what they did to him (Wright)," she said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers