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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... POLITICS Southern Oregon's Dennis Richardson woos liberal Portland Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 21, 2014 at 12:26 AM Updated Sep 21, 2014 at 1:05 AM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 21, 2014 at 12:26 AM Updated Sep 21, 2014 at 1:05 AM What are the odds --> Richardson says he needs to win Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties to unseat his opponent, Gov. John Kitzhaber. ;Democrat;Republican;Non-affiliated Clackamas;... » Read more X What are the odds Richardson says he needs to win Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties to unseat his opponent, Gov. John Kitzhaber. ;Democrat;Republican;Non-affiliated Clackamas;83,238;76,676;50,320 Multnomah;223,917;64,156;109,900 Washington;107,471;83,028;71,769 Jackson;38,266;43,710;26,445 Statewide;820,859;650,407;499,335 — Source: Oregon Secretary of State's August statistics » Social News A city that prides itself on being liberal and “weird,” Portland finds itself courted by one of the most outspoken conservative voices in Oregon. Dennis Richardson, the Republican nominee for governor, said he needs to win over the liberal Willamette Valley in order to unseat John Kitzhaber in the Nov. 4 election. The Central Point retired lawyer has moved into a Lake Oswego home and set up his campaign headquarters just south of Portland. His wife, Cathy, also has pitched in with the campaign. “Many people think it’s impossible for me to win,” said Richardson, who has been a state representative since 2002. “Right now there are so many people dissatisfied with the incumbent that they’re ready to vote against him.” Richardson is still a relative unknown in the Willamette Valley, which has a sizable Democratic voter base that has helped keep a Republican out of the governor’s mansion since 1987. Independent polls show Richardson trailing Kitzhaber by 6 to 13 percent. A recent Rasmussen Reports poll showed Kitzhaber up by 10 percent. Many Portlanders interviewed for this story hadn’t heard of Richardson, or had heard his name only in passing. Some residents acknowledged they didn’t know the name of the governor, either. Others said they knew of Richardson and his conservative beliefs, and still others said they supported him. Chris Faatz, 53, who works in the religion section at Powell's Books, said he's sympathetic toward libertarian points of view but thinks too many conservatives such as Richardson tend to push their views on social issues. "These guys are hard right," he said. "They're going to bust up everything they don't like." Faatz was aware of Richardson but said that the Republican challenger would have a difficult time winning over Oregon's largest city, where a slogan frequently seen is "Keep Portland Weird." He said he thought a biblical world view isn't a good selling point for local residents. "It's called the People's Republic of Portland," Faatz said. "I will not vote for the Republican." Richardson said that Portlanders may be more liberal than he is, but they still want a vibrant economy and good jobs, issues he has seized on during campaign stops while speaking only briefly about his more conservative beliefs. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Richardson has been outspoken over the years against abortion and doesn’t personally support the assisted suicide law in Oregon. However, he said, most of the social issues that concern him have been settled by the voters and the Oregon courts. “If religion comes up at all, it will be that I try to pattern my life after a very wonderful person,” Richardson said. “In Portland, I think that their attitude is that what people do in their own private life is fine as long as it doesn’t affect the rest of us. They want to know that I’m honest, capable and that I will be a leader who will help make life better and not majorly different.” Even if social issues conflict with his religious beliefs, Richardson vows to adhere to the will of the voters. “As governor, I take an oath to enforce the law,” he said. Richardson hopes that as people get to know him better, they will vote for him rather than casting a vote against Kitzhaber. He has criticized Kitzhaber on the failed rollout of Cover Oregon, this state’s version of the Affordable Care Act. The governor has acknowledged the shortcomings of Cover Oregon, but says more Oregonians now have health coverage since he took office, citing statistics from Cover Oregon that show about 350,000 have signed up. Richardson also has raised issues that may connect more with Portland voters, including claims that Kitzhaber pays his female staff 74 percent of what men on staff receive on average. Richardson said he pays on average slightly more to his own female staff, according to a salary schedule his office released. “It is the equity issue of our time,” Richardson said. “The inequity toward women has been rampant for far too long.” Kitzhaber denies the allegation and has released data indicating female staffers receive roughly the same pay as their male counterparts. On his administrative team, according to the figures, Kitzhaber’s 16 women earn 96 percent of the pay of his 17 male staffers. Neither Kitzhaber nor his campaign spokeswoman Amy Wojcicki responded to requests for interviews for this story, despite calls and emails over a three-day period. Wojcicki did respond via email to some questions by providing links to websites. Richardson said as a former businessman who ran his own firm, he is better equipped to get the Oregon economy on track and attract businesses that pay family-wage jobs. He said the governor has failed to attract new business to Oregon, and that has kept this state’s unemployment rate lagging behind the rest of the nation. Kitzhaber touts the economic recovery in the state and the jobs that have been added since the country began pulling out of the recession, which was already underway when he took office. Over the years, Richardson has taken a strong conservative stance on issues. He gained national notoriety when he suggested some teachers should arm themselves in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012. Richardson sponsored a bill in 2006 that would have required parental support before a minor got an abortion, but voters ultimately rejected the referendum. NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon has condemned Richardson’s anti-abortion stance, and Richardson has received financial support from Oregon Right to Life. Richardson was an outspoken critic of the 2007 “domestic partnerships” legislation that granted many of the same rights to same-sex couples as married couples enjoy. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a conservative and one-time leading contender for the 2012 GOP nomination for president, will come to Lake Oswego on Oct. 11 for a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for Richardson. Richardson has spent recent weeks attending fundraisers, speaking to churches and other organizations, and preparing for the second of five debates against his opponent, scheduled for Sept. 26 in Sunriver. On Tuesday, Richardson introduced himself to several customers at Lovejoy Bakers in Portland's Pearl District. Richardson shook hands with Ryan Kling, 43, of West Linn, and Tim Bergler, 41, of Portland, both of whom said they were aware of Richardson’s candidacy. “Good luck with that,” Bergler said to Richardson. “It’s been a challenge,” Richardson responded. “I’ve been at this for 13 months.” Kling and Bergler said they already had decided who they were voting for before they met Richardson. "I'm not voting for Kitzhaber," Bergler said. "We've had three terms with Kitzhaber, and we don't need more of the same." Kling said he will vote for Richardson because he thinks Richardson has a stronger focus on business and creating jobs in the state. “We need more business, and we need more jobs,” he said. Dennis and Cathy Pishnak of Carson City, Nev., who are considering a move to Oregon, said they were impressed with Richardson, whom they said showed a wide range of interests — including knowing that Tesla Motors is building a $5 billion battery factory in their home state. “I know Oregon is a right-to-die state,” Cathy said to Richardson outside of Lovejoy’s. “Are you in favor of that, because I know when I get older, maybe I will just want to go?” “As governor it will be my job to enforce the law, and it’s been voted on twice — the second time, it was more decisive,” Richardson said. “I personally think that there is a God and he determines how we get here and how we leave, but as governor that is not my call.” After meeting with Richardson, the couple sized him up. "He's very articulate," Dennis said. Abigail Rincon, a 31-year-old who works at Powell's Books, said she wasn’t familiar with Richardson and is generally unimpressed with the opinions of conservatives. “Their interests aren’t mine,” she said. "Of course, I wouldn't be basing my vote on the fact they're a Republican.” Seth Isaac, 27, a Kansas transplant in Portland who works at Greenleaf Juicing Co. in the Pearl District, had heard of Richardson, but didn't know much about him or the governor's race. Others working at Greenleaf acknowledged they didn’t know much about Richardson, either. In general, the political process doesn’t appeal to Isaac, who showed a disdain for campaigns in general. “In the last presidential election, I ended up voting for myself,” he said. “I tend to vote more locally.” Isaac, who said he planned to pay more attention to the governor's race in the coming weeks, said he did agree with Richardson that there weren’t enough good jobs in the Portland area or the rest of the state. Closer to home, a pair of state representatives were split along party lines in their assessments of Richardson, and of his chances for winning over voters in the Democratic-leaning Portland metro area. Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, worked closely with Richardson as a fellow co-chairman on the Joint Ways and Means Committee. “Dennis is far from moderate,” Buckley said. “He is much closer to the tea party than the mainstream.” Buckley said Richardson wants to deny access for women to reproductive health care and would limit support for government programs that benefit families. “I understand the need to moderate your track record in the campaign,” he said. “But Dennis is far right on economic policies.” Rep. Sal Esquivel, R-Medford, however, said Richardson has shown a willingness to work with Democrats while attempting to adhere to his conservative principles. Esquivel said Richardson is a good fit in Eastern and Southern Oregon and along parts of the coast. Richardson is following the right strategy in trying to appeal to voters in the more populated parts of the state, he said. “The only thing people need to do is get to know him better,” Esquivel said. “I think Dennis is first and foremost a good Oregonian.” Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 21, 2014 at 12:26 AM Updated Sep 21, 2014 at 1:05 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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