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District 46 candidates cling to coattails By PETER WONG In the first wide-open race in a generation for the far-flung House District 46 seat, both of the major-party nominees are linking themselves with popular incumbents. Republican Susan Morgan of Myrtle Creek has the support of Republican incumbent Bill Markham of Riddle, who held the seat 28 of the past 30 years and must vacate it because of Oregon's term limits. Markham was unopposed in his final two elections. Democrat Vic Corchero of Shady Cove has aligned himself with Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber, who represented much of the same area as a state senator from Douglas County. On paper, Corchero stands a chance in next week's general election because Republicans have a registration edge of only 6.4 percentage points in the district, which covers parts of Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties. But given that half the district's voters live in Douglas County -- and Republicans erased the Democrats' top-heavy margin of 24 percentage points two decades ago -- Morgan is heavily favored. The other voters are divided almost equally between northwest Jackson County, including Shady Cove, and northern Josephine County. Morgan has wide name familiarity in Douglas County, and not just because of her 20-year residence in Myrtle Creek and her involvement in the timber industry. She is married to Kip Morgan, whose mother, Joyce, has been a county commissioner for 10 years. "People are receptive toward having a new person sit in that seat," Susan Morgan said. "But at the same time, they are grateful for what Bill has done for the district. I don't see myself doing things substantially different." Markham, whose wife, Jean, died Oct. 14 after a long struggle with cancer, has not been active publicly in the campaign. But Morgan said she has consulted him regularly. Corchero, who came to Shady Cove in 1992 after 31 years with IBM, said he likes Kitzhaber's "Oregon Challenge" proposals to improve education, emphasize crime prevention and protect the environment. "He is realistic and practical," Corchero said. "They are things we may not want to do, but we have to. If we can tilt the Legislature more toward Kitzhaber's thinking, some things could take place that otherwise would not, given the current makeup." District 46 is unlike the other four House districts that cover the rest of Jackson and Josephine counties. Its largest city is Winston in Douglas County, with barely 4,000 people. It has long been dependent on logging, farming, ranching and the small businesses that support them. Morgan and Corchero say that communities want to come up with their own solutions to economic and other problems and that state agencies should work with them. "These are towns trying hard to make the transition from a resource-based economy to something else, now that federal lands have been withdrawn from (timber) harvesting," Morgan said. "A lot of energy is being put into those efforts by local people who are coming up with innovative things. But there is a real problem with losing the economic vitality that came with the timber industry.'' What to do about the local economy overshadows issues such as state aid to schools and state standards for student performance, crime prevention, taxes and transportation. (For a comparison of how Corchero and Morgan stand on those issues, see Page 13A of the Oct. 11 Mail Tribune.) Corchero said even in this rural district, people must prepare for change. "I have a sense that many of them want the world to leave them alone and not change anything," he said. "But that can't be." Morgan spent the most in winning a four-way contest for the Republican nomination in the May 19 primary election. She has raised 100 times as much as Corchero so far for their general election campaigns. With such a small campaign budget, Corchero had hoped to draw big attention by bicycling through the district. "But I couldn't do it during the hot summer, and now when the weather is right, I cannot cover enough ground," he said. "I do love the contrast, though. If people in this district are totally influenced by the dollars spent and they go with my opponent, well, I've got a nice retirement and I am not going to blow it all on a campaign for a virtual minimum-wage job. But somebody has to do it." Susan Morgan Party : Republican Age : 49 Home : Myrtle Creek Occupation : Small-business owner Education : Lane Community College; University of Oregon Previous employment : Sales representative, C&D Lumber Co., Riddle, 1993-98; information systems manager, Weyerhaeuser Co. pole plant, Roseburg, 1990-93; bookkeeper and marketer, M&M Hardwoods and Morgan Logging, Myrtle Creek, 1978-90 Public service : Several local land use advisory committees; timber industry advocacy groups Family : Husband, Kip; three daughters Campaign information : (541) 863-6212; fax 863-5491; e-mail [email protected] Contributions and spending(first pre-election report) : Raised $43,277 since June, spent $11,142, balance $36,986. Vic Corchero Party : Democratic Age : 61 Home : Shady Cove Occupation : Retired IBM engineer; community volunteer Education :San Jose City College and IBM training Military service : Coast Guard, 1957-61 Previous employment : IBM, 31 years Public service : Shady Cove City Council since October 1995 Family : Wife, Jean; two grown sons and three grown daughters Campaign information : 878-1499; e-mail [email protected] Web: www.ccountry.net/corchero/ Contributions and spending(first pre-election report) : Raised $430 since June, spent $577, balance $233 Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA