Nick Kahl

Tattoo he’d get: The sun and moon on opposite upper arms. (It’s a yin-yang thang.)

Nick Kahl is just 31 years old and has never held elected office. He’s a graduate student at Lewis & Clark Law School. But the energy he’s brought to the campaign trail would be a welcome addition to the Capitol in Salem.

A 1995 graduate of David Douglas High School, Kahl has strong union backing, which means he may have a harder time asserting his independence on spending matters pushed by organized labor.

But Barbara Kyle, his opponent, had a hard time making much of a case to us that she’s ready for the Legislature. Democratic leaders recruited her to run in this seat they’ve longed to take from the Republicans. But she hasn’t run nearly as active a campaign as Kahl, who’s secured endorsements from the Oregon Education Association and Service Employees International Union locals 49 and 503.

A two-term member of the Troutdale City Council and a real estate agent, Kyle opposed Measure 49, the land-use initiative approved by state voters in November. “Not only is she wrong on the issue, she’s not even in line with her district,” Kahl says of his challenger.

Kyle says she has more experience than Kahl and that that makes her the more realistic option to replace retiring Rep. Karen Minnis (R-Wood Village). She said in her endorsement interview, “I’m not going to make promises that I’ll fix anything.”

Wow. We’re not into false promises, but no pledge to fix anything? That’s a little too much skepticism for us. We know Kahl can do better.

Video of WW endorsement interview(thanks to Portland Community Media)