Kitzhaber Rakes In Donations

Gov. John Kitzhaber has still not announced whether he will run for an unprecedented (in Oregon) fourth term next year but his coyness should not fool anybody.

Over the weekend, Kitzhaber's campaign reported $42,000 in new contributions, including $10,000 from Comcast (the cable company will recoup that when he starts buying campaign ads); $7,500 from Timber Products Co. of Springfield; $5,000 from Portland General Electric, PacificCorp and Portlander Kelly Muskat.

There is always a chance Kitzhaber does not run—the most likely scenario would be a trainwreck in the special session scheduled for Sept. 30. But for now, announced GOP candidate Rep. Dennis Richardson (R-Central Point) has a lot of catching up to do.