The Rookies

Your guide to the newest gubernatorial candidates.

We confess…the prospect of a 2010 Oregon gubernatorial race dominated by used-to-be pols and regular wannabes threatens to knock us into a never-ending nap.

So thank goodness we've been recently treated to several new names who have awoken us faster than news of a 6-year-old boy alone in a balloon.

The short version: Now in the Democratic primary along with ex-Gov. John Kitzhaber and ex-Secretary of State Bill Bradbury is Democrat Steve Shields. Third-party contender Jerry Wilson is in the race. And Chris Dudley is mulling whether to join Allen Alley and former state Rep. John Lim (R-Gresham) in the GOP primary.

That's a lot of new names to keep track of. So based on interviews with Wilson and Shields and—since Dudley declined our interview request—our sports fan's knowledge of Dudley, here's a longer version to flesh out who these three rookies are.

WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office.

Help us dig deeper.