Sorenson's campaign for
governor hits Lane County
The candidate conducts a
grassroots effort, talking
to people face to face
BY CHRIS HAGAN
NEWS REPORTER
Pete Sorenson stands, talking to a
woman, in the middle of the Lane
Community College cafeteria. From
his appearance, it’s not obvious he is
a Democratic challenger for governor
of Oregon; unless, of course, one no
tices the body-length “Sorenson” sign
he holds under his right arm.
The image says much about the
Eugene resident and current Lane
County commissioner. Sorenson has
already traveled the length and width
of the state, more than six months be
fore the May primary. Instead of large
gatherings, Sorenson focuses more
on face-to-face interaction, trying to
increase his name-recognition for a
political race in which he is unknown
outside of Lane County.
“I have to recognize that Lane
County is 10 percent of the state,” he
said. “Part of my job is to go out and
talk about these issues and educate
people and get them interested and
get them fired up.”
Knowing he will be outspent by in
cumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Kulon
goski, Sorenson has adopted a grass
roots campaign focused on
interacting directly with the people.
“Normal is not a word you use in
conjunction with a campaign,”
Sorenson said. “It’s just a hurricane
of activity all the time.”
Because Sorenson is still a Lane
County commissioner, he spends
most of his Tuesdays and Wednes
days in Lane County attending com
missioner meetings and appoint
ments. But on Wednesday night or
Thursday morning he takes off into
the state for five days to try to con
nect with possible voters.
“We have a team now of volunteer
drivers,” Sorenson said. “It’s kind of
like the pony express. ”
“On my last trip, the driver got so
tired, I had to drive him the last three
hours of that giant trip,” Sorenson
said. The campaign had its busiest
week last week, first traveling to the
Oregon Democratic Party Summit at
the Sunriver resort in Central Oregon
and then appearing in six
small towns.
“We must have been in excess of
1,000 miles,” Sorenson said.
Sorenson has been spending
around 40 hours a week on the cam
paign — sometimes closer to 50 or 60
— with most of his nights and week
ends devoted to it, said Sorenson
Campaign Manager Kim Leval.
“It’s like having two full-time
jobs,” Leval said.
Sorenson and Leval are also dat
ing. Leval’s work with the Oregon
League of Conservation Voters
brought her into contact with Soren
son, and the two bonded over discus
sions of agriculture policy.
“We had to work out what our po
litical relationship is since we’re also
sweethearts,” Leval said. The
Zane Rite | Photographer
Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson is running for state governor. As a Democrat, he
will be challenging current governor Kulongoski as well as other prospective candidates.
relationship has worked though, and
the couple will soon celebrate their
two-year anniversary.
Sorenson hopes he will be able to
continue as a commissioner, but he
knows his role as a candidate could
become more involved as the pri
mary approaches.
“There may come a time when I
can’t do both of these jobs,” Soren
son said. “But I’m bound and deter
mined as long as I possibly can to
keep up my representation of
my constituents.”
Sorenson said he hasn’t missed a
Wednesday vote as a Lane County
commissioner in eight years, but
campaign issues may eventually take
precedence.
“If KGW puts on a debate between
me and the governor on a Wednes
day, I just might go to the debate,”
Sorenson said.
Bill Dwyer has worked with Soren
son in the state senate and as a fellow
commissioner since 1999. Sorenson
was even an intern in Dwyer’s broth
er Roy’s law firm in 1979. Dwyer has
n’t seen any change in Sorenson’s
work on the board.
"If he has a meeting in another
part of the state, he’ll participate by
phone,” Dwyer said. Dwyer thinks
Sorenson would be a capable gover
nor, but isn’t optimistic that he
will win.
“It’s difficult for someone un
known except in one part of the state
to raise their profile enough,” Dwyer
said. “If he gets more than 4 percent
I’ll be surprised.”
A self-proclaimed progressive De
mocrat, Sorenson has taken on this
demanding task because he believes
Kulongoski hasn’t shown the leader
ship Oregon needs on issues like edu
cation funding, health care, tax re
form and the war in Iraq.
“We need a governor who will
stand up to the Bush administration
and say: ‘We want our national guard
troops withdrawn from Iraq,”’ Soren
son said. Some of the most emotional
moments on the campaign have been
meetings with those who have lost
loved ones in the war, Sorenson said.
Sorenson has also faulted the gov
ernor for being inaccessible to regu
lar Oregonians. He thinks that even
on a scale as big as the entire state of
Oregon, town hall meetings and simi
lar policies can work.
Sorenson has begun crafting his
own accessibility plan for implemen
tation if he is elected governor, hop
ing to cover each of Oregon’s five
congressional districts four times in
his first two years.
“As elected officials, we work on
the problems we’re aware of,” Soren
son said. “So we can become aware
of more problems if we open our
doors, figuratively and literally. ”
Sorenson is also concerned with
what he sees as a lack of support for
public education in the state.
Public education is an important
issue to Sorenson because he sees a
lot of his success as a product of pub
lic investment in education. Sorenson
attended public schools in Myrtle
Point and North Bend, then attended
Southwestern Oregon Community
College and has received three de
grees from the University.
“I have been incredibly blessed by
the combination of my own hard
work and the investment the people
of Oregon made in me for public
higher education,” Sorenson said.
The governor’s low poll ratings
have also been a factor, enticing not
only Sorenson to challenge Kulongos
ki, but Eugene Sen. Vicki Walker (D
Eug.) and possibly Sen. Rick Metsger
(D-Mt. Hood) as well. There has even
been an attempt to draft former two
term governor John Kitzhaber.
“In the beginning, people were
concerned about why Pete was run
ning against an incumbent Democ
rat,” Leval said. But with the gover
nor’s low ratings, “people have
become more open to Pete’s run.”
If he can get 180,000 votes,
Sorenson sees a chance to win the
May primary.
The primary for the general elec
tion on Nov. 7 will be held May 16.
Contact the city, state politics reporter
at chagan@dailyemerald.com
023445
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