Gov. Kate Brown and Dr. Bud Pierce will participate in five gubernatorial debates over the course of September and October.
It’s not every day that an oncologist from Salem runs for governor, but that is the case for Dr. Bud Pierce, the Republican running against incumbent Gov. Kate Brown.
Both have agreed to participate in five gubernatorial debates—two in Portland, the other three in Eugene, Medford, and Bend, respectively. This agreement comes after Brown declined an opportunity to debate Pierce in July for what is considered the first debate of the campaign season, instead committing to debate with him no sooner than Sep. 1., less than seven weeks before ballots are mailed to voters. The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association hosted the first debate, which only Pierce attended.
Interestingly, Pierce is a member of the National Federation of Independent Business. “Not only is Dr. Pierce a small-business owner and an NFIB member, but he’s also a health-care provider, a philanthropist, and veteran,” said Anthony K. Smith, NFIB’s Oregon state director. “Oregon couldn’t ask for a better-qualified candidate for governor in terms of practical, hands-on life experience to lead our state.”
Recently, NFIB surveyed its members on whether the organization’s political action committee should endorse a candidate in the Nov. elections, and if yes, which candidate they should endorse. An overwhelming majority voted to support Pierce.
Pierce has made five times as many official stops on the campaign trail as Brown, who often travels the state in her official capacity as the incumbent governor. Moving forward into the final stretch of the campaign, both candidates are planning to spend much of their time in the populous counties of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington, in addition to their joint scheduled appearances for the upcoming debates.
The debates will take place on the following dates:
-
Sep. 24 in Bend
-
Sep. 30 in Portland
-
Oct. 6 in Eugene
-
Oct. 13 in Medford
-
Oct. 20 in Portland
