There are a couple of ways for Republicans to halt the state Legislature's lurch to the far left, which over the past two sessions has seen transportation funding sacrificed for expensive environmental symbolism (the low-carbon fuel standard), the approval of a massive minimum-wage hike and a renewable-laden revamping of the state's electricity supply. (The latter two policy blowouts occurred at lightning speed during this year's short legislative session. What could possibly go wrong?)
One way for Republicans to moderate the Legislature is to win more seats in the House and Senate, eroding the Democratic Party's powerful majorities. The other way is to win the governor's office, replacing an incumbent who hasn't vetoed a single bill -- not one! -- over two legislative sessions with someone who'll use the threat of a veto to push lawmakers toward the center. The party's best hope to that end is Allen Alley.
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Alley is a familiar name in Oregon politics, having run unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2008 and for governor in 2010, losing the Republican primary that year to Chris Dudley. Though the technology investor and former Pixelworks CEO has never held elective office, he's far from a stranger to state government. He served for more than a year as deputy chief of staff for former Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
Alley's experience working in the very office he seeks sets him apart from his primary competitor in the Republican primary, Salem oncologist Bud Pierce. Meanwhile, the fact that Alley, a Republican, worked for a Democratic governor certainly would serve him well in a race against the consistently partisan Kate Brown, who, says Alley, has been the governor of a subset of the Democratic Party rather than of Oregonians generally.
Alley's message is one that may resonate with many centrist voters, especially following the Legislature's unchecked partisan excess over the past two years. Oregon, he says, needs someone "who will push for the rational use" of taxpayer money, pointing to the effect that this year's minimum-wage hike is likely to have not only on private-sector employers, but also on state and local governments.
On environmental policies, Alley argues that the benefits should be large enough to justify the additional costs -- decidedly not the case with either the low-carbon fuel standard or this year's so-called "coal to clean" legislation. He is far less enthusiastic about searching for new sources of state funding than looking for ways to spend existing revenue more efficiently, and he isn't afraid to argue that new public employees should be given defined-contribution retirement accounts -- think 401(k)s -- rather than the sort of defined-benefit pensions that have turned the Public Employees Retirement System into such a millstone around taxpayers' necks.
By choosing Alley this spring, Republicans could offer voters a gubernatorial candidate who understands thoroughly how businesses work ... and might actually have the courage to speak out against their steady demonization by public employee unions seeking massive tax hikes -- 2010's Measure 67 and this year's Initiative Petition 28.
Any Republican running for governor in Oregon will have a difficult task given the Democratic Party's large registration advantage. But the party's best chance lies with Alley, a proponent of fiscal discipline who's shown he can work with Democrats as well as Republicans.