The Republican Party of Oregon’s 11th annual Reagan dinner, slated for Nov. 1, includes a big-name keynote speaker this year: U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).
But the party faithful may have just as much or more interest in two of the other speakers: former Portland Trail Blazer Chris Dudley and onetime University of Oregon wrestler and MMA fighter Chael Sonnen, a West Linn native.
Dudley retired in 2003 after a 16-year NBA career that included two stints with the Blazers. In 2010, he won the GOP nomination for an open governor’s seat and ran a strong race against Democrat John Kitzhaber, losing by 1.5%, fewer than 25,000 votes.
Sonnen’s political career is less noteworthy. He briefly ran for an Oregon House seat in West Linn in 2010, but withdrew after legal problems that led to his pleading guilty to money laundering related to mortgage fraud (which does not disqualify him from running for office). Sonnen was still a leading MMA fighter at the time. He retired from fighting in 2019 and has since transitioned to a role as a commentator for ESPN and other outlets. His outspokenness has generated a substantial following—867,000 people on X.
Unlike in 2022, when the GOP primary attracted a long list of candidates for governor, the Republican field in 2026 so far solely consists of Danielle Bethell, a Marion County commissioner. State Rep. Christine Drazan (R-Canby) commissioned a poll earlier this year (the results of which remain private), but she remains mum on her plans.
Not long after losing to Kitzhaber, Dudley left Oregon for Southern California, where he’d attended high school. But he kept property in Oregon and has been living — and voting — in Oregon since 2020, which means he is eligible to run next year, should he accede to the wishes of some GOP funders. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Over the past year, Sonnen has openly mused on social media and in appearances on Fox News about running for governor. “I’m going to be governor of Oregon a lot sooner than a lot of people in Oregon think,” Sonnen told Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld last November. In a brief message, Sonnen confirmed he’ll speak Nov. 1 but did not comment on whether he’s going to run.
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Do these republican worthies have a scheme to take over the country? Brute force? Electoral Machinations? Will there be as much lying? More? How many lies are we meant to believe this time? Will they have sex with children? How many children? Are there plans to release more violent criminals? So they can join Ice? We need more brave brownshirts to beat up minorities. Do they plan on creating sundown laws for rural communities? These are important questions every Republican candidate needs to have a canned answer for. Preferably you can just make shit up on the spot, that seems to be the most important political skill these days. Do smart people hate him? What is the right answer to this question?
Sonnen is an embarrassment to Oregon. He is not a serious candidate. Just a side show for his ego. His loss should be shameful but people like him have none.
It says nothing good and everything bad about the Republican Party in Oregon that they would bring in a buffoon like MarkWayne Mullin to be their keynote speaker for their Reagan dinner.
Sadly, so true.