Bend State Rep. Knute Buehler Announces Run for Governor | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Bend State Rep. Knute Buehler Announces Run for Governor

Gov. Kate Brown has yet to announce re-election plans

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n an announcement on Aug. 2, state Rep. Knute Buehler (R-Bend) announced his plans to run for governor of Oregon in the 2018 election. Buehler was first elected to the Oregon state House in 2015 and is currently serving his second consecutive term.

Buehler's voting history has been somewhat of a mixed bag. He voted to pass an anti-coal bill which many Republicans opposed and helped to pass a bill to expand access to birth control. He has voted against several bills aiming for more extensive gun control as well as against a bill aiming to increase the minimum wage, thus earning a reputation as a moderate Republican.

In a statement on his website, Buehler wrote, "I'm running for Governor to help those uncertain Oregonians—Those who have been left behind, left out or lost hope in the future. Kate Brown has had her chance and she's failed."

Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, has not officially announced that she plans to run for governor again in 2018 however, she has been campaigning and accepting contributions.

If Brown does choose to seek re-election, it would serve as a rematch between the two — they campaigned against each other for Secretary of State in 2012—a race which Brown won.

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rown became governor in 2015, after Gov. John Kitzhaber stepped down amid an influence-peddling scandal. Brown was officially elected in 2016 and has garnered media attention for being the first openly bisexual governor in U.S. history.

If Buehler were to win, he would be the first Republican Oregon governor since Victor G. Atiyeh, who held the title from 1978 to 1986.

Editor's Note: The online version of this article has been altered from the print version.
The print version of this article listed campaign finance amounts for both Brown and Buehler, but have been removed from this version, as the amounts we reported for Buehler counted past campaign contributions into the total. We regret the error. 


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