Skip to main contentFormer Gov. John Kitzhaber today announced he’s endorsing State Treasurer Tobias Read in the May 17 Democratic primary for governor.
“What Oregon lacks today is a vision of where we want our state to be a decade from now, the steps it will take to get there and an honest conversation about the difficult choices involved with securing that future,” Kitzhaber said in a statement. “Tobias Read has the courage and the integrity to lead us in that conversation and beyond the polarization and divisiveness that is shredding the fabric of our community. Bold, outcomes-based leadership, unfettered by the status quo, is what Oregon needs and what Tobias brings to this race. I am proud to support him.”
Kitzhaber, a Democrat and former emergency room physician, was Senate president before becoming is the longest-tenured governor in Oregon history. He served two terms from 1995 to 2003, when constitutional term limits sidelined him. After his successor, Gov. Ted Kulongoski, served two terms, Kitzhaber returned to win a third term in 2010. He won a record fourth term in 2014 but resigned in February 2015 amid an influence peddling scandal centered on his fiancee and first lady, Cylvia Hayes.
Despite his resignation, Kitzhaber retains a core following among many Democrats. He follows the governor who preceded him, Barbara Roberts, in endorsing Read, who is in his second term as treasurer after serving five sessions in the Oregon House. He faces former House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) in the primary.
“I am grateful to receive the endorsement of Gov. John Kitzhaber,” Read said. “I admire the impact his leadership has had on Oregon families and I am thankful to have his counsel in this race.”