For Immediate Release
Contact: Molly Woon
press [at] dpo [dot] org
Republican Gubernatorial Defeats Spell Bad News for Buehler, Carpenter
November 8, 2017
PORTLAND — Last night, Democrats won remarkable victories in gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, sending a dramatic warning sign to the Republicans vying to take on Governor Kate Brown. Just like Ed Gillespie and Corey Stewart in Virginia’s Republican primary, Knute Buehler and Sam Carpenter are racing to the right to outdo each other’s "Trumpiness" and failing to stand up to the President on the issues that matter to Oregonians. But as we saw in Virginia, the Trump/Gillespie playbook from which Buehler and Carpenter are playing failed.
“Last night’s decisive wins should have Knute Buehler and Sam Carpenter worried—very worried,” said Jeanne Atkins, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon. “Oregonians need a Governor who will stand up to President Trump, not one who puts politics before people. And just as Republicans fell short in New Jersey and Virginia yesterday, they’re sure to fall short in Oregon next year."
Gillespie was widely seen as an establishment Republican candidate in Virginia. And much like Buehler and Carpenter propose in their campaigns here in Oregon, Gillespie embraced key Trump policy priorities: campaigning against immigrant communities, opposed to background checks and other gun violence control measures, opposed to action on climate change and cozying up to major corporations.
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