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Dudley’s possible bid could be a "slam dunk" for Oregon
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As reported yesterday, former Portland Trail Blazers center Chris Dudley is considering a run for the Republican nomination for Governor.
At the moment his “citizen” credentials for an office that has seen far too many career politicians are fairly sound.
Dudley earned a degree in economics and political science from Yale and throughout his 16-year NBA career took part in numerous charitable causes and received numerous accolades for his work off the court.
In 1994 he started the Chris Dudley Foundation to increase diabetes awareness (Dudley was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 16) and offers programs and activities that seek to enhance the lives of diabetic children. In 2006, Dudley became the vice president of Portland’s M Financial Wealth Management, a division of M Financial Group. Two years later he joined Filigree Advisors, a Lake Oswego-based wealth design and management company, as a partner and wealth strategist.
Combine that work with strong name recognition and Dudley is practically a Republican equivalent of former New Jersey Senator and Presidential candidate Bill Bradley, who came into office just two years after he retired from the New York Knicks (whom Dudley played for from 1997 to 2000).
Plus at 44, he would bring a fresh, young perspective, in stark contrast to the legislative dinosaurs (i.e. Lim, Bradbury and Kitzhaber) he could potentially face in next year’s races.
Keeping in mind Oregon’s current political climate, Dudley would most certainly have to run as a liberal/moderate Republican, taking after former governors Tom McCall (whose lone political office prior to the governorship was a two-year stint as Secretary of State) and Victory Atiyeh in being pro-small business, pro-low taxes, while supporting individual rights, health care reform and environmental awareness. This may cause him some difficulty in the primary where candidates usually have to appeal to the fringes of their respective sides of the spectrum and the possibility of attack ads may prove to be too stressful for him and his family.
Only time will tell.
If the 6’11’’ Dudley truly believes he can shake up the establishment in Salem and possesses a Teflon-like effect that could help him emerge virtually unscathed, he’ll find himself standing head and shoulders above the competition on a metaphorical basis as well.
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