The Register-Guard: Brown leads in secretary of state money race

By David Steves

Secretary of state candidate Kate Brown labeled her four-city tour of the state Thursday as her campaign's "kickoff."

But it may be a little late in the game for that sports analogy.

Not only did the Portland lawmaker announce her candidacy in early July, but she has used the nearly three months since then to build a formidable fundraising and organization-building lead over her two Democratic primary opponents.

She's sitting on a $119,175 balance, thanks to both the campaign fund she began with and the $84,460 raised this year. Her closest rival, Eugene lawmaker Vicki Walker, isn't close. Walker entered the year with about $12,000. She has spent about that sum and has raised just $8,183.

The primary's third Democrat, Brad Avakian, has similarly narrow-gauge numbers: $7,550 in contributions and an after-expenses bank account of $1,939.

With all that money, Brown has been able to pay for things her opponents can't yet afford: airline travel, staff wages and catering among them.

On Thursday, she made her way from Portland to Eugene, Bend, Medford and back to Portland on a private plane that was provided by a Portland lawyer who's supporting her candidacy.

It's enough for veteran political spectators to put Brown in the race's pole position with eight months to go before the May 20 primary.

"Nobody's in trouble, but they're both on the watch list," veteran political consultant Paul Phillips said of Walker and Avakian. "Kate clearly has some momentum and the sophistication of being able to raise money."

Phillips is a former Republican lawmaker whose clients come from the ranks of both business and labor. He's not working with any candidates in the secretary of state's race.

Walker said she's not a bit troubled by Brown's fundraising edge thus far.

"Yeah, well, I'm not worried about that at all. I've never been worried about how quick I am out of the starting gate because I'm one heck of a closer. I have never lost a race," she said, adding that she has picked up nearly $18,000 in the past three days of fundraising.

Walker's campaign is decidedly more bare-bones in nature. When she's not riding on the back of husband Steve's motorcycle en route to campaign stops, she's driving herself in her Toyota Camry. It's a hybrid model that gives her close to 40 mpg - but she figures she'll do better when she gets her motorcycle operator's license and starts transporting herself on her husband's bike.

And Walker wasn't shy about sharply observing the differences between her campaign and Brown's.

Walker said didn't kick off her campaign months after announcing her candidacy. And she didn't think much of Brown's mode of transportation, either.

"Rather than flying around the state," Walker said, "I'm leaving a much smaller carbon footprint."

Avakian, a state senator from Washington County, said he was confident that pledges of campaign contributions and prospects for key endorsements would put him in the thick of the secretary of state's race next year.

Avakian was especially hopeful about his chances of reeling in support from organized labor - a key constituent for Democrats. He said his 15 years as a labor lawyer and his record of voting with labor have put him in the position of garnering that support.

Brown said she's not buying into any front-runner chatter. She said the field could grow, as a fourth Democrat, Sen. Rick Metsger, D-Welches, is considering the race, as is the only Republican to be mentioned publicly so far: Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro.

"I'm not going to take anything for granted. I know this is going to be a very tough race," Brown said.

She did acknowledge, however, that so far, the campaign dollars have been rolling in. As the Senate Democratic leader from 1998-2007, Brown built up an impressive donor list along with fundraising success. In part, she said, that was a byproduct of her success in winning elections - growing the number of Senate Democrats from a minority of 10 to a majority with 18 members.

"When I've raised money from individuals, they know that I've had successful results, so it translates very well when I'm raising money for myself," she said.