Oregon gubernatorial race nears end

Election Day is quickly approaching, and the final bid for votes is here. According to the Huffington Post, a compilation of the latest polls put Gov. Kate Brown ahead of her challenger, Dr. Bud Pierce, by an average of almost 10 points.

“Here’s what I would say: I think I have a vision that meets where Oregonians want to go for the future,” Brown said Monday.

As the race nears the finish line, she continues to encourage young voters.

“Right now we’re focused on GOTV, and that’s ‘get out the vote,’ so I was just on the University of Oregon campus encouraging students to get their ballots in,” she said.

Meanwhile, Pierce is hitting the Central Oregon media trail before heading to Salem. He stopped by NewsChannel 21 on Monday and said Bend is an important place to campaign, because it highlights both urban and rural issues.

“So if we can solve it here, if we can make it so you not only have coexistence but harmony and prosperity in both rural and urban in the Bend setting, that’s a great place to set up a model for the rest of the state,” he said.

Oregon has been traditionally blue, as in Democrats. If Pierce wins, he’ll be the first Republican governor since 1987.

Many say it’s an uphill battle for Pierce. Whatever the outcome, he said he’s not ruling out running in the future.

“If I’m unsuccessful and it’s a strong campaign and people clearly had affection for me and wanted to vote for me — and it was close — I would be very interested in pursuing public office in the future,” he said.