All Right, I Can't Hold it in Any Longer

Ron Saxton Had No Shot. He never got closer than about 5 points, and Ted crested 50 by the time the ballots went out. Rasmussen called it almost perfectly, giving Ted 51% and Saxton 44%. They were the most reliable and useful poll in the state this cycle. When local media and even most progressives claimed the race was tied or even that Ted was behind, I scoffed. And we got crap for scoffing at Bob Moore and Mike Riley, or the lameness that was Saxton's appeal, or the importance of his hypocrisy and thus the relevance of his farm holding.

But there WAS a Democratic wave, and it DID reach into Oregon. The Dems DID take the state house, and they did it because there was excitement on the ground and turnout at the polls. Clackamas WAS the key county; KOIN called it 20 minutes after 8 because they projected Kulongoski to win Clackamas amid high turnout--just like we reported.

And Ron Saxton Had No Shot.

I don't suppose boastfulness is a very proud trait. But it's been a long time in the woods. And I mean really--the guy truly had no shot. He was a scheisster, and people figured it out by the debates.

Carla and I felt very good about the people working to support Ted's re-election. San Fran import Jim Ross took a somewhat aimless primary campaign and started taking much less shit from the peanut gallery on Ted's record. Josh Kardon was so graciously lent by Senator Wyden to help advise the Governor, and they hit just the right notes in October. We were saying by the fall that Kulongoski simply needed to run a good campaign and it would be his, because we trusted his team.

So it feels pretty good to be vindicated, but even better to support success done the right way. Congrats to the entire Democratic political team, including all of the campaign managers across the state who toiled in near-obscurity, most of them. We were right, but they did the winning.

And one other thing--Sorry Ron, You Never Had a Shot.