Republicans Draw Few Contrasts in Televised Debate

Republicans running for Governor in Oregon tend to support the same issues, including the ongoing War in Iraq

(PORTLAND AP) - In their first debate to be televised statewide, Republican gubernatorial candidates Jason Atkinson, Ron Saxton and Kevin Mannix largely agreed on immigration, taxes and almost every other policy issue.

All the candidates said Monday that immigration laws - though largely a federal matter - should be better enforced and illegal immigrants should not get state benefits.

"We need to focus on respect for the law and finding ways to legally meet our needs," Saxton said.

On taxes, the Republicans opposed making corporations pay more and called for decreasing the capital gains tax. The three also rejected the idea of adding a sales tax while slashing the state income tax, an idea floated by Gov. Ted Kulongoski at a recent Democratic debate.

The three suggested that a better business environment would generate more state revenue.

"Oregon cannot tax itself into prosperity," Atkinson said.

The candidates also named clean rivers as a top environmental issue, voiced support for the Iraq war and rejected the idea of price controls to combat rising gasoline prices.

The sharpest exchange was over an ad airing on behalf of Mannix. A key Mannix donor placed the radio ads in which a narrator bemoans Saxton's alleged ties to disgraced former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, who admitted last year that he had sex with a 14-year-old girl when he was mayor of Portland in the 1970s.

"The ads you refer to are shameful and they represent the worst in Oregon politics and I would not want to be associated with them," Saxton said. "I think it's embarrassing that Kevin hasn't called for them to be removed."

Mannix said the advertisements came from outside his campaign and he had no control. He said it's similar to ads financed by The Confederated Tribe of the Grande Ronde that praise Saxton for opposing a casino in the Columbia River Gorge and criticize Mannix for refusing to say he would block the casino.

"I don't blame Ron Saxton for the quarter of a million dollars that the casinos are spending on ads to attack me because I know he can't control what those special-interest casinos do," Mannix said.

But aside from that testy moment, the debate was largely civil.

"We're just not as colorful as the Democrats when it comes to taking pot shots at each other," Mannix said after the event.

Early polls showed Mannix with a lead but with most GOP voters undecided about who to choose in the May primary.

Mannix told viewers that any of the three candidates would be better than Kulongoski; Saxton reminded viewers that the state has not had a Republican governor for 24 years.

"We're off track and people know we are off-track," Saxton said.