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Attack ads go digital in Oregon governor's race between John Kitzhaber and Dennis Richardson [The Oregonian, Portland, Ore. :: ](Oregonian (Portland, OR) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 28--With the final week of summer comes a first peek at the mudslinging voters can expect to see in coming months as the race between Democrat Gov. John Kitzhaber and Republican Rep. Dennis Richardson heats up. On Thursday, the Democratic Party of Oregon launched a website that appears to be a twist on "Sh*tmyDadSays.com" a more vulgar, yet humorous social media sensation that took off in recent years. Less on the humorous side, "StuffDennisRichardsonSays.com" lays out several direct quotes from the retired attorney from Central Point that illustrate his conservative views on social issues, including abortion and gay rights. It also includes a video with reactions to Richardson's quotes -- one from a letter to the editor he submitted to The Oregonian in 1990. "There's wrong," the website states midpage,"there's very wrong and then there is Dennis Richardson wrong." Brad Martin, executive director of the Democratic Party of Oregon, wouldn't compare his piece with the national Twitter phenomenon. The website, he said, "stands on its own. Its words stand on its own." Meredith Glacken, spokeswoman for the Richardson campaign, said some of the site's characterization of "cherry-picked" quotes were unfair. "Actions speak louder than words," she wrote in an email in response to questions from The Oregonian. "It's going to be up to Oregon voters to decide what's more important to them -- words from 24 years ago that a partisan organization has spun out of context, or the present-day actions of a Governor who doesn't respect women enough to pay them fairly." She alluded to questions the Richardson campaign has raised about how fairly Kitzhaber pays his state employees. Richardson's campaign took its own digital swing Thursday, launching an online campaign accusing Kitzhaber of paying women in his office less than what he pays men. "Dennis Richardson believes in equal pay for equal work and experience," says the ad posted on YouTube that reports that on average, women in the governor's office make about 79 cents for every dollar men earn. "It's about fairness and equality." The ad refers to an Aug. 11 article in the Salem Statesman Journal reporting the differences in pay. The comparisons came to light after Kitzhaber asked the Department of Administrative Services to examine the salaries of men and women in state government. The report found women in state government make about 88 percent of what men do, according to the Statesman Journal. A state Employment Department report in March found Oregon women's average earnings across all industries were $2,992 per month in 2012, or 67 percent of the $4,486 average monthly earnings of men. Amy Wojcicki, spokeswoman for the Kitzhaber campaign, said the video shows how "desperate Richardson is to talk about anything but his record." "It's particularly outrageous," she said, alluding to Richardson's opposition to abortion, "coming from a man who believes women don't have a right to control their own bodies." -- Laura Gunderson ___ (c)2014 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |