October 1, 2023
Not at all unexpected, in that there's a presumption that first-term governors will run again, and in that Otter has been raising money, campaign staff has been designated, people around him have been suggesting for a while now that he's going to run. All the indicators have pointed that way all along.
Still, after what he's been through the last three years, you have to wonder: Why?
There hadn't been any certainty about it beforehand, but Oregon Representative David Wu has been getting generally good marks for his town hall performances (in McMinnville, much noted here, and comparably in Portland). And so are others.
Washington Representative Rick Larsen drew a very favorable editorial in the Seattle Times for his Everett event, before a crowd of 3,000: "So there is Larsen, D-Lake Stevens, gently, cautiously guiding his crowd through hours of discussion. The size of the audience, the decision to proceed, took fortitude. Larsen did what he had to do in a high-minded manner. The event at Memorial Stadium in Everett began with the singing of the national anthem. Get it? We are all Americans who love this country. Common ground. From there, Larsen deftly led the crowd, acknowledging arguments on all sides. By conceding all sides have a point, he neutralized some heat in the stadium."
Representative Brian Baird, who had bagged out on live events in favor of telephonic, has changed course and scheduled some live events.
These things help. The craziness can be defused. Sanity can prevail. And maybe will.