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State Senate 13
 Senator
Charles Starr, R-Hillsboro
Interim email: kstarr@charlesstarr.org
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/starrc
District: This is an unusual boomerang-shaped
district that includes a bunch of rural areas, and growing suburban
areas, on the fringe of several metro areas. It takes in the west
edge of Marion County (west of Courtney's District 11) east of the
Willamette River and including St. Paul, north into Yamhill County
including Newburg, then on into Washington County including Sherwood,
the Bull Mountain area and Scholls and then curving west –
south of Beaverton and Hillsboro and Forest Grove – to include
Gaston.
Background: The largest urban bases here,
at Newburg and Sherwood, still account for little more than a third
of the district; this is mostly scattered rural territory. And it
seems like solid Republican territory, too. Newburg's voters have
consistently held Republican, and most of the other pieces of the
district are among the most Republican pieces of Washington and
Marion counties. The closest thing to a Democratic base here may
be Sherwood, but even it leans mostly Republican. Both House members
here are Republican, and have been for a while; and the southern
part of this district is where moderate Vic Backlund was beaten
in 2004 by more conservative Kim Thatcher.
Under such circumstances, primaries are easy
to contemplate, and it looks as if there'll be one in 2006, with
the veteran Starr, the father of another state senator (Bruce Starr),
facing the Republican son of a fellow Republican senator (conservative
talk show host Larry George, son of incumbent Gary George). Starr
has had health problems in the past, and that may have been part
of the reason for the younger George's filing; he is at present
the only candidate for the seat. But Starr, a veteran elected twice
to the Senate from this area and for three terms before that to
the House, indicated in August that he plans to run again, and Larry
George has not indicated he's interested in stepping aside. George
will try to play up philosophy, but both are ideologically strongly
conservative; this would not be a moderate/conservative slugfest.
Bottom line: All of which could make for
a highly interesting primary, with the winner not at all obvious.
(Don't rule out the prospect of another contender as well, since
there could be some local issue taken with the dynasty-v-dynasty
dynamic developing here.) Either way, this seat stays in Republican
hands barring some startling chain of events. Starr won with 59%
over the Democratic contender in 2002, and was unopposed in 1998.
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Randy Stapilus
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