Maurer reflects on statewide race
From our weekly issue dated June 23, 2010
After nearly a month of uncertainty surrounding the statewide, nonpartisan race for Oregon superintendent of public instruction, challenger Rep. Ron Maurer (R-Grants Pass) has conceded defeat to incumbent Susan Castillo.
For Maurer, the campaign leading to the May 18 primary election and the subsequent doubts about its results have consumed much of his daily life during the past several weeks.
Maurer said that he first considered the race during October 2009, when a policy adviser for Gov. Kulongoski suggested that he throw his hat in the ring.
“It took a couple of months for me to do my due diligence and decide whether I thought it was possible,“ Maurer said. “I was going through personal exploration with my family, knowing that the reality was that I was going into a race that was a serious uphill climb.“
In February, Maurer was in Salem during the 2010 legislative session when he publicly announced his intention to seek the superintendent seat. Maurer said he knew right away that fund-raising would present a significant obstacle in the race.
“As a conservative Republican from Southern Oregon, it was a monumental challenge to get my name out,“ he said. “In order to run a credible campaign, I thought I needed to raise about $300,000.“
Maurer had received the endorsements of the Oregon Education Association (OEA) and the Portland-based advocacy group, Stand for Children, in his 2008 legislative race. But he said that he wasn“t counting on their support this time around.
“I know that was essentially a token endorsement,“ Maurer said. “I was one of a handful of Republicans they supported.“
Another issue, Maurer said, is the fact that he opposed ballot measures 66 and 67 earlier this year. OEA and other education groups strongly supported those tax-increase measures.
Maurer rented an apartment in Salem for the February session, and elected to keep it for the campaign. He hit the trail in earnest, having less than three months to meet and persuade as many voters as possible.
“I built my strategy around the time I had,“ he explained. “If I had until November, the time between March 1 and the primary would have been spent much differently. I was never home. I was gone all the time.“
For most of spring, Maurer spent his days in Portland, Salem and Eugene, where most of the state“s population resides. During that time, Maurer said, he spoke to a “relatively significant“ number of Democratic legislators, state government department heads and others who pledged support for him privately, but did not do so publicly for political reasons.
However, Maurer did manage to earn the endorsements of many prominent newspaper editorial boards throughout the state.
The majority of the $74,000 Maurer raised for the campaign went toward purchasing signs and printed materials, and paying campaign staff, he said. That left no funds for radio or television advertisements, which typically are the largest expenses in statewide races.
Election night soon came, and Maurer spent it at home surrounded by friends, family and supporters.
“Honestly, I did not have any expectations, necessarily, about how well we were going to do or how poorly we were going to do,“ he said.
Initial reports showed Castillo with a 52 to 48 percent lead, with anywhere from 16,000 to 18,000 votes separating the two candidates. The Oregonian newspaper called the race in Castillo“s favor at about 10 that night.
“At that point, it just didn“t look very good,“ Maurer recalled.
By the time Maurer awoke the next morning, the gap had narrowed to less than 11,000 votes. It soon whittled down to less than 4,000, leaving the results in limbo.
“I was cautiously optimistic. I was never shocked,“ Maurer said. “From my perspective, it was more like a vindication that the campaign I ran was credible.“
Maurer said he spent the following weeks with his four children, ages 10 to 16, and doing basic household chores.
“I learned a lot about the process of county ballots,“ he said. “I was learning as I was going along. I also went out to cut firewood, mowed the lawn, took my kids to school and did things I was going to be doing anyway.“
Ultimately, Maurer decided that pushing for a recount ultimately was cost-prohibitive, and conceded defeat.
“The reality was, I couldn“t raise the money,“ he said. “It just wasn“t feasible.“
Castillo ended up with 50.02 percent of the vote, winning by approximately 2,500 votes. But Maurer said he was encouraged by his showing, which included receiving nearly 40 percent of the Multnomah County vote. It was the best that any Republican in Oregon has done in a statewide campaign since 2002, when Gordon Smith spent millions of dollars to win a U.S. Senate race.
In the short-term, Maurer will continue serving as a state representative until January. Josephine County Deputy District Attorney Wally Hicks has received the nomination of the Republican and Democratic parties to assume in that position, and is working with Maurer“s legislative assistant to make the transition.
But much more importantly, Maurer and his wife, Sheila, are expecting a baby boy, with an Oct. 5 due-date.
Maurer said he has ruled out running for any local office, including Grants Pass city councilor or Josephine County commissioner.
“It“s not that those jobs aren“t important,“ he said. “But at this point, I“m not particularly interested in that.“ But that does not leave out the possibility of Maurer, 47, running for another statewide office some day.
“I absolutely would not discount that,“ he stated. “The last two weeks have given me substantial statewide name recognition.“
Overall, Maurer said that he is confident that he will “find a niche someplace“ as he moves forward into the future and puts the superintendent race behind him.
“I certainly have no regret,“ he declared.
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