Nearly three dozen candidates for governor are vying for their parties’ nomination in the 2022 primaries on May 17. A collaborative of Oregon journalists wrote 15 questions to help you get to know these folks before you cast your ballot. Click on each candidate’s “card” to see how they responded to our questions on housing, crime, education, the economy and environmental issues.
Media outlets across Oregon are taking a novel approach to covering the 2022 governor’s race: They’re working together.
The 2022 Oregon Media Collaboration on the governor’s race stemmed from the wants of voters themselves. In listening sessions earlier this year, Oregonians told the Oregon Capital Chronicle, Rural Development Initiatives, and the Agora Journalism Center that they were ready for changes in election coverage.
For one, voters said, the press should stop picking winners and losers by deciding which candidates to cover in-depth. Voters wanted more information on all of the candidates, to decide for themselves which person warranted serious attention.
With nearly three-dozen candidates running in the primaries, that was a tall ask for any one newsroom alone. So, Agora and the Capital Chronicle rallied reporters from across the state to create a comprehensive guide to the candidates. Journalists co-wrote 15 questions delivered to each candidate on the ballot, and Agora created a digital guide that any newsroom across the state could publish.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
