Nationally, there seems to be a trend in the Republican Party to put forward a candidate as a test balloon, see if he/she is popular enough to win, and withdraw the candidate in favor of a replacement when it becomes obvious he/she cannot win.

This flies in the face of all that is fair, equitable, and legal. Tighter reigns need to be put into place with our election laws prohibiting parties from changing candidates for an office once that candidate has filed or being chosen in a primary.

Too bad Thackaberry is a Democrat.

I'm guessing KXL would have gladly picked up the bill if he was with the proper political party -- you know the one that's busy restoring "honor" and "dignity" to the White House.

And Salem.

I am not sure that this is a case of the party picking their candidate based on popularity. I believe Kropf maintains a fairly high level of support in his district. I would guess that Kropf is avoiding the statewide spotlight in hope of a 2012/16 Gubenatorial/Statewide office race. He exudes an arrogance that would make most believe that he wouldn't feel finished until he is sitting in the oval office. The biggest part of this is the fact that it is going to turn a solid R district into a swing district. Leaving the D's that much closer to House control.

i can personally dan is a great guy. sincere, honest, and determined. The citizens of house district 17 are very to lucky to have him. please go volunteer for a good guy.

What will the state do without Dudley Dooright occupying a legislative seat?

The voters in District 17 will elect Dan Thackaberry to serve their interests in Salem and the whole state will benefit as a result. The district is almost an even split between rural and urban voters. Dan has lived and worked his family farm for over 40 years in District 17. Since 1998 Dan has been a City Councilor in Lebanon Oregon. I think this combination of experience makes him a perfect fit for the district. He has the skills and experience to bridge the gap between rural and urban issues. For example he is a strong advocate for the use of biofuels to augment and perhaps eventually replace imported oil. He even drives a tractor run on biofuel. Advances in technology could soon make the cost of biofuels competitive with other resources and with Oregon State University a Sun Grant Center and the lead university representing nine western states for biofuel research, and Dan an OSU Graduate, is the right person to advocate for legislation that would place District 17 at the center of a resurgence in our rural economy. Lower fuel costs, a strong rural economy, a win for Thackaberry is a win for the whole state.

Nice hair dye job, Jeff

Before you pop the champaign corks, some back of the envelope math from the SOS website shows HD 17 has about a 9% Republican edge. If I am Rep. Scott, I am not worried.

And so what if he enjoys 3 hours a week on the radio more than he likes his Legislative gig Kari. Why does there always have to be a conspiracy…

Why does there always have to be a conspiracy?

There doesn't. But this just makes no sense. There must be more to the story OR he's just flat out tired of the process.

from Spokesperson, Committee to Restore Oregon's Term Limits

For the record, Rep. Kropf was first elected to the House in '98, the 3rd legislative election held under Oregon's term limits law. He was re-elected in '00, '02, and '04.

By taking advantage of the legal technicality to run for a fourth term in '04, Rep. Kropf stood in violation of the voter-approved law that contained an advisory instruction: legislators should obey the limits if the law was ever invalidated.

But Rep. Kropf was not alone. Fully 1/3 of our state Legislature are term-limits violators. Since the ruling striking down the law, career-incumbents have repopulated the legislature at the maximum rate. Without restoring term limits, citizen-legislators are endangered and will soon be extinct.

Term limits proponents salute Rep. Kropf for doing the right thing and standing down. He will bring his experience to another venue, and the open seat will create an opportunity for a more vigorous, contested campaign compared to an uninteresting re-election.

Other TL violators should follow Rep. Kropf's example.

Why participate in the process when you can comment on it?

I'm all broke up. Such a loss to the legislative process!

Bye, bye Jeff Kropf goodbye, you've corrupted Oregon government for the very last time. And the Grand Old Party is bitchin’ and whinning, saying “this will be the day that we die; this will be the day that we die”.

Now for many years Kropf’s been selling out souls and mold grows fat on a GOP stone, but that’s not how it used to be. When Jeff Kropf sang for Kulongoski, in a voice he borrowed from some dweeb. He failed to hear the voice of you and me.

Oh, and while the people were looking ‘round, the GOP exposed their own thorny crown. Judicial fairness was burned; A guilty verdict was returned. And while Kropf reads the Book of Mark, the people are starving in the park. No healthcare, wages, and surely no art, I’m pleased Kropf’s candidacy has died.

I am singing bye, bye Jeff Kropf goodbye, you've corrupted Oregon government for the very last time. And the Grand Old Party is bitchin and whinning saying “this will be the day that we die; this will be the day that we die”.

I met Jeff Kropf, who couldn't sing the blues, so I asked him for some happy news, but he just frowned and turned away. I turned on the radio, where I’d heard Kropf's music months ago, Larson said that Kropf won't continue to play.

And in the streets: the children cheered, Oregonians applauded, and the Republicans jeered. But not a word was spoken; The GOP's heart was broken. And the three men Kropf admires most: Bush the father, son, and the deadly war ghost. They shutdown all trains to any coast. Yesterday, Kropf's candidacy died.

Everyone was singing bye, bye Jeff Kropf goodbye, you've corrupted Oregon government for the very last time.
And the Grand Old Party is bitchin and whinning saying “this will be the day that we die, this will be the day that we die”.

Bye, bye Jeff Kropf goodbye, you've corrupted Oregon government for the very last time.
And the Grand Ol Party is bitchin and whinning saying, “this will be the day that we die, this will be the day that we die”.

(Sung to the tune of American Pie by Don McLean)

While the Republican Party does get to replace Kropf on the ballot, the Democrats have the first real shot at this district with Dan Thackaberry. He's a local guy with good, moderate ideas. He's been walking doors for the past few months, but doesn't know anything about campaigning. I think his race is competetive/likely to swing D if he can get even just a few grand to make kick his campaign into high gear.

In related news: this is the third person in the mid-Willamette Valley to withdraw from a race this election cycle (Kelley Wirth, Jack Burright (Benton County Sheriff), now Jeff Kropf). That doesn't include the Sheriff candidate in Linn County who was kicked out of the race. Must be in the water...

What are Thackaberry's ideas, positions, goals on District 17 issues? Are there specific issues of note in District 17?

I think Jack is right.

My best guess is that Lars now doing the local 4 hours in the morning and the national I think three hours in the evening, envisions himself the next Rush L, and is Kropf is his understudy locally for when Lars goes national full time. Kropf is on both Saturday and Sunday mornings for three hours, and subs for Lars regularly, so he is getting more radio time.

I keep waiting for this distorted yellow presslike dialogue to end, so we can talk to eachother again and actually discuss and solve problems in a civilized not personally condeming way, and be able to admit failed policies and move on. But as long as rhetoric is the order of the day, and good people who try and lead compromise are considered "traitors" to both Blue and Red, I don't hold out much hope.

Thanks for the offer Albert and Kari. Dan's website is under construction but going up this weekend.

Find it at www.farmerdan.org.

The talented Todd Barnhart has generously offered to be the web designer so bookmark this site. Not only will it be informative but because Dan is a delight to be around I feel certain the site will reflect not only how much work he is doing but also how much fun his campaign has in supporting him.

I've spoken with Dan Thackaberry several times, and he is a very credible candidate and deserving of broad support. He serves on the Lebanon City Council and was involved in developing the strategic plan. He' a farmer in the middle of busy season for farmers, so he could use your help. Believe me, it is worth your time and investment. He was likely going to take the seat from Kropf anyway, but this is a race you can make a difference in.