Will the media actually ask Dennis Richardson where he stands?

Kari Chisholm

Dennis Richardson would have voters believe that it doesn't matter what his positions are on abortion and the freedom to marry.

Here's what he said to the O back in April:

Asked whether his views on abortion or same-sex marriage have changed, Richardson said he remains pro-life but considers abortion law to be a federal issue, not one he’d deal with as governor. He said he fully expects a marriage equality law to pass in Oregon.

“My positions on social issues are my own,” he said. “As governor, I will keep my oath to enforce the laws that are on the books.”

And he's basically been getting away with it -- with media acting as if his extreme social views are old news. To most voters, of course, they're not. They're just waking up to the gubernatorial race, and they should know where he stands.

To highlight the dissonance between his views and the reporting on them, the leaders of NARAL Oregon, Planned Parenthood PAC, and Basic Rights Oregon have called on members of the media -- and debate sponsors -- to ask the Richardson the key questions:

Dennis Richardson has spent the past 11 years voting against Oregon women and the LGBT community, but now that he’s running for governor, he’s running away from his record and claiming that “the social issues have already been decided.”

We’ve heard that before.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory promised on the campaign trail that he wouldn’t restrict abortion access, then he signed a law imposing costly, medically unnecessary rules that could shut down every provider in the state.

Dennis Richardson is inviting extreme Texas Governor Rick Perry to Lake Oswego to raise money for his campaign and he’s accepting giant checks from Oregon Right to Life, yet he expects voters to believe that limiting access to abortion and contraception isn’t on his agenda?

We’re calling on editors and debate hosts to raise these important questions so that Dennis Richardson can’t have it both ways.

The governor’s office has the power to sign anti-women’s-health legislation and make judicial and agency appointments that would roll back the clock on women and the LGBT community. Richardson’s record on these and other issues is abysmal.

... We’re calling on editors and debate hosts to raise these important questions because voters deserve to know who Dennis Richardson really is.

Read the whole letter.

By Kari Chisholm Sept. 26, 2014