My name is Sid Leiken, commissioner of commissioners:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Well, here's someone we never expected to hear from again! Republican Lane County Commissioner Sid Leiken said on Monday that he's "
exploring a race for governor," and he's already changed the name of his PAC to "Sid Leiken for Governor."
A few Republicans are looking at running against newly-elevated Democratic Gov. Kate Brown next year and while none of them look like giant killers, they at least don't have Leiken's rather embarrassing baggage.
During the 2010 cycle, Leiken, the mayor of Springfield, ran against Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio. While Leiken started out as a top GOP recruit in a long-neglected swing seat, his campaign soon ran into trouble after $2,000 that went to a fictional polling firm. The money in fact was funneled to a business owned by his mother, and the scandal destroyed his reputation as a top-tier candidate. Leiken tearfully apologized for the "error in judgment" in an August press conference, but he never was able to put the episode behind him, and he exited the race in March.
Maybe Leiken can put this matter behind him, but it's very unlikely state Republicans are going to be eager to embrace him after how his last major campaign went. The Oregon GOP bench isn't big and beggars can't be choosers, but even they can probably do better than Sid Leiken.