3 Oregon GOP governor candidates square off

SEASIDE, Ore. (AP) - Three Republican candidates for governor of Oregon appeared before about 600 party activists Friday night at their annual Seaside gathering, but didn't debate much.

Former businessman Allen Alley, former NBA player Chris Dudley and former legislator John Lim said they mostly agreed with each other on the issues.

All said the state's capital gains tax should be reduced, for example, and all criticized the higher taxes on business and the wealthy that voters approved in January.

All three made a point of saying they could appeal to voters outside Republican ranks.

Oregon Republicans have fallen sharply behind Democrats in voter registration in recent years and have been shut out of the governor's office for nearly 24 years. They hold no statewide offices, only one of five congressional seats and only 40 percent of the state legislative seats.

"I'm an outsider," said Dudley. "I'm coming in completely from the outside." He said he had demonstrated a "gift for bringing people together" in his work since leaving basketball.

Alley said he was the only Republican candidate making his case to public employee unions and environmentalists, groups that usually favor Democrats. "If you're not willing to defend your positions in front of the unions, in front of the Sierra Club, then you don't deserve to be governor," he said.

Lim said he was the only one among the three with a long record of winning elections, and he could do well in the state's largest county and biggest Democratic stronghold. "I'm able to carry Multnomah," he said.

The appearance opened the 46th Dorchester Conference, a three-day meeting that will conclude Sunday with a straw poll expressing the preferences of the attendees in the race.

The primary election is in May.

Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski is prohibited from running for a third consecutive term.

In the Democratic primary, former Gov. John Kitzhaber and former Secretary of State Bill Bradbury are competing.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.