PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Longtime KEZI anchor Rick Dancer led off the 11 o'clock news with word that a Republican had announced his candidacy for Oregon secretary of state. The candidate: Rick Dancer.
After ABC's Academy Awards coverage ended Sunday, its Eugene affiliate spent the first three minutes of its newscast on Dancer's candidacy, including a question-and-answer session with an on-air colleague.
Quite a bit of high-profile coverage for a second-tier state race. Which brings up a question: What about Dancer's four Democratic rivals?
"I was stunned that this man who was in my living room every night announced his candidacy on the evening news," said one of those candidates, state Sen. Vicki Walker. "It just didn't seem like something you could do."
The station's CEO, Carolyn Chambers, is a staunch Republican who has given nearly $90,000 to Republican causes and candidates over the last 13 years.
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