Theodore Kulongoski (1940- ) is an American politician, a Democrat, and currently the governor of Oregon.
Kulongoski was born November 5, 1940 in Missouri.[1] When he was four, his father died, and Kulongoski spent the rest of his childhood in a Catholic boys home. After high school, Kulongoski served in the Marines, and with the help of the G. I. Bill, obtained an undergraduate and law degree from the University of Missouri.[1]
After law school, Kulongoski moved to Eugene, Oregon and became a labor lawyer.[1] In 1974, he was elected to the state House of Representatives, and in 1978 to the state Senate. In 1980 he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the United States Senate, losing to incumbent Republican Bob Packwood. In 1982, he made his first bid for governor, only to be defeated by Republican Victor G. Atiyeh.[1] The defeat hurt Kulongoski deeply, and he quit public service as a result.[1]
However, in 1987, Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt appointed Kulongoski to the post of state insurance comissioner. In that role, Kulongoski reformed the state's workers' compensation insurance system, a move that is widly credited for increasing benefits to workers while lowering costs to business. In 1992, Kulongoski was elected as state Attorney General. In that post, he focused on reforming the juvenile justice system.[1]
In 1996, Kulongoski decided against running for re-election, and instead sucessfully ran for Oregon's supreme court.[1] He resigned from the court in 2001 to run for governor.
After winning the nominiation in the 2002 race for govnernor, Kulongoski's opponent was Republican Kevin Mannix. Kulongoski ran a low-key campaign, emphasizing his reputation as a consensus-builder and problem solver. His television commericials featured such feel-good scenes as the candidate bowling. He argued for a pragmatic approach to solving the state's budget crisis and recession, a marked departure from the more confrontational style of outgoing governor (and fellow Democrat) John Kitzhaber. He shocked some of his fellow Democrats by arguing for more accountability before increasing taxes. Mannix argued that the Democratic Party had held the govenorship in Oregon too long, and pledged to reduce government spending without cutting vital services. Many of Kulongoski's supporters were disappointed with his campaign, feeling he did not adequately respond to Mannix's challenge.[1] Kulongoski narrowly won the election, winning 618,004 votes, with 581,785 votes going to Mannix, and 57,760 votes going to Libertarian candidate Tom Cox.
Kulongoski took office January 13, 2003.[1] He inhereted a state facing a massive budget deficit and high unemployment. Furthermore, he faced the task of dealing with problems with the public employees' pension system without angering the labor unions that backed is campaign.
Proceeded by: John Kitzhaber
See also: List of Oregon governors
