Kitzhaber tries where McCall failed

Albany Democrat-Herald:

The last time a former governor tried a comeback in Oregon, it was Republican Tom McCall, a revered politician who made the state famous four decades ago for curbing urban sprawl, preserving public access to the beaches and recycling bottles and cans.

In 1978, though, after four years out of office, McCall failed in a GOP primary election. Many had wearied of him personally, and the ground where he stood politically had washed away. Environmentalists, for example, repudiated his stand for nuclear power, and Oregon conservatives were beginning a long campaign, not yet ended, to undo the land-use planning laws he championed.

Now comes Democrat John Kitzhaber, who is poised to succeed Tuesday where McCall failed: winning a primary election on the way toward a third campaign for governor.

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