For the last three years, pro-gun groups have disapproved of former Democratic state Rep. Val Hoyle. But anyone watching the latest ad to drop in the heated race to become Oregon’s next labor commissioner[1] might come away with a very different conclusion.
A new online advertisement[2] supported by the campaign of Lou Ogden misstates Hoyle’s current relationships with groups such as the National Rifle Association and Oregon Firearms Federation, attacking her on a false claim that she is cozy with the NRA.
What the minute-long video doesn’t say? Ogden’s got far better ratings from pro-gun types than Hoyle. He’s received a B-plus rating from OFF. Hoyle’s got an F-minus.
The ad is the latest sign that the competitive race to take over the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries is descending into ugly territory with less than a week left before ballots are due for the May 15 election.
In recent weeks, Ogden and Hoyle have traded barbs in television ads — with Ogden painting Hoyle as a corrupt liar, and Hoyle suggesting Ogden is in a league with “extreme Republicans,” such as gubernatorial candidate Sam Carpenter. In addition, Ogden has complained about a Facebook page created by the AFL-CIO, which supports Hoyle. The page suggested Ogden didn’t quickly evict a tenant suspected of possessing child pornography.
It’s all lent an extremely partisan air to the race for a nonpartisan seat. The state’s labor commissioner oversees wage-and-hour laws, investigates civil rights complaints and helps train apprentice laborers. Current Commissioner Brad Avakian isn’t running for re-election after a decade in office.
Hoyle is being bankrolled in the race primarily by the labor unions that reliably aid Democratic candidates. Ogden, a Republican and the mayor of Tualatin, has seen big checks from timber companies, time-honored supporters of Republican causes.
