Chris Dudley

Quick Summary

 * Republican Chris Dudley lost the race against Democrat John Kitzhaber for Oregon Governor in 2010.Dudley1.jpg
 * Dudley is an elite, tax-evading millionaire who wants to reduce the minimum wage in Oregon while at the same time he accepts hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Nike chairman and co-founder Bill Knight (who also happens to literally be the 23rd richest person on Earth).

Reduce Minimum Wage
Chris Dudley wants to reduce Oregon's minimum wage.

Lies About Kitzhaber
In campaign ads Dudley criticizes Kitzhaber for increasing spending and leaving office with high unemployment. However, Dudley conveniently fails to note that Republicans controlled the Oregon State Legislature during Kitzhaber's tenure. Dudley also fails to note that Oregon had some of the country's lowest business tax rates during Kitzhaber's tenure - something Republicans actually like (but which clearly failed to stimulate Oregon's economy during Republican control of the state legislature).

Tax Evasion
Dudley is accused of tax evasion in both Oregon and Washington. He attempted to take advantage of tax laws by "moving" from Oregon to Washington (to avoid Oregon income taxes) and then failing by to register his vehicle in Washington (to avoid Washington's vehicle registration fees).

Elitism and Priveleged Background
Dudley attended Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, one of San Diego's wealthiest and most highly regarded high schools (with an average annual family income of over $100,000). He then attended Yale University, a private and extraordinarily selective Ivy League university. Dudley then played in the NBA for years, making millions upon millions of dollars. He currently "resides" (see "Tax Evasion" above) in Lake Oswego, which is among the wealthiest and most selective communities in Oregon. Outside of the NBA, Dudley served as a financial advisor to the wealthy. Further, Dudley has also accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Phil Knight, the current Nike Chairman and co-founder of the company - who also happens to be the 23rd richest person on the entire planet.

All of this this begs the question:

If Republicans and their Tea Party allies hate rich out-of-touch elites and work for the common man, what are they doing with a millionaire out-of-touch elite as their candidate?