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In New Jersey, Runyan has raised about $137,000, has the support of Republican organizations in his district and is considered a favorite to win the primary election.
Dudley has collected more cash than any other candidate in the Oregon governor's race -- $1.3 million. His main rival, Allen Alley, has raised $425,300. The two Democratic candidates in Oregon's primary are John Kitzhaber, who has previously served two terms as governor, and Bill Bradbury, a former Oregon secretary of state.
The sports world has provided much of Dudley's financial support. Former Trail Blazer Terry Porter is on his finance committee. Contributions from NBA Commissioner David Stern, Nike founder Phil Knight and former agent Daniel Fegan helped prime the candidate's campaign.
Dudley's platform calls for tax reductions -- especially for businesses -- and curbs on government spending. He advocates thinning timber to provide jobs and boost the economies of struggling timber-dependent towns. Oregon faces a $2.5 billion state budget shortfall, and its unemployment rate is stubbornly stuck at more than 10 percent.
Name recognition alone could get Dudley through the primary election.
"The instant awareness an athlete brings to the political process is what most candidates spend most of their money on," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon.
Winning in the fall in Democratic leaning Oregon will be difficult for any Republican.
Dudley retired from the NBA in 2003. He acknowledges that his basketball career has helped him as a political newcomer but says it also taught him lessons useful on the campaign trail.
"If you win three games in a row, you're a hero," Dudley says. "If you lose three games in a row, you're a bum. The one who succeeds is the one who realizes he's neither, who works hard and does the best he can and doesn't let himself get too high or too low."
[Associated Press;
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