Governor Ted Kulongoski and former Governor John Kitzhaber will hold a rally at Portland State
The event will be held in Parkway North on the ground floor of the Smith Memorial Student Union from noon to 1:30 p.m.
”It’s going be a rally discussing energy independence and a clean energy future for Oregon,” said Chris Warner, a spokesman for the Kulongoski re-election campaign, adding that both governors will speak at the event. “Both of them will lay out their vision for Oregon and the country.”
According to Warner, Portland State is an attractive location to hold a rally.
”PSU is certainly an important part of the higher ed system and he hasn’t been there in a while,” Warner said of Kulongoski. “It’s a great symbol, the concept of an urban university and the sustainable work plan that the state has.”
The Kulongoski campaign notified Patrick Biesell, a member of the student senate and the legislative affairs director for the Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU), on Monday that the governor wanted to speak at Portland State and needed a venue.
”I’m just a facilitator,” Biesell said. “It’s part of Kulongoski’s college tour.”
Biesell said that his participation in the rally is separate from his involvement in student government because ASPSU must remain politically neutral. However, Biesell speculated that ASPSU’s effort to register voters might have been a factor in drawing Governor Kulongoski to PSU.
”We were one of only a few schools to meet our goal,” Biesell said. “I think it’s a big factor.”
The only student group officially associated with the rally is the College Democrats.
”The governor really wants to make sure that no matter how the election turns out, the student voice is heard,” said Kento Azegami, a member of the College Democrats. “Our role [in bringing Kulongoski to PSU] wasn’t that big.”
According to Biesell, Kulongoski opponent Republican Ron Saxton was not approached because the rally was something Kulongoski volunteered to do.
