And yet more good stuff for Atkinson

John Gizzi, the political editor of Human Events Online in Washington, D.C., calls the Oregon governor's race one of the Top 10 in the country this year.

And in his Gizz-ette blog on the Human Events site, he's provided some nice exposure for State Senator Jason Atkinson, who is a candidate for Oregon's Republican gubernatorial nomination. The Gizz-ette entry from Monday is more of a wrap-up on the three Republican candidates, as well as a short history of Oregon Republican politics. One interesting note is that Atkinson's campaign has raised half a million dollars, which means he's probably received close to 10,000 donations.

The entry from Friday, March 17 is even better. It starts with a philosophy on conservative politics that Gizzi inherited from a former editor:

You don’t have to trim your conservative sails for a particular state. As long as the messenger is pleasant and articulate, like Ronald Reagan, the message doesn’t have to be watered down.

As examples, Gizzi cites Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Washington almost-Gov. Dino Rossi, both of whom stayed true to a conservative message in their respective blue states. And that's what Jason Atkinson is doing. Atkinson has said all along that who he is in the primary is who he will be in the general election. He is not, unlike some other candidates, planning to move hard right to win the primary and become more centrist for November.

Gizzi argues that the Oregon banner of Reagan's "bold colors, and no pale pastels" philosophy is increasingly falling on Atkinson's low-body-fat shoulders. Atkinson makes no apologies for his conservatism against opponents who either are or were "moderates" (read: Democrats). He is showing the momentum in the stretch run toward the May 16 primary, and that momentum is bringing out veterans of recent conservative victories against same-sex marriage, tax increases and property restrictions.

What's that sound? I think it's Oregon's next governor coming through on his political bike tour. Wanna jump on board?

(HT: Coyote)