Rick Dancer
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Rick Dancer, a long time reporter and news anchor for KEZI-TV in Eugene, Oregon, announced in February that he was leaving television to enter the race for Secretary of State. Dancer, 48, won the Republican nomination in an uncontested primary in May.

In his years as a journalist he interviewed thousands of people from nearly every corner of Oregon. People tell him the same thing over and over again: They feel disconnected from the government.

As Oregon’s next Secretary of State, Dancer wants to change that. A few years ago while doing a special on apathy, Dancer began to think about running for office, “because I believe I can help bridge the gap between the government of Oregon, and the people of Oregon.” He envisions this position as a way to build trust, and restore confidence in the fairness and openness of government.

Dancer is a native Oregonian, graduating from Hillsboro High School in 1977, and in 1983 received a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Pacific University in Forest Grove. During his time as a news anchor he received numerous awards for his impartiality when reporting, a trait he’d like to bring to the Secretary of State position.

He often speaks about Oregon’s “uncommon common sense,” and would like to make the Secretary of State’s office a voice for the people not a party. To do so, he will focus on making the position non-partisan. He also believes Oregon can do a better job of auditing, especially in the area of performance audits.

After four years of Rick Dancer as their Secretary of State, Oregon will have a renewed faith in their elections and in the auditing process.

While on the campaign trail, Dancer has taken a unique approach to communicate with fellow Oregonians about what he has been doing on the campaign trail. One way he has done this is by creating brief documentaries called webisodes, which help keep voters up-to-date on Dancer’s campaign and message.

He and his wife Kathy just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They have two sons, Jake age 20, and Jess age 18. Their home is in the country just east of Springfield where they have goats and a few pets. Like many Oregonians, Rick and his family enjoy the outdoors, in particular cycling and skiing.

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