Chris Dudley, who spent 16 years in the NBA, announced Monday his candidacy for governor of Oregon.
Dudley, who spent six years with the Portland Trail Blazers, previously ran for governor in 2010, losing by two points while raising $10 million.
"The empty promises, the name-calling, the finger-pointing, and fearmongering that has solved nothing must stop," Dudley said in his campaign announcement.
"There are real solutions, and I have a plan," Dudley said.
Dudley vowed to focus on public safety, affordability, and education if elected.
After retiring from the NBA, Dudley, a Yale graduate, worked in finance and now runs a nonprofit supporting children with diabetes.
Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek is expected to seek reelection but has seen her poll numbers lag in the deep blue state.
"I think it's imperative that we get somebody from outside of Salem who's away from the partisan politics, away from the name calling, the finger pointing," Dudley told The Oregonian.
"Who has the expertise and background and the ability to bring people together to solve these issues," he said.
In the Republican primary, Dudley is challenging state Sen. Christine Drazan, who lost to Kotek by four points in 2022.
Also running are Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell and state Rep. Ed Diehl.
Bethell has raised about $176,000 since January 2025, records show.
Diehl, a Republican from Scio who helped lead the recent referendum effort to halt transportation tax hikes, also jumped into the race last week.
He has raised about $46,800 since the beginning of last year.
According to polling from Morning Consult, Kotek's approval numbers have remained below 50%.
Oregon has not elected a Republican governor since Victor Atiyeh won reelection in 1982, though recent governor races have had single-digit margins.
Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, is also getting involved, donating $3 million to a PAC focused on Republicans getting more seats in the state legislature last year, according to the Willamette Week.
The Democratic Governors Association bashed Dudley in a statement.
"Oregon Republicans are already facing a messy, crowded clown car of a primary — and failed candidate Chris Dudley's entrance into the race will only push every candidate even further to the right and out of step with Oregonians," Johanna Warshaw, deputy communications director for the Democratic Governors Association, said.
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