We Republicans are about to choose our candidate for governor to run against Kate Brown. In addition to each of the issues upon which our candidates must take a stand, there are at least two other very important considerations that we should evaluate before we cast our vote to decide who our nominee will be.

It is vital for a governor to have an excellent relationship with the president, as there are many circumstances where the governor needs to solicit federal help. Presidents are responsible for releasing federal disaster relief to the states, for the federal administration of programs where there must be a good working partnership between the federal government and the state, and there must be close cooperation in the many other important federal/state relationships. When necessary, a governor needs to be able to call the president with the expectation that his call for assistance will be favorably received. Sam Carpenter has already been able to begin establishing this necessary relationship. He met President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Eugene on May 6, 2016. He’s the only candidate who publicly endorsed Trump for president before the 2016 Oregon primary, unwaveringly stood by him during the presidential campaign and stands by the policies being implemented today. Gov. Brown and Knute Buehler have already “poisoned the well.” Buehler is on record, on multiple occasions, publicly and stridently speaking out against Trump. Greg Wooldridge has been, at best, lukewarm toward the president. Of these four candidates, only Carpenter has the potential for establishing the necessary excellent working relationship with Trump.

The far-left progressives in our Oregon government have, for far too long, been allowed to implement their failing policies. The results have been a Public Employees Retirement System crisis, higher taxes and taxes masquerading as fees, a failing school system, pro-choice policies, sanctuary-state status, attacks on the Second Amendment, $305 million wasted on a failed health care exchange, the Columbia River Crossing debacle, a disastrous forest policy, failing policies resulting in squandered natural resources and other numerous failures. Wooldridge has said in his forums that he will solve these problems with the “leadership” that he brings from his Navy career. Buehler has missed so many forums that there is little public record of how he would specifically solve these problems. Carpenter believes that it is necessary to not only replace Gov. Brown with a Republican, but our blue Legislature must be turned red, a red trifecta. He is calling for the same thing that 26 other states (four added in the 2016 election) have already accomplished, and he believes that 2018 is the year that we can do the same in our state — elect a Republican governor and a Republican Legislature. It has often been said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Only by electing Carpenter will there be any effort to turn our state around by replacing the far-left progressives who currently dominate our state leadership.

Carpenter has the makings of a superb relationship with the president, and he is the only one who has a specific plan to turn our state around. Moreover, he has blue-collar roots that allow him to identify with the blue-collar community: he is a job-producing and successful businessman; he is a best-selling author, having written two books on business systems and organization; he is a “turn-around specialist” and has assisted in turning around over 500 businesses and understands the real struggles that many Oregonians face. Possession of these qualities is vital in order to be able to turn our state around, and only Carpenter possesses them. Elect Sam Carpenter and he will “Make Oregon Great Again.”

— Keith Sime lives in Redmond.