Former Oregon GOP Chair Allen Alley plans to run for governor in 2016, sources tell OPB.
April Baer / OPB
Republican businessman Allen Alley has decided to run for governor and is looking toward a Monday announcement, according to several sources.
Allen Alley said Wednesday that he’s not ready to reveal his plans. But sources close to him say the high-tech entrepreneur and former Republican state chairman is planning to announce his candidacy a day before the May primary deadline for candidate filing.
Alley is the highest-profile Republican expressing a willingness to take on Democratic Gov. Kate Brown. She became the state’s chief executive after John Kitzhaber resigned last year, and she is now standing for election in her own right.
After years in the tech business, Alley was the Republican nominee for treasurer in 2008 and sought the party’s nomination for governor in 2010. He lost both races.
So far, four Republicans have filed for governor. Bud Pierce, a Salem doctor, has received the most attention, in part because he and his family have put more than $500,000 into the race.