After graduating from law school, Kulongoski moved to
Eugene, Oregon, and became a
labor lawyer. In 1987, Oregon Governor
Neil Goldschmidt appointed Kulongoski to the post of state
insurance commissioner. In that role, Kulongoski reformed the state's
workers' compensation insurance system, a move that is widely credited for lowering costs to business. As Attorney General, he focused on reforming the
juvenile justice system. He resigned from the court in 2001 to run for governor.
2002 gubernatorial election After winning the Democratic party nomination in the 2002 race for governor, Kulongoski's opponent was Republican
Kevin Mannix. Kulongoski ran a low-key campaign, emphasizing his reputation as a consensus-builder and problem solver. His
television commercials featured such feel-good scenes as the candidate
bowling. He argued for a
pragmatic approach to solving the state's
budget crisis and
recession, a marked departure from the more confrontational style of outgoing governor (and fellow Democrat)
John Kitzhaber. Mannix argued that the Democratic Party had held the governorship in Oregon too long, and pledged to reduce government spending without cutting vital services. Kulongoski narrowly won the election, winning 618,004 votes (49%), with 581,785 votes (46%) going to Mannix, and 57,760 votes (5%) going to
Libertarian candidate Tom Cox. Kulongoski took office on January 13, 2003. He inherited a state facing a massive
budget deficit and high
unemployment. Furthermore, he faced the task of dealing with problems with the public employees'
pension system without angering the
labor unions that backed his campaign. As Governor, he was a member of the
National Governors Association and the
Democratic Governors Association.
2006 gubernatorial election On December 1, 2005, the
Eugene Register-Guard reported that former Democratic Governor
John Kitzhaber was considering challenging Kulongoski in the Democratic primary. On November 7, 2006, Kulongoski won a second term, 51% to 43% over
Ron Saxton.
Second term In February 2007, Kulongoski and State Senator
Brad Avakian worked to clarify that Oregon recognizes no position of "state climatologist" in response to the use of that title by
Oregon State University professor
George H. Taylor, who believes that
human activities are not the main cause of global climate change. Kulongoski said the state needs a consistent message on reducing greenhouse gases to
combat climate change. Beginning the week of April 24, 2007, Kulongoski gained national attention when he joined a campaign, known as the
food stamp challenge, that portrays the difficulty living on the average weekly food stamp allotment of $21. Kulongski announced May 8, 2007 that Oregon will join the Climate Registry to track dangerous
greenhouse gas emissions. Kulongoski signed two
LGBT rights bills into law: a
domestic partnership bill and an anti-discrimination bill at a ceremony May 9, 2007. In May 2010, Kulongoski suffered a vitreous hemorrhage in the eye due to fragile, abnormal blood vessels that have grown in the retina of the eye. According to Kulongoski spokeswoman Anna Richter Taylor, he was scheduled for outpatient surgery at
Oregon Health & Science University on June 30, 2010, to surgically remove the vitreous gel from the middle of the eye so full vision can be restored.
Later life After leaving the governor's office, he was appointed by John Kitzhaber to the Public Safety Commission as part of a review of Oregon's sentencing guidelines. In 2012, Kulongoski joined the faculty at
Portland State University in the school's
Mark O. Hatfield School of Government. ==Electoral history==