In Oregon's contentious race for governor to replace term-limited incumbent Democrat Gov. Kate Brown, there's another development calling into question both the judgement and values of the Democrats' nominee Tina Kotek, who formerly served as the speaker of the state House.
Among a list of endorsements that include the usual suspects — statewide Democrats, labor unions, and leftist organizations — there are also dozens of current or former Democrat state legislators including one state Senator Jeff Golden from Ashland, Oregon.
Golden, in addition to supporting Kotek for governor, once had an apparent disposition toward using racial slurs, specifically the n-word. Not just anonymously or in private either, but in a book Golden published under his name in 1971 titled "Watermelon Summer: A Journal by Jeffrey Golden."
Golden, who is also on the ballot running for reelection to his state Senate seat this November, used the n-word "several times" in Watermelon Summer, according to a recent review of the book's slur-containing pages by Fox News Digital.
They report several instances that show the word not being used in quoting song lyrics or other works of literature, but in original statements penned by Golden in his book. For example, "The Featherfield people are not as politicized as the Muslims, but that may make little or no difference to a white community that perceives the threat of a whole county of uppity n-----s," Golden wrote.
Golden also wrote that "It’s a minor act of defiance to demonstrate that the good-n----- requirement of a skullcap haircut is a thing of the past." And in another passage, Golden describes how the "Smithville police follow us most of the time we’re returning from town, and charged up here immediately last night when they heard about a barroom brawl involving a n-----lovin’ white in Americus."
Goodness.
Using the n-word in his journal that he published after spending a summer on a Georgia farm with a sharecropping family is something Golden said this week he regrets, sort of — but apparently only after Fox News Digital's reporting highlighted the slurs.
"I‘ve never used that word myself," Golden told a local FOX TV affiliate, despite the full n-word appearing multiple times in the journal he wrote and published. "But as I was describing something maybe really hairy that was happened that day, I said, here’s what they said, this is what they think and at the time I didn’t think say ‘N-word’, don’t write the whole word." Not exactly an eloquent apology.
In a longer, more tidy written statement, Golden claimed that when he used the slur "fully spelled out," he "described and ridiculed the language of hostile, bigoted people we encountered." Golden also said that he "can understand how people reading the isolated sentences circulating this week could be deeply offended by reading this truly ugly word" and added "I am sorry for that."
A bit more combative, Golden's statement also said that those upset about his use of the n-word "have no genuine concern about racism’s damage to people and communities." Not sure that's how things work, but there you have it. He also said that people concerned about his use of racial slurs in his book are just a distraction and that the "tactic is deeply cynical," adding "I don’t plan to fuel it with more comment."
Tina Kotek still had Golden's endorsement featured on her site as of Friday evening, and she has yet to explain why she lists him as someone "Tina is proud to have the support of," nor has she condemned his prior use of the n-word in his book.
The communications director for Kotek's GOP opponent Christine Drazan, sees it a bit differently. "Jeff Golden's repeated use of racial slurs in a book is indefensible, there is no excuse or explanation that can justify his use of that word," John Burke told Townhall Friday evening. "This news came to light days ago and so far Tina Kotek hasn't said a word about it and, as of today, still has his endorsement on her website. She must immediately disavow his support and condemn his offensive actions," Burke continued. "Anything less would be an insult to communities across this state."
According to the Cook Political Report, the race for governor in Oregon is currently rated as a "Toss Up," moved from "Lean Dem" in mid-September after starting the 2022 cycle as "Likely Dem." As CPR puts it well, "no race for governor has been more surprising."