Ben Westlund

==Background==
* Independent for Governor in Oregon in 2006
A small businessman, Westlund was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican in 1996 and served until 2003, when he was appointed to fill the an empty State Senate seat. He was elected to a full term in 2004, winning both the Democratic and Republican nominations and clobbering a tenacious Constitution candidate 80% to 20%. 
On February 14, 2006, he announced that he was now a registered Independent and declared his candidacy for Governor
==Links==
==Issues==
* His platform includes converting to an open primary, protecting abortion rights, making health care a right, and increasing corporate income taxes. 
==Insights==
Westlund