2016 State Treasurer candidate Chris Telfer endorses Jeff Gudman in 2020.

Former Republican State Senator and Independent Party candidate for State Treasurer, Chris Telfer, has endorsed Republican Jeff Gudman in the 2020 treasurer’s race.

I was the Independent candidate for State Treasurer in 2016. This year, I am supporting Jeff 100% and hope you’ll vote for him to receive our party’s endorsement.

The race was tight, with Jeff Gudman coming within 2.2% of winning, despite being outspent 5:1. Telfer, a popular figure in Republican circles, took 9% of the vote as an Independent.

The credentials gap between Gudman and his opponent, incumbent career politician Tobias Read, is stark. Gudman has an MBA in finance and management from the Wharton School of business, and has served as treasurer of USA Olympic Swimming, Legacy Emmanuel Hospital Foundation, major utilities, and private industry. He earned a reputation as a budget hawk on the Lake Oswego City Council where he funded priorities like a new city hall and police station without having to raise anyone’s taxes.

Gudman has spent his entire career in finance for private industry, utilities and non-profits. He’s also spent spent just enough time as a public servant to understand the system without having been corrupted by it. For him, the Treasurer’s position is not a stepping-stone for higher office – it’s a way to give back to the state that has given me so much opportunity throughout his life and career.