{{short description|American journalist and politician (born 1959)}} {{Infobox person | name = Rick Dancer | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|6|30}} | birth_place = Hillsboro, Oregon, USA | death_date = | death_place = | education = Pacific University | occupation = Journalist, politician | other_names = | disappeared_status = | title = | family = | spouse = Kathy | children = 2 | relatives = | networth = | credits = KEZI anchor | agent = | website = http://rickdancer.com/ }} '''Rick Dancer''' (born June 29, 1959) is an American journalist and politician in the state of Montana.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dancer |first=Rick |date=2026-01-03 |title=Let Them Say What They Want |url=https://www.rickdancer.com/post/let-them-say-what-they-want |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=Rickdancer |language=en}}</ref> Born in the city of Hillsboro, he was a longtime anchor for KEZI television in Eugene. Among his other activities as anchor, he covered the Thurston High School shooting. He later left broadcasting to run as a Republican for Oregon Secretary of State, losing in the general election to Democrat Kate Brown in 2008.
==Early life== Rick Dancer was born on June 29, 1959, to Roy and Betty Dancer in Hillsboro, Oregon.<ref name="primary">{{cite news|title=Kroger defeats Macpherson for attorney general|last=Green |first=Ashbel S.|date=May 21, 2008|work=The Oregonian|page=A7}}</ref><ref name="tragedies"/><ref name="fg">{{cite news|url=http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121495910186634600|title=Politician, Pacific alum to march in Hillsboro's holiday parade Friday|last=E. Harger III|first=Stover|date=July 2, 2008|newspaper=The Forest Grove News-Times|accessdate=2009-09-07|archive-date=2012-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318103008/http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121495910186634600|url-status=live}}</ref> He grew up there with three sisters and lived in Hillsboro for his first 24 years,<ref name="fg"/> graduating from Hillsboro High School in 1977.<ref name="nrt">{{cite news|url=http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080605/NEWS/419055542/1055|title=Dancing away from politics|last=Sowell|first=John|date=June 5, 2008|work=The News-Review|accessdate=2009-09-07|archive-date=2011-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727212758/http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080605/NEWS/419055542/1055|url-status=live}}</ref> In high school he worked for the local Copeland Lumber store before attending college at Pacific University in neighboring Forest Grove.<ref name="fg"/> Dancer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Pacific in 1983.<ref name="fg"/> In Hillsboro, he married Kathy at the United Methodist Church that same year, and they had two sons, Jess and Jake.<ref name="fg"/><ref name="sos">{{cite news|url=http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Record?q=recTitle%3A2008+general+And+recTitle%3Apamphlet&sortBy=recCreatedOn-|title=Secretary of State: Rick Dancer|work=Online Voters' Guides for November 4, 2008 General Election|publisher=Oregon Secretary of State|accessdate=2009-09-07|archive-date=2020-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904120016/http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Record?q=recTitle%3A2008+general+And+recTitle%3Apamphlet&sortBy=recCreatedOn-|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Television== After college Dancer moved to the southern Oregon Coast in 1985 and was a reporter in Coquille and Coos Bay at KCBY.<ref name="nrt"/><ref name="sosprimary">{{cite news|url=http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Record?q=recTitle:2008+primary&sortBy=recCreatedOn-|title=Secretary of State: Rick Dancer|work=Voters' Guides for May 20, 2008 Primary Election|publisher=Oregon Secretary of State|accessdate=2009-09-07|archive-date=2020-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904114246/http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Record?q=recTitle:2008+primary&sortBy=recCreatedOn-|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bend">{{cite web|url=http://www.thevoterguide.org/a-bendbulletin08/race-detail.do?id=153879163|title=My Ballot: Secretary of State|work=The Bulletin|accessdate=2009-09-07}}</ref> Dancer then moved to Eugene, Oregon, in 1987 and worked as a television reporter for KVAL-TV.<ref name="sosprimary"/><ref name="bend"/> After a few years he moved to KEZI in 1989, the ABC affiliate in Eugene and continued as a reporter until becoming an anchor a year later.<ref name="heard"/><ref name="roundup">{{cite news|title=Election Roundup; TV anchorman seeks secretary of state's office|last=Mapes |first=Jeff |date=February 26, 2008|work=The Oregonian|page=B3}}</ref> In 1998, he was one of the first reporters to arrive at Thurston High School in Springfield after the shooting spree by Kip Kinkel.<ref name="tragedies">{{cite news|title=Experiences of tragedies bringing inspiration to many|last=Colby|first=Richard|date=April 25, 2002|work=The Oregonian|page=C2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=West Zoner: Religion Briefs|date=April 18, 2002|work=The Oregonian|page=12}}</ref> While covering the story he started to cry while on camera, which angered him, but led to additional interviews with students as they felt he cared about the students.<ref name="tragedies"/> In February 2008, he announced he was leaving KEZI in order to run for public office.<ref name="roundup"/> In 2020 and 2021 his company Rick Dancer Media Service LLC took out $19,896 and $18,166 in PPP loans that were later forgiven.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rick Dancer Media Service LLC – PPP Loan |url=https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/rick-dancer-media-service-llc-8544848403 |website=ProPublica |access-date=2025-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Rick Dancer Media Service LLC – PPP Loan (Second Draw) |url=https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/rick-dancer-media-service-llc-6834577408 |website=ProPublica |access-date=2025-03-28}}</ref>
==Political career== The day after leaving television, he official started his campaign for Oregon Secretary of State as a Republican.<ref name="roundup"/> He won the primary unopposed and then faced Democratic state senator Kate Brown in the fall election.<ref name="primary"/> His campaign focused on advocating for converting the Secretary of State position into a non-partisan position, and also supported Ballot Measure 65 that would have created an open primary system.<ref name="hopes">{{cite news|title=Oregon GOP's hopes ride on two political rookies|last=Walsh|first=Edward|author2=Janie Har |date=October 30, 2008|work=The Oregonian|page=B1}}</ref> He ran on the premise of being an outsider having never been in office before, while Brown touted her experience in public office.<ref name="heard">{{cite news|title=Have you heard? 3 are vying for top elections job|last=Har|first=Janie|date=October 8, 2008 |work=The Oregonian|page=D1}}</ref>
Dancer raised around $365,000 in his campaign through late October, compared to around $750,000 for Brown.<ref name="race">{{cite news|title=Race pits timber, union cash|last=Hogan|first=Dave|date=October 24, 2008|work=The Oregonian|page=A5}}</ref> The biggest of his contributions came from timber companies.<ref name="race"/> Dancer pulled within six percentage points in polling in late October.<ref name="hopes"/> Brown won the November general election defeating Dancer and Pacific Green Party candidate Seth Woolley.<ref>{{cite news|title=Democrats sweep to capture statewide jobs|last=Walsh|first=Edward|date=November 5, 2008|work=The Oregonian|page=A20}}</ref> Dancer garnered 785,740 votes compared to 873,968 for Brown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordpdf/6873598|title=Secretary of State|work=November 4, 2008, General Election Abstracts of Votes|publisher=Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division|accessdate=2009-09-07|archive-date=2020-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904091529/http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordpdf/6873598|url-status=live}}</ref> Dancer was mentioned as a possible candidate to run for the Republican nomination for Governor of Oregon in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pixelworks co-founder enters governor race|last=Mapes|first=Jeff|date=February 19, 2009|work=The Oregonian}}</ref>
Dancer is part of a group of filmmakers who began production in 2010 on a documentary film about former U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield.<ref>The Hatfield Project [http://www.hatfieldfilm.com/ www.HatfieldFilm.com.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028090220/http://www.hatfieldfilm.com/ |date=2010-10-28 }}</ref><ref>Mapes, Jeff.{{cite web |title=Mark Hatfield documentary in the works |publisher=www.OregonLive.com |date=June 14, 2010 |url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2010/06/mark_hatfield_documentary_in_t.html |accessdate=July 12, 2010 |archive-date=June 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616125140/http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2010/06/mark_hatfield_documentary_in_t.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin no change | title = 2008 Oregon Secretary of State election<ref>{{cite web | title = Official Results | November 4, 2008 | url = http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordhtml/6873598 | website = Oregon Secretary of State | access-date = October 30, 2023 | archive-date = September 10, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230910004214/http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordhtml/6873598 | url-status = live }}</ref>}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = Kate Brown | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 873,968 | percentage = 51.0}} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Rick Dancer | party = Republican Party (United States) | votes = 785,740 | percentage = 45.8}} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Seth Alan Woolley | party = Pacific Green Party | votes = 51,271 | percentage = 3.0}} {{Election box write-in with party link no change | votes = 2,740 | percentage = 0.2}} {{Election box total no change | votes = 1,713,719 | percentage = 100%}} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== *[http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2008/02/26/who-is-rick-dancer/ Who is Rick Dancer?] – ''Willamette Week'' *[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jYMVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DusDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6830,4240664&dq=rick-dancer+oregon Christian journalists fear public may behold a bias] – ''The Register-Guard'' *[http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Feb29/0,4670,AnchorCandidate,00.html This Just In: I'm Running for Office] – FOX News *[http://www.katu.com/news/local/16153317.html Some question TV anchor's candidacy announcement on air] – KATU *[http://www.katu.com/news/local/34218239.html Nevada millionaire a major donor to Dancer campaign] – KATU
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dancer, Rick}} Category:1959 births Category:American television news anchors Category:Politicians from Eugene, Oregon Category:Politicians from Hillsboro, Oregon Category:Living people Category:Pacific University alumni Category:Oregon Republicans Category:Hillsboro High School (Oregon) alumni Category:Television personalities from Oregon