Change is not necessarily positive. In fact, it can be downright scary. But with the current state of our country -- war, economic woes, what next pestilence? -- change is in order.

We have endorsed candidates who we feel will move us towards a new economy built on green, sustainable energy, while respecting the rights of Oregon voters and humans in general. Now that's change we can believe in.

In every race we asked each candidate the same questions and gave everyone, including third-party candidates, ample opportunity to state their case. If a candidate did not respond, our editorial board researched as best they could the candidate's stance on what the board believes to be important this election year.

Remember: this is our opinion and being an educated voter, you should consider all options before casting your ballot.

The editorial board consists of: Salem Monthly Publisher A.P. Walther, Co-owner Nancy Ingham, Editor Reina Pike, Assistant Editor Shawn Estes.

President - Barack Obama
Senator McCain has proven time and again that he supports the current policies of the Bush Administration. These policies have obviously not done well for the economy, the environment or foreign relations. It is a happy bonus that Barack Obama seems to reflect change in all the right ways, because we probably would have cast our endorsement for whoever opposed this administration.

U.S. Senator - Jeff Merkley

We feel that how a person eats a hot dog and running misleading ads about rape is not a good way for an incumbent to make his case for staying in office. By hiding behind the popular Democratic presidential candidate, Gordon Smith has practically announced that he is ashamed of what he's supported in the past. And on most issues, so are we.

Smith has overlooked Oregon voters when making decisions to support his party-line agenda. The best point that Jeff Merkley made was that "I believe Oregon's U.S. Senators should always respect the will of Oregon voters." He went on to state his views on the recent financial sector fiasco, "We've seen what happens when government regulators are asleep at the wheel. I support returning to rigorous oversight that encourages economic growth while protecting working families."

U.S. House, 5th District - Kurt Schrader

It seemed like this race was going to be heated, then Mike Erickson took a vacation from the campaign. No, he didn't go back to Cuba, but he did hunker down in an undisclosed location in Lake Oswego. Very little came from his campaign, including a response to our inquiries. At SM's deadline, the press section on Erickson's Web site hadn't been updated since April. It's emblazoned with a note saying that he is beating Kevin Mannix in an election. Perhaps his only goal was to win the primary.

State Senator Kurt Schrader is ready to make the move to the big leagues. He has shown that he is a very accessible candidate and because of his background in the farm industry, Schrader is in touch with constituents in the 5th District. We prefer openness to the things that we're seeing from his Republican opponent.

We also liked a lot of the responses from Pacific Green's Alex Polikoff, but feel that our two party voting system just not quite ready to give third party candidates a chance.

Secretary of State - Kate Brown

Brown has committed to following incumbent Secretary Bradbury's lead on a restriction in campaign involvement. This commitment increases our confidence in her ability to create a more transparent state government. Her plans are solid on cracking down on initiative fraud, creating a good environment for new business in Oregon, and improving auditing processes to save taxpayer dollars. Her opponent, Rick Dancer, brought up good points on the need for this position to take a non-partisan approach.

State Treasurer - Ben Westlund

We enjoy the advantage of having Westlund's legislature past in this post. It will allow him to understand all of the facets required in the treasurer's office. His plans for promoting a more fair tax system, championing lower energy costs, and quality education fit exactly where we believe Oregon should be moving. As an extra bonus, the Independent Party chose Westlund as well, showing the wide appeal of his candidacy.

Attorney General - John Kroger

You know the pit bull lawyer that everyone wants to have on their side and is deathly afraid to face off against? Oregon's got one in waiting with John Kroger. He gave us the clearest, most aggressive answers out of all of the candidates. Kroger has solid plans for drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration, protecting the environment from repeat corporate offenders, and a commitment to open an investigation on mortgage predatory lending as his first act as Attorney General.

If that wasn't enough, Kroger's third party opponent James Leuenberger even agrees that according to SM standards, Kroger is the better candidate. In a response to one of our questions he said, "BTW [sic], having read Mr. Kroger's book, it appears these questions are tailored for a ready endorsement of Mr. Kroger." They weren't. But thanks for making our job easier, Mr. Leuenberger.

Oregon House, 19th District - Hanten Day

Dr. Hanten Day is surely the opposite of incumbent Kevin Cameron's values. Day gave us a clear plan on how his decision-making process works. He cites the ability of criminals in jail to receive better healthcare than hardworking Oregonians as his primary reason for government involvement in healthcare. It's an interesting twist that not many consider.

It's not a secret that we, at Salem Monthly, support environmentally friendly practices. In fact, we have a whole section dedicated to it in each issue. But Cameron seems to disagree with our stance. His voting record is abysmal for environmental issues, he earned a measly 45 percent on the OLCV 2007 scorecard. Day is clearly the choice here.

Oregon House, 20th District - Richard Riggs

Richard Riggs is energetic and rarin' to get to work. He has a plan ready to expand the rainy day fund to remove the volatility of state budgets and keep crucial services running in times of economic downturns. While we're ready for a single-payer healthcare system, Riggs is proposing transparency in the current system first and then easing into a more universal system.

It's not as strong as we would have liked it, but his alignment on this issue, the environment, promoting less dependency on foreign oil, and solutions for education make up for it.

His opposition seems to be way off base with the will of Oregon voters. Most glaringly, Representative Berger seems to disagree with the now 10-year-old, Medical Marijuana Act, pointing out "the fact that so many Oregonians are taking this serious drug for pain relief speaks to either a failure of modern medicine, a lack of understanding of its dangers, or both."

Marion County Clerk - Bill Burgess

Bill Burgess is the most open and forthcoming official that we dealt with during the endorsement process. Burgess' brings a background in city government that helps his office work with the city. Plus, the guy has been doing a super job. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

See our measure endorsements here