Former Portland Trail Blazer center Chris Dudley has launched a second attempt to run for governor of Oregon as a Republican, a long-shot bid in a blue state even as the incumbent has struggled in polls.

Dudley, who played six seasons for the Trail Blazers and 16 for the NBA overall, said in an announcement video Monday that he would ease divisiveness and focus on public safety, affordability and education in a state where support for Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek has been low for her entire tenure.

“The empty promises, the name calling, the finger pointing and fear mongering that has solved nothing must stop,” said in his election announcement. “There are real solutions, and I have a plan.”

Dudley is one of the most successful Republicans of the last 25 years in Oregon, coming within 2 points of defeating Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber in 2010.

“I think it’s imperative that we get somebody from outside of Salem who’s away from the partisan politics, away from the name calling, the finger pointing,” Dudley told The Oregonian. “Who has the expertise and background and the ability to bring people together to solve these issues.”

In his election announcement, Dudley spoke about his love of the state and frustration people have with the current state of politics. He mentioned education, safety and affordability as key issues he plans to address but did not give any key policy specifics.

Dudley is a Yale graduate who worked in finance after leaving the NBA. A diabetic, he also founded a foundation focused on children with Type 1 diabetes.

In the GOP primary, Dudley faces a field that includes state Sen. Christine Drazan, who lost to Kotek by nearly 4 percentage points in 2022.

Other candidates include another state lawmaker, a county commissioner and a conservative influencer who was pardoned by President Donald Trump for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Kotek is a relatively unpopular governor. Her approval rating has consistently remained under 50 percent her entire term in office, according to polling analysis by Morning Consult. She has not announced her campaign but is expected to run for reelection.

Despite expectations that Democrats will do well in the midterms, a number of Oregon Republicans have become more involved in state politics since the last election. Phil Knight, a co-founder of Nike, donated $3 million to an Oregon Republican PAC focused on gaining seats in the state Legislature in October. It was his largest political donation to date, according to the Willamette Week.

Dudley received significant backing from Knight in his 2010 race, but it’s unclear if he will get the same level of support this time around.

Any Republican faces an uphill battle for governor in Oregon, where a GOP candidate has not won since 1982 and where Democrats have a registration edge of about 8 percentage points.

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday called video footage of the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minnesota “deeply troubling” as he urged a full investigation into the deadly incident.

“In the wake of the tragic shooting that claimed the life of Alex Pretti this weekend, our prayers are with his family, the citizens of Minneapolis and local, state and federal law enforcement officers serving there,” Pence said in a post on X. “The images of this incident are deeply troubling and a full and transparent investigation of this officer involved shooting must take place immediately.”

Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents on Saturday. The incident, which occurred about 2 miles from where Renee Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7, has ignited a heated debate between the Trump administration and Minnesota officials amid intense scrutiny of the tactics of the president’s immigration crackdown.

Protesters have flooded the streets of Minnesota in the aftermath of Pretti’s killing.

State leaders have alleged federal officials have blocked them from being involved in an investigation into the shooting. Administration officials have accused Minnesota authorities of refusing to collaborate with immigration authorities on deportations.

But Pence on Monday called for law enforcement at all levels to work together on investigating the latest shooting.

“The focus now should be to bring together law enforcement at every level to address the concerns in the community even while ensuring that dangerous illegal aliens are apprehended and no longer a threat to families in Minneapolis,” Pence said.

The former vice president is the latest high-profile Republican to express concerns over the events unfolding in Minnesota. Like Pence, some of the party’s top voices have called for a full investigation into the shooting.

Others have disputed the administration’s justification that Pretti’s carrying of a gun was legal justification for his killing, which Pence echoed on Monday.

“The American people deserve to have safe streets, our laws enforced and our constitutional rights of Freedom of Speech, peaceable assembly and the right to keep and bear Arms respected and preserved all at the same time,” said Pence. “That’s how Law and Order and Freedom work together in America.”