Bob McDonald, a practicing physician from Mt. Angel, has come to a conclusion about health care in the United States. "The system is broken," the Democratic candidate for Senate District 9 said. "It's not just something we should do something about, it's something we have to do something about. It's a real crisis."

He believes by bringing his medical background to Salem, he can have an impact on a solution. McDonald has been practicing medicine as a family physician since 1981 and has used his knowledge for community efforts as well. He's a founding member of the Medical Ethics Committee at Silverton Hospital; a volunteer physician at the Silverton Community Outreach Clinic; and a volunteer at a homeless shelter run by the Benedictine Sisters. "I've seen the system from all different angles," he said. "I understand what will work and what won't work."

Health care is not the only issue McDonald identified as a priority.

"Education is the key to Oregon's future and our economy," he said.

McDonald doesn't like that the state spends more on incarceration than higher education.

He would like to see the state establish itself as a leader in clean energy education, pointing to the Oregon Institute of Technology, which recently awarded the first degree in Renewable Energy Engineering.

McDonald opposes Measure 61, which would create mandatory minimum sentences for specified crimes including burglary, forgery and manufacture and delivery of various illegal drugs and instead favors Measure 57, which would allow judicial discretion in sentencing and provides money for drug treatment.

"Drug treatment is not being 'soft on crime,'" McDonald said. Incarceration "hasn't solved the problem," he added. "What it has done is depleted the funds for health care and higher education."

Treatment, he believes, can affect the drug problem while saving money for other needs, like education. "For every one dollar we spend on drug treatment, we save $7 in the system," he said.

McDonald's endorsements include the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the Oregon Education Association and the Oregon Council of Police Associations.