Gubernatorial hopeful Dennis Richardson opened his recent debate with Gov. John Kitzhaber by saying the race isn’t between a Republican and a Democrat, but between the past and the future.

The debate, in front of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, was the first between the two men vying for the seat and kicked off in earnest the 2014 campaign.

Sadly, neither candidate was able to paint a clear picture of that future, but instead spent their time at the podium touching up the past.

Richardson followed his familiar deck of cue cards as he pointed to the failures of Cover Oregon, money sent down the river on the Columbia River Crossing and Kitzhaber’s “MIA” status in Salem, where he has only spent about a quarter of his time this term.

Those points aren’t lost on us, or the rest of Oregonians. Especially the money, which adds up to about $375 million of taxpayer dollars on a website that doesn’t work the way it was pitched and a bridge that doesn’t exist.

The governor looked at the same term and found success, especially in his ability to work with a bipartisan Legislature to secure better educational funding through the grand bargain. Even Cover Oregon and the CRC weren’t such big failures, he argued. After all, 300,000 Oregonians have enrolled in health care through the program (though not start to finish on the website) and the state needed to pursue the Interstate 5 bridge as far as it could go.

In evaluating a governor there are three main tests: his ability to articulate the need for change; the ability to work with legislators; and the persistence to be an effective chief executive. Kitzhaber meets the first two measures, but fails in the third. The latter boils down to an inability or unwillingness to ride agencies for results.

What was missing in Kitzhaber’s debate rhetoric was a statement of why Oregon voters should give Kitzhaber an unprecedented fourth term as governor. After all, hasn’t the man had sufficient opportunity? Furthermore, is he the only Democrat qualified to fill the office?

Across the country, in New York City, Congressman Charles Rangel narrowly survived his party primary. When Rangel is re-elected in November, he will have served some 30 years in Congress. The writer of a letter to The New York Times last week noted how many promising Democrats had grown old waiting for a shot at Rangel’s seat.

A similar situation is developing here. If you add the term of Gov. Barbara Roberts, sandwiched between Kitzhaber’s three terms and a prospective fourth terms, you get 20 years.

Meanwhile, Richardson has the tough challenge of making the case for electing a Republican governor in a blue state, and moreover why he should be that Republican.

Richardson certainly knows Kitzhaber’s weak spot has been follow-through and has hammered him for it at every chance he gets.

But why Richardson? He has served in the Oregon House for six terms and is the vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee. He has the background befitting an Oregon representative — U.S. Army veteran, small-town lawyer, loving wife and large family. All good stuff.

But aside from the fact that he’s not the other guy, it’s been hard to point to why he’s the right guy. And it’s nearly impossible to win an election at this scale just because you’re not the other guy.

Add to it that Kitzhaber has raised more than four times as much money for his campaign as Richardson, and the task is clear and daunting. Richardson must convince voters that his vision for the state is best, and that he’s the man to carry it out.

Being able to articulate that vision should be the first step, and that’s a performance we are still waiting to see.