Current:Home > NewsDemocrats' total control over Oregon politics could end with the race for governor -AssetLink
Democrats' total control over Oregon politics could end with the race for governor
View
Date:2025-04-27 21:30:08
No state in the country elects Democratic governors more reliably than Oregon, but every streak has its end.
This year, after nearly 40 years of dominance, Democrats are staring down the possibility their reign is coming to a close. With ballots in this vote-by-mail state already heading out to voters, polls show Democrat Tina Kotek, a former state House speaker, running neck-and-neck with Republican Christine Drazan, the previous state House GOP leader.
Oregonians are angsty after years of COVID-19 lockdowns, and amid a worsening homelessness crisis that has been particularly acute in Portland, the state's largest city. And they're not fans of outgoing Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat whom polls show has the lowest approval rating of any governor in the country.
The candidates
That's one hurdle for Kotek, 56. She worked closely with the governor to pass progressive legislation over nine years as speaker of the state House, but has begun to attack Brown's record in ads and public appearances as she works to create distance.
"Oregon can do great things," she said recently. "We have not had the leadership in our governor's office over the last several years to make that happen, and I am tired of it."
Another challenge is Betsy Johnson, 71, the former Democratic state senator who grew wary enough of Oregon's progressive trajectory that she jettisoned her party registration last year. She's now mounting a well-funded centrist campaign for governor that, though unlikely to succeed, could siphon away Democratic votes.
"Our screwed up political system doesn't offer any good choices," Johnson says in one of the many campaign ads that have smothered the state's airwaves since early this year. "I'm not captive to the far left or the far right."
And then there's Drazan, 50, a two-term lawmaker who smiles sunnily on the campaign trail as she tears into the long legislative records of Kotek and Johnson, painting the two women as one and the same.
"Our state is in a very, very difficult position after a decade of single-party control," Drazan often says. "I ask Oregonians: Are you better off today than you were four years ago? If the answer is no, then the answer is change."
The money and influence
Oregon has no campaign contribution limits, and the three candidates have raised more than $55 million in total this year, shattering previous records. That's partly because of huge national interest from the Republican Governors Association and Democratic Governors Association, which have poured money into Oregon.
Nike co-founder Phil Knight, a billionaire and Oregon's richest man, is taking unprecedented interest in defeating Democrats this year. He spent $3.75 million backing Johnson, and, when her polling numbers didn't budge, cut a $1 million check to Drazan.
The race is tight enough that Democrats are calling in reinforcements --including President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
"Oregon is viewed as a state that has always been in the forefront of change — positive change," Biden said in a recent stop in Portland. "That's why this race going to matter so much — not only for 2022, but for 2024."
Republicans are bringing in outside help, too.
Drazan has acknowledged Biden won the 2020 election, and has not courted an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Instead she's campaigned with politicians whose path to office she hopes to emulate: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Republicans who won over left-leaning states.
"I believe in her, I believe in her plan," Hogan said at a campaign event in September. "I believe the people of Oregon are fed up and ready to try something different."
veryGood! (66)
Related
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Why Jordyn Woods and Boyfriend Karl-Anthony Towns Are Sparking Engagement Rumors
- Jersey Shore's Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Shares Daughter's Gut-Wrenching Reaction to His 2021 Legal Trouble
- College sports ‘fraternity’ jumping in to help athletes from schools impacted by Hurricane Helene
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Connecticut police officer stabbed during a traffic stop
- 'Devastating consequences': Climate change likely worsened floods after Helene
- Karen Read seeks delay in wrongful death lawsuit until her trial on murder and other charges is done
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Uncover the Best Lululemon Finds: $49 Lululemon Align Leggings Instead of $98, $29 Belt Bags & More
Ranking
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs accuser's lawyers ask to withdraw over 'fundamental disagreement'
- Some California stem cell clinics use unproven therapies. A new court ruling cracks down
- Singer El Taiger Found With Gunshot Wound to the Head in Miami
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- The Latest: Harris to visit Michigan while Trump heads to Georgia
- The Fate of That '90s Show Revealed After Season 2
- Subway rider shot in the head by police files claim accusing officers of recklessly opening fire
Recommendation
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
Jersey Shore's Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Shares Daughter's Gut-Wrenching Reaction to His 2021 Legal Trouble
Solar flares may cause faint auroras across top of Northern Hemisphere
Travis and Jason Kelce’s Mom Donna Kelce Stood “Still” in Marriage to Ed Kelce Before Divorce
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
Ex-NYPD commissioner rejected discipline for cops who raided Brooklyn bar now part of federal probe
'Joker 2' review: Joaquin Phoenix returns in a sweeter, not better, movie musical
A crash saved a teenager whose car suddenly sped up to 120 mph in the rural Midwest