Democratic candidate for governor Tina Kotek greets an employee of a local grocery store before casting her vote at a ballot box on November 2, in Portland, Ore.
Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty Images
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Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty Images
Democratic candidate for governor Tina Kotek greets an employee of a local grocery store before casting her vote at a ballot box on November 2, in Portland, Ore.
Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty Images
Portland, Ore., – In a tight race, Oregonians elected Democrat Tina Kotek as the state’s new governor, according to an Associated Press race.
Koteka former speaker of the House, defeating her Republican opponent and former state congressman Christine Drazan. With the win, Kotek became one of the nation’s first openly lesbian governors — a title she shared with Maura Healey, a Democratic-elected governor of Massachusetts on Tuesday.
The race for governor of Oregon is one of the most competitive in the country. Part of the reason is Betsy Johnson, a former Democratic state senator who ran as a non-affiliated candidate. Early in the race, she had the backing of one of Oregon’s richest men, Nike co-founder Phil Knight. As polls repeatedly showed Johnson falling behind in the race, Knight changed his allegiance and began donating to Drazan’s campaign.
The victory highlights the utter dominance that Democrats have held at the governor’s mansion in Oregon for four decades. Polls show Oregonians are frustrated about a worsening homeless crisis, rising crime and the cost of goods like groceries. Nor are they fans of outgoing Governor Kate Brown, who has the lowest approval rating of any governor in the country.
However, the Democrats still prevailed. Part of the reason is simple math: there are still more registered Democrats in the state than there are Republicans.
While serving as speaker of the House of Representatives for nearly a decade, Kotek passed many progressive bills including increasing the state’s minimum wage and making Oregon the first state to gain rent control across the country. whole state.
“Oregon can do great things,” she said recently. “We haven’t had the leadership in our governor’s office over the past few years to make that happen, and I’m tired of that.”
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