Three-way race for Oregon governor
Split in votes could aid Republican candidate
PORTLAND, Ore. — Gubernatorial elections in Oregon usually result in victories for the Democrats, but this November’s contest is setting up to be a competitive and contentious three-way race.
Former Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek won the Democratic nomination for Oregon governor Tuesday. She will face the winner of the GOP gubernatorial primary and nonaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson in the fall. As a nonaffiliated candidate, Johnson did not need to run in a primary race to make the fall ballot.
“This will be a three-way race for the highest office in our state. And this will be an election unlike any of us have ever seen,” Kotek said in her victory speech Tuesday night.
The GOP gubernatorial nominee is still being determined, with former House Minority Leader Christine Drazan holding onto a lead over former Oregon Republican Party Chair Bob Tiernan.
Drazan said Tiernan called her Wednesday afternoon and conceded, which was confirmed by his campaign.
“While all signs point to a victory, we are still waiting for more ballots to be tallied and for the race to be officially called,” Drazan tweeted.
Incumbent Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, can’t run again because of term limits.
While Oregon hasn’t seen a GOP governor in 35 years, political experts say Republicans have an opening amid discontent in the state and a possible split in votes between Kotek, a progressive, and Johnson, a former Democratic state senator.
“I think this is the best shot they’ve had in quite a few years,” Christopher Mcknight Nichols, an associate professor of history at Oregon State University, said of the GOP party’s chances in November.