Oregon’s Governor race 2026. What’s changed? Why now?

This November Oregon voters will elect a governor to run our state for the next 4 years.  I personally am very strongly behind candidate Christine Drazan. Yes, she ran and lost last time, yes, her primary is yet again looking very tough, and yes, I truly believe that she can make it happen this November.

Let’s start by taking a look back so we can see what has changed since 2022. 2022 started out with a tough primary, mostly for republicans; lots of names in the hat which always equals lots of money spent to get to the top. Out of the primary election Christine Drazan came out ahead and was put on a ballot against two other main candidates. Both of whom only had to spend pennies on the dollar to get their name next to a box on November ballots.  By the time ballots came that year we had one democrat (Tina Kotek), one republican (Christine Drazan) and one independent (Betsy Johnson).

Throughout campaign season there was a strong hope that said “independent” in the body of a lifelong democrat, who often voted conservatively; would hopefully split the democrat vote and cut into Tina Kotek’s ballot counts. But unfortunately, the vote wasn’t split down the democrat side, but more down the republican side. Betsy Johnson gleaned a number of republican votes away from Christine Drazan and the ballots ended up being split down conservative lines.

Tina Kotek was elected governor after receiving only 47% of Oregonian’s votes.  Not a majority, just more than the other two.

• Kotek – 917,074
• Drazan – 850,347
• Johnson – 168,431

In Oregon you don’t need a majority, you just need the most. But I would like to point out here that just 4 years ago over half of our voting population didn’t want her in that office. I have to imagine after years of failed leadership; this still rings true.

***A small side note here, 126,202 Republicans never turned in their ballot in 2022, Drazan lots by 66,727 votes. Please take the time to vote, it does make a difference; at least it sure would have a few years ago.***

This time around as we get closer to Oregon’s primary vote my reasons haven’t changed in support of Christine Drazan; actually they have only gotten stronger. After a loss, Drazan didn’t disappear or tuck tail and run like others in the past. She stood right back up and kept working for Oregonians. Because as I see it, and I’ve heard her say, this isn’t about her personally winning; it’s about this state and making it better and fixing what has been going in the wrong direction for far too long.

So why support Drazan again? For me it has a lot to do with the work I have seen her put into our industry. Not everyone understands agriculture. But considering it’s my livelihood and a legacy for my family I feel passionate about advocating. Under the current governor we continue to see attack after attack on how we do business. Drazan has been a solid force behind helping our farmers here in Oregon. I said that she didn’t tuck tail and hide after losing, and a perfect example of how she kept fighting for agriculture especially was her work to stop the Ag Workforce Board legislation.

The Ag Workforce Board was a bill that by all means “was just going to pass”. I alongside other farmers and ranchers stood up and testified, we submitted real testimony about the effects of this horrible bill. And yet the message behind it all was “you’re going to lose”. And then low and behold someone was working for us even when we weren’t there. Someone was speaking up and spending political capital on farmers.

The day I found out that this horrible bill turned into a study to look more closely into the actual issues, aka a deep breath of “let’s find out what is really happening here before we mess up an entire industry in Oregon” I can’t even tell you how shocked I was. For me this had been written off as an absolute. But then I found out it was Drazan that did the work, that she took what was being shoved down our throats and created a pause for us. And I can’t even tell you how grateful I was then and still am now. That is the leader that I want. Someone who doesn’t give up, who finds a way to create room for a breath and for the right legislation to take shape. 

Agriculture isn’t the only industry hurting here in Oregon.  Schools are facing painful cuts alongside tools being removed from their toolbox of how to work through these difficult times. Sure the CAT tax has raised money, but dems simultaneously cut the general fund budget to bait and switch funding. So here we are with a major education problem on our hands.

The price of fuel is skyrocketing and Kotek is blaming the feds, meanwhile she won’t consider a pause on our own Clean Fuels program that costs us Oregonians $0.23 per gallon with not one cent going to actual roads. Not to mention how is that homeless problem being solved? The list really goes on and on of how increasing taxes simply to throw money at problems doesn’t equal solutions, just higher taxes with the same problems. And all of that is to say that people aren’t thrilled with signing up for another 4 years of this mess.

So back to 2026 and what is ahead. There are a lot of faces in this primary. Lots of folks who want change and can sniff out an opportunity to grasp at the frustration that the ongoing leadership in this state has created and perpetuated. There are no tax claims by members in the race who actually voted for taxes to increase; there is someone who got a boat load of money from one person yet had been a ghost since they also lost the governor’s race the first time; there are people with good intentions but not the real experience or proven talent in this arena needed to make effective changes quickly and efficiently should they pull off a win. 

Drazan is proven, she’s shown up even after a loss, she has been in the trenches to prove her leadership and she is the right person for the job. She has an already strong hold this primary. And I know she can win against Kotek in November!  She can do that and hit the ground running to change the downward spiral of Oregon. I want someone at the helm who believes that Oregon can get back on its feet. I couldn’t put it better than Christine herself, “Oregon should be the best place to raise a family, start and grow a business, buy a home, learn a trade, and receive a world-class education.” I couldn’t agree more.  So let’s go get her elected!