Oregon governor race 2026: Tina Kotek vs. Christine Drazan

The basics

Oregon votes by mail. Ballots began going out to voters in the middle of October for the Nov. 3 election. Kotek won the May 19 Democratic primary with 84% of the vote, and Drazan won a multicandidate Republican primary with 41%. Her two leading rivals then endorsed her. Pacific Green Party nominee Brett Smith is also on the ballot. Kotek also holds the nominations of the Working Families, Progressive and Independent parties, OPB reported. It is Oregon's first governor's rematch since 1978. Unlike 2022, there is no well funded unaffiliated candidate. Betsy Johnson, who ran then, is not on the ballot.

The candidates

Tina Kotek (D) was speaker of the Oregon House before winning the governorship in 2022. She is seeking a second term and has been endorsed by unions including Oregon AFSCME and AFT-Oregon, though the Oregon Education Association has not endorsed in the race. The Oregonian editorial board gave her what it called "a dispirited endorsement."

Christine Drazan (R) is a state senator and former Republican leader in the Oregon House who grew up in Southern Oregon. Her "Drazan Plan" calls for a government accountability office to find waste, an order freezing new regulations on her first day and vetoes of new tax increases. The NFIB endorsed her.

Where the race stands

A DHM Research poll (Sept. 24–Oct. 1, 549 likely voters, ±4) had Kotek 46%, Drazan 44%, and an OPB poll published Sept. 30 found the race virtually deadlocked, with about 60% of likely voters saying the state is headed in the wrong direction, OPB reported. STTPN's average includes only the DHM poll, the one independent survey in the past 45 days that met its standards. Cook and Sabato's Crystal Ball rate the race Lean Democratic, and Inside Elections rates it Tilt Democratic.

The issues

Taxes and the cost of living

Kotek blames rising costs on federal policies, including tariffs and cuts to Medicaid and health insurance subsidies, and ties them to Drazan and Republicans. Drazan blames state taxes, fuel rules and building regulations. "The governor's solution to every problem is a new tax," Drazan said at the candidates' final debate on Oct. 13 in Bend, pointing to a gas tax increase Kotek sought for road maintenance. Kotek said Drazan voted against a tax package that funds the Oregon Health Plan, OPB reported.

Housing and homelessness

Drazan would cut building rules and overhaul land use laws so government will "get to 'yes' and get out of the way." Kotek says building should be simpler and points to a recent rise in new housing. Kotek credits her shelter programs with a 19% drop in homelessness in Central Oregon. Drazan says success should be measured by people moving "into detox, into treatment."

Data centers and utility bills

Both candidates now support a statewide moratorium on new data centers. Kotek says she needs the Legislature to approve one. Drazan says she does not. Kotek's campaign notes that Drazan voted against the POWER Act, which shifts some utility costs to large energy users. Drazan called the law "window dressing."

Rural Oregon

Asked about Eastern Oregon, where some residents favor leaving to join Idaho, Kotek said she visited all 36 counties in her first year and is "a governor for you" wherever voters live. Drazan argued Kotek is out of touch with rural voters, citing the gas tax and a 2020 climate bill, and said Idaho "actually provides opportunity."

Controversies

Kotek frequently argues that Drazan "will choose to side with President Donald Trump and not with Oregon." Drazan argues Kotek promised four years ago to fix the state's problems and did not, and has called her the "original defund the police candidate," Fox News reported. Both campaigns have limited media interviews and public events, OPB reported, with Kotek's described as especially cautious.