Oregon Governor Race is an Ominous Sign for Democrats in Midterms
“When I drive through Portland, I’m scared. I didn’t used to be scared, but I’m scared”
Even among the most seasoned political junkies, there are probably few people who envisioned a Republican leading in the race for governor in Oregon this year, yet that’s exactly what’s happening.
In fact, if you look at Real Clear Politics, Republican Christine Drazan is not only ahead in the average of polls, she is leading in all of the recent polls.
How is this happening? People in Oregon have finally had enough.
Josh Christenson writes in the Washington Free Beacon:
Oregon Voters Say They’ve Lost Patience With Democrats
After nearly four decades of Democratic control, voters in Oregon are ready for a change of leadership.
“I don’t like the Democratic approach to anything that’s happening,” said Terri, who lives with her husband outside of Salem and dropped her party affiliation two years ago. “I used to be a Democrat for 40 years.”
Like many voters who spoke with the Washington Free Beacon, Terri is fed up with President Joe Biden and Oregon governor Kate Brown (D.). She said both have attempted to woo progressives with policies that undermine public safety and contribute to record inflation…
Residents’ talk often centers on Portland, where Kotek lives and which has long been a hotbed of far-left activism in Oregon. Anti-police protests inspired by the killing of George Floyd gripped the city for over 100 days in 2020, with rioters damaging businesses and clashing violently against federal and local law enforcement. Data for Progress, a left-wing think tank, found two years later that 62 percent of voters want to see more police in their communities.
“When I drive through Portland, I’m scared. I didn’t used to be scared, but I’m scared,” Chris, who volunteers for a nonprofit that helps the homeless, told the Free Beacon. “The police are understaffed and underappreciated.”
In a sign of how dramatically things have shifted, Tina Kotek, the Democrat in this race, is now lobbing attacks at the current Democrat Governor, Kate Brown.
From FOX News, via Yahoo News:
CIVIL WAR: Democrat for governor attacks own party as Republican gains momentum in deep-blue state
Oregon’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Tina Kotek, appears to be responding to the building momentum for Republican candidate Christine Drazan in their heated race by turning on her own party and launching attack’s on the state’s current Democratic governor, Kate Brown.
Kotek’s attacks on Brown, while mild, have come in the final weeks of campaigning as polling has shown Drazan running neck-and-neck with the former Democratic Speaker of Oregon’s state house and well ahead of independent candidate, and former Democrat, Betsy Johnson in the traditionally deep-blue state.
Oregon has not elected a Republican governor since the early 1980s.
Drazan is using this to her advantage.
Tina Kotek is endorsed by Kate Brown and voted with her 99% of the time.
Now, desperate to save her political career, she's running attack ads against Governor Brown.
This is two-faced political maneuvering and it's not fooling anyone.https://t.co/yg3KnTg1z0 #orpol
— Christine Drazan (@ChristineDrazan) October 26, 2022
Drazan might win this race, but even if she doesn’t, the fact that she is this close is a warning sign for Democrats in this midterm cycle.
If Oregon can go red, anywhere can.
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Comments
“If Oregon can go red, anywhere can.“
Well, maybe not California…..
Don’t say this to certain “fighters” around here or you will get a long post to read as retaliation.
Oregon is not electing a Republican governor.
After that Portland was trashed for months and he was exposed for being the useless pansy that he is, mayor Wheeler ran for reelection in November 2020. Did he lose? Nope. Because his closest opponent was more insane than he was.
The state is a lost cause.
yep- and to the North Jay Inslee lost shy of a BILLION in UI money to fraud (or his own agents in Nigeria???) and easily coasted to re-election while shutting down the entire state
Patticakes Murray will also slide easily to victory.
You are probably right. I think this is fundraising bait for greedy and desperate Dems.
That said, it’s fun to watch their Karens squirm.
“…mayor Wheeler ran for reelection in November 2020.”
The landscape has changed dramatically since Nov 2020.
I don’t know who will win in Oregon, but I think it entirely possible that Drazen will win. I’ll go further and predict it. Drazen will win. Absent the third party candidate that I believe takes more from Drazen than the marxist I believe it would be in the bag.
Y’all really need to get past the defeatist attitudes.
not defeatest… just historically true.
Media hypes it up, but the voting block of Portlandia just doesn’t support it.
30 years of importing indians (thx Intel, Tectronix, other semi conductor outfits, along with Nike, etc) who are rampant socialists who hate the GOP and Californian libtards doesn’t change because Biden is a moron.
Well, then let us hope for some transformational muggings.
I can’t see “the landscape” across a state except through elections. and maybe campaign signs in yards if you drive everywhere, which isn’t practical.
I don’t know how Oregon has changed dramatically in two years, you don’t give any evidence. I can only go by what happened last election, and a city that was torched wasn’t enough to persuade voters to change course when it was still fresh in their minds.
You are as off as the WFB is overly optimistic.
The reason for the Republican lead is a major third party candidate who is appealing to Dems and competitive who is taking away a massive share of the Democrat vote.
Nobody knows how much if any significance that has because every Democrat saying they will vote third party….we don’t know if they will actually do it, but there are plenty of spoiler candidates who hand safe seats to the other side (see for example what happened in Alaska thanks to a split vote)
Effectively there are two Democrats against one Republican.
Upvoted anyway for staying moored to what actually is (that Oregon is a blue state even if a spoiler candidate is showing up). We can’t afford delusional hope like Oregon will vote Red in 2024.
This is another uplifting sign that the tide is turning.
We live about 75 miles from Portland. Oh, boy, do I want to go down the list? Maybe later, It’s not pretty.
Oregon progressives are not fed up with democrats, they are just fed up with the current crop. They’ll still be voting blue, until hell freezes over.
OK, this is ridiculously off topic, but if it’s true, it’s the BIG story of the night.
Looks accurate, reported by others:
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/27/elon-musk-now-in-charge-of-twitter-ceo-and-cfo-have-left-sources-say.html
I’m really, really starting to warm up to Elon Musk.
Huh, only took that first woman 40yrs to come to her senses. Only took that guy being worried about being mugged and I think there is a saying involving mugging and liberals.
I haven’t seen much of that Tina Kotek, so I am just throwing this out there, is it possible some people are tired of LGBTQxyz stuff in their face all the time?
BTW I have a twitter friend.. a scientist of sorts.. He had to move from Portland, it is that bad.
“Escape from Portland.”
Snake Plisskin would be proud.
He made it out of New York and LA. Isn’t that enough for Kurt?
This article is way way waaaayyyy off.
What is making the race competitive is a third party candidate. We have no idea if that candidate will keep the supporters who say they will throw their vote away or not (plenty of would be spoilers have polled well then failed on election day) but on occasion spoiler candidates succeed.
Add the spoiler candidates numbers to the Democrat and you have the standard Oregon election.
Lets hope this spoiler isn’t a dud on election day who polled as spoiler and not delude ourselves that Oregon is actually changing colors.