EUGENE, Oregon — The race for Oregon governor is tightening, with new polls showing Democratic incumbent Gov. Tina Kotek and Republican Sen. Christine Drazan essentially tied.
Kotek and Drazan clashed at times as they debated some of Oregon’s most pressing issues during the KVAL debate Thursday night in Eugene.
Candidates focused heavily on affordability, homelessness and housing, while also addressing education, wildfires and data center growth, among other topics. The debate became contentious at times as the two men presented competing approaches and criticized each other’s results and priorities.
FULL DEBATE BELOW:
Highlights of the debate:
Governor Tina Kotek gives his opening statement.
Senator Christine Drazan gives his opening statement.
Dragan on abortion.
Kotek book his concluding remarks.
Drazan delivers his concluding remarks.
—-
Here are the questions the candidates faced during the debate:
What is the most pressing issue facing Oregon and what will you do as governor to solve it?
Why hasn’t increased funding for K-12 improved reading scores?
What would you do to increase the housing supply in Oregon?
What will you do to make life more affordable for Oregonians?
Would you like to increase the overtime threshold on Oregon farms?
What steps would you take to mitigate future wildlife damage?
What is your vision for data centers in Oregon?
How would you change Oregon’s tax structure?
How would you make higher education more affordable?
Why should pro-choice Oregonians vote for you?
How would you improve mental health care before a crisis leads to an arrest?
What evidence shows that Oregon’s mail-in voting system is untrustworthy?
Why should Oregonians trust you over your campaign donors?
Who won the 2020 presidential election?
Are you going to replace the climate protection program with a market-based system?
Why did you support sending federal troops to Portland?
Are ODOT’s major projects harming rural communities?
—-
Earlier:
A new poll from Oregon Public Broadcasting shows Drazan holding a slight one-point lead over Kotek a little more than a month before Election Day on Nov. 3, a margin that is well within the poll’s margin of error. Oregon has not elected a Republican governor since 1982.
OPB’s survey also found widespread voter dissatisfaction with the state’s direction. Of those surveyed, 58% said they thought Oregon was heading in the wrong direction.
Kotek’s approval rating in the poll was 38%.
Despite the tight numbers, the race has already shown similar dynamics. In the last election featuring the same two candidates, Drazan was leading in the polls before Election Day, but ultimately lost to Kotek by 3 points.
The two candidates have agreed to a single televised debate. It is scheduled for Thursday, October 1 at 6 p.m. in Eugene, hosted by KVAL. It is co-sponsored by the Oregon Journalism Project, Lookout Eugene-Springfield and the OU School of Journalism and Communication.
Gn usa
