EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon’s race for governor is tightening, with new polling showing Democratic incumbent Gov. Tina Kotek and Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan essentially tied.
Kotek and Drazan clashed at times as they debated some of Oregon’s most pressing issues during KVAL’s Thursday night debate in Eugene.
The candidates focused heavily on affordability, homelessness and housing, while also addressing education, wildfires and the growth of data centers, among other topics. The debate at times turned contentious as the two laid out competing approaches and criticized each other’s records and priorities.
FULL DEBATE BELOW:
Debate highlights:
Gov. Tina Kotek gives her opening statement.
Sen. Christine Drazen gives her opening statement.
Drazan on abortion.
Drazen delivers her closing remarks.
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Here are the questions the candidates faced in the debate:
What is the most pressing problem Oregon faces, and what will you do as governor to fix it?
Why hasn’t increased K-12 funding improved reading scores?
What would you do to increase Oregon’s housing supply?
What will you do to make life more affordable for Oregonians?
Would you raise Oregon’s farm overtime threshold?
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 arrest?
What evidence shows Oregon’s vote-by-mail system is untrustworthy?
Why should Oregonians trust you over your campaign donors?
Who won the 2020 presidential election?
Will you replace the Climate Protection Program with a market-based system?
Why did you support sending federal troops to Portland?
Do ODOT’s big projects shortchange rural communities?
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Earlier:
A new Oregon Public Broadcasting poll 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.
The OPB survey also found broad voter dissatisfaction with the state’s direction. Of those surveyed, 58% said they think Oregon is moving in the wrong direction.
Kotek’s approval rating in the poll was 38%.
Despite the close numbers, the race has shown similar dynamics before. In the last election featuring the same two candidates, Drazan led in the polls before election day but ultimately lost to Kotek by 3 points.
The two candidates have agreed to only one televised debate. It is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, in Eugene, hosted by KVAL. It’s co-sponsored by the Oregon Journalism Project, Lookout Eugene-Springfield, and the UO School of Journalism and Communication.