Oregon Democrats Respond to Governor Kotek’s Debate Victory

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Contact: [email protected]

Bend, OR - Following Governor Kotek's resounding defeat of Christine Drazan during their third debate in Bend, Democratic Party of Oregon Chair Nathan Soltz issued the following statement:

"Tina Kotek debated Christine Drazan three times across our state during this campaign, and three times has emerged as the clear winner. Where Drazan had empty attacks, Governor Kotek had a clear plan with actionable ideas. The Governor successfully articulated her vision for improving Oregon, including expanded childcare access, fighting for affordable health care, and continuing to make progress on improving Oregon's public schools. Drazan offered none of those things, instead spending the debate lobbing baseless attacks and dodging her own record of trying to bring Donald Trump's extreme MAGA agenda to Oregon.

"Drazan is out of touch with Oregon voters on immigration, on abortion, and on vote-by-mail. While she continues to pretend to be a moderate, she can't hide from her own voting record of attacking Oregonians' constitutional rights. After tonight's debate, the contrast could not be clearer: while Governor Tina Kotek will continue to make progress for Oregon families and stand up against federal overreach, Christine Drazan has no clear solutions and no daylight between her and Donald Trump on the issues that matter most to Oregonians."

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