[Portland, OR] – During tonight’s KGW/The Oregonian debate, Tina Kotek proved why she is the only candidate for governor endorsed by major news outlets across the state, including The Oregonian, Willamette Week, Eugene Weekly, Bend Source Weekly and The Skanner: she is the only candidate ready to tackle Oregon’s biggest challenges, with the state’s housing and homelessness crisis at the top of the list.
In response to a question about homelessness, Tina showed the contrast between her leadership and Republican Christine Drazan’s obstructionism:
“Nearly three years ago, I called for a homelessness state of emergency here in our state… Governor Brown did nothing. And what’s worse, Representative Drazan walked her Republican colleagues off the job, and $120 million in funding that could have gone to shelters and new affordable housing construction… didn’t happen. We lost momentum. I will lead where Governor Brown couldn’t or wouldn’t lead on this issue, and Representative Drazan’s record on this is one of failure.”
Republican Christine Drazan made news when she stunningly failed to condemn the growing faction of Republicans who are following Donald Trump’s lead and still refusing to accept the results of the 2020 elections.
Even when pushed by the debate’s moderators, Drazan refused to answer their question about whether election deniers should be disqualified from holding office.
Instead of standing up to extremism tonight, Drazan is doubling down on her support for U.S. Senate candidate Jo Rae Perkins, who was present at the January 6th insurrection, called it the “American Revolution,” and actively denies the results of the 2020 election.
This is not the first time that Drazan has failed to condemn extremism. As HuffPost reported: “Christine Drazan is campaigning with a far-right militia leader and taking money from a guy who bankrolled one of the main organizers of the Jan. 6 rally.”
“Tonight Tina Kotek showed – once again – that she is the only candidate with a serious, urgent plan of action to address Oregon’s housing and homelessness crisis,” said Katie Wertheimer, communications director. “Meanwhile, Christine Drazan’s failure to condemn election deniers in tonight’s debate proves that she will side with the most extreme MAGA Republicans over the best interests of Oregonians.”
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