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Week in Review: Bend Shooting Brings Gun Violence to Forefront in Election, Drazan Caught Red-Handed Trying to Hide Her Anti-Abortion Views


In Other News: Tina for Oregon Launches Timely New TV Ads on Gun Violence Prevention and Reproductive Rights

[Portland, OR] – The attempted mass murder at a Safeway in Bend last Sunday “cranked up the political heat” on the debate about gun violence prevention in the 2022 election.

Several news outlets highlighted the stark contrast among Oregon’s gubernatorial candidates on gun policies, making it clearer than ever that Tina Kotek is the only one who will put people’s safety over politics when it comes to gun violence.

HuffPost covered Tina’s new TV ad, in which an Oregon mom explains why she is a “Hard No” on NRA-backed candidate Betsy Johnson. Reporter Kevin Rollibard also points out that national Republicans “smell an opportunity” and are pouring money into Drazan’s campaign, which means that “a gun-loving gubernatorial candidate could tip Oregon to Republicans.”

The Capital Chronicle notes: “Both Johnson and Drazan support gun rights and have ‘A’ ratings by the National Rifle Association.”

And reporter Alia Beard Rau from the Statesman Journal provides critical context on both of the conservative candidates’ voting records:

“Drazan on her campaign website states that she ‘will veto any bill that Compromises Oregonians’ Second Amendment rights, including the right to defend themselves and their family.’”

“Drazan, who has said she is a gun owner, voted against a 2021 bill requiring gun owners to store their firearms in a safe or gun room, or use a trigger lock. The same bill also made it a misdemeanor for owners with a concealed handgun license to carry a gun in the capital or the Portland International Airport. Drazan also voted against a 2019 bill to prohibit certain individuals with court protective orders from possessing firearms.”

“Johnson was the lone Democratic senator in 2015 to vote against a 2015 expansion of background checks for private gun sales, in 2017 to vote against a red flag law that allows judges to require someone to surrender their guns if they are a danger to themselves or others, and in 2021 to vote against the same firearm storage bill Drazan opposed.”

The other top issue in the race remains reproductive rights. A new Wall Street Journal poll found that “abortion is the top issue motivating people to vote this year—and not in a way that favors the GOP.

That might explain why Drazan joined a shameful national trend in which Republicans are trying to hide their extreme anti-abortion views by scrubbing their campaign websites of the hardline stances they took during their primaries.

Axios revealed that Drazan, like Pennsylvania’s Doug Mastriano and Arizona’s Blake Waters, “scrubbed her website’s issues page, which had previously touted pro-life bonafides.”

MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” zeroed in on the controversy, inviting Axios reporter Alexi McCammond to discuss this alarming trend. 

In contrast, Tina is an unwavering champion for reproductive rights, and this week released a new TV ad featuring Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon’s executive director, An Do. 

Jezebel covered the new ad and bluntly laid out the stakes for Oregonians: “Dependably ‘Blue’ State Oregon Could Elect a Right-Wing, Anti-Abortion Governor.” From reporter Kylie Cheung:

“If Republicans do take power in this election cycle—the first since Roe v. Wade was overturned and since Oregon’s neighbor Idaho almost totally banned abortion care—residents of the Beaver State and the entire region could be left scrambling for abortion care.

“Kotek, who served as speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2013 until earlier this year, is currently running against two right-wing women candidates for governor. Drazan told local news she would ‘stand up for life by vetoing legislation designed to push Oregon further outside the mainstream.’ The other, “Independent” Betsy Johnson, has an A rating from the NRA, calls ‘wokeness’ a ‘form of intolerance,’ and, despite identifying as pro-choice, insists that state funding shouldn’t help out-of-state abortion seekers….

“Governors in 2022 America are either doing everything they can to protect a fundamental human right, or they’re falling short.

“‘This is no time for halfsies,” Kotek told me. ‘Abortion access has galvanized voters—especially young voters, young women voters—across the state. And I’m not the only woman, but [I am] the only champion on reproductive freedom in this race.’”

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