In Other News: Republicans (Still) Struggling with Defections from Drazan to Johnson
[Portland, OR] – Reproductive rights advocates urged voters to support Tina Kotek for Governor in a roundtable conversation on Tuesday. From KATU’s coverage of the event:
“Reproductive rights has been a topic widely discussed following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“On Tuesday, Democratic candidate for Oregon governor Tina Kotek held a roundtable to discuss that very topic.
“‘Access to health care is something I’ve worked on for years, even before being elected, to make sure that people could have access to health care, because I think it’s a basic human right,’ Kotek said.”
“When asked why voters should put their trust in her when such fundamental rights are on the line, here’s what she had to say:
“‘We have a lot of challenges facing our state – from homelessness to mental health issues, what’s happening with wildfires and climate change. This is about listening to Oregonians and what they value, and Oregonians value the Reproductive Health Equity Act. They value the autonomy that comes along with making your own health care decisions, and that needs protection and a fighter.’”
On Wednesday, Tina released her plan to protect Oregon from wildfires.
“We need to do more to protect Oregon from wildfires,” Tina said. “I will build on the lessons that emergency managers and fire officials learned on the ground this year, help Oregonians make their homes and businesses more resilient, and keep fighting to reduce emissions and do Oregon’s part to tackle climate change.”
On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Education released new data showing that students are struggling to recover from the learning disruptions brought on by the pandemic. As Governor, Tina will push to make sure all kids are reading by 3rd grade, expand career and technical education, and hold school districts accountable for delivering on the promises of the Student Success Act.
She also met with a handful of high school and community college students to hear directly from them about what they need to succeed and what they want to see from Oregon’s next Governor. The answer was resounding: young people are demanding action on climate change, gun violence prevention, and mental health services.
Byronie McMahon, a high school student from Portland talked about the stakes of this election when it comes to preventing gun violence:
“For me, it is very scary. I just turned 17, I can register but I cannot vote. And so, when you see who is in this race alongside you, and they’re backed by the NRA and they’ve made all of these choices and they’ve put their personal interest above their constituents and their community, it’s frightening … it just makes me feel even stronger that we need Tina for Oregon.”
In other news, KGW released an analysis of major donors in the race for Governor, underscoring that while Tina is building momentum with grassroots donations and support from values-aligned organizations like the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and the Oregon Nurses Association, Drazan and Johnson are still competing over donations from the same conservative, corporate special interests.
Meanwhile, Johnson continues taking pages out of Donald Trump’s playbook: she’s a “darling of GOP megadonors,” a multimillionaire heiress who is refusing to release her tax returns, and this week she put out a dangerous video mocking public health officials who are trying to prevent overdose deaths, which got called out by Rep. Rachel Prusak and others on Twitter.
And last weekend, Christine Drazan was campaigning with former MAGA Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, an anti-choice extremist and devoted Trump loyalist who refused to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election, saying, “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration, all right. We’re ready.”