We are living in a world where Oregon could be going from this:
To this:
Oregon, for the first time in 40 years, looks like they put a Republican in the governor's mansion.
From the Washington Free Beacon:
Thirty-two percent of Oregon voters say they would vote for Republican candidate Christine Drazan, according to an independent poll published by the Oregonian on Wednesday. Democratic candidate Tina Kotek is neck and neck with Drazan at 31 percent — the second time this year a poll has shown Kotek trailing behind. Independent candidate Betsy Johnson sits at 18 percent.
If she wins, Drazan would be the first Republican governor elected in Oregon since 1982, when GOP incumbent Victor Atiyeh won reelection.
The news comes as Democrats mount a massive campaign to keep Oregon blue. The Democratic Governors Association this year has donated more than $3 million to Kotek, including $1.25 million in September. The Cook Political Report and the University of Virginia's Center for Politics have both moved the race to a "tossup" since August.
Of course, the Left Coast state would NEVER vote majority Republican, but with a major leftwing spoiler candidate it will only take a plurality to win the state.
This race is as tight as it can get according to recent polling.
The election has become a referendum on the liberal state's approach to rising violent crime and rampant drug use. Portland, Oregon's largest city, saw the most homicides in its history last year. Nearly 90 percent of voters say the quality of life has worsened in the city, according to a February poll, and a quarter say crime is Portland's biggest problem.
Kotek has largely embraced the permissive approach toward crime and drugs of outgoing Gov. Kate Brown (D.). As House speaker in 2020, she sided with rioters who destroyed local businesses and attacked police during summer protests.
During a debate Tuesday night, Kotek defended Measure 110, a 2020 ballot measure that decriminalized all drugs in small amounts. The law "may be imperfect," Kotek said, but "that doesn't mean we throw the whole thing out." Drazan and Johnson committed to repealing the measure, though Johnson voted for it as a Democratic state senator in June 2021.
Portland is just a major wasteland and it's dragging the entire state in deeper and deeper.
After 2020's BLM and Antifa uprisings, many in the Beaver State just have to be tired of all the weirdos being in charge.
Meanwhile, the Dems are mandating the most extreme Covid measures while simultaneously decriminalizing ALL drugs.
It would be truly something if this year's red wave resulted in Oregon having its first Republican governor since 1982. This is a race we'll be following closely.
