By Vic Affolter
Tina Kotek may not be Oregon’s historically most popular governor, but that doesn’t justify her being replaced by Christine Drazan, who is out of tune with a majority of Oregon voters on key issues such as abortion rights, mail-in voting, gun safety, and federal immigration enforcement actions in Oregon. Her campaign document “The Drazan Plan” speaks in popular generalities, but it does not address these specific issues and others of concern to voters.
Drazan was a chief legislative sponsor of failed HB 3872 in 2025 that would have essentially ended voting by mail in Oregon. Mail-in voting became a statewide practice in Oregon with passage of Measure 60 in1998, a citizen initiative that was supported by 69.39% of the voters. Oregon’s voting by mail is proven to be secure and protected from fraud. Oregon’s Legislative Fiscal Office found that from 2000 to 2019 there were only 38 instances of voter fraud out of approximately 61 million ballots cast. That’s just one out of 1.6 million votes.There is no justification for Drazan being allied with Trump in his self-serving opposition to voting by mail.
Drazan is vulnerable on the contentious “pro choice” vs. “pro life” issue. Her documented anti-abortion legislative record is contrary to surveys revealing that roughly 70 to 72% of Oregon voters believe that abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Drazan welcomed the support of the radical anti-abortion group Oregon Right to Life, which opposes abortion even in cases of rape, incest, or health of the mother.
She advocates a more restrictive approach to immigration, including greater ICE and Border Patrol involvement in Oregon. I can remember when Republicans opposed federal intrusion in state and local affairs. But that was before Trump — and apparently Drazan.
On gun safety, she has opposed safe storage requirements and restrictions on firearm possession for individual’s subject to court protective orders on domestic violence and stalking, measures that are supported by many gun right’s advocates.
Drazan, as House Minority Leader, led legislative walkouts that obstructed progress on key issues like homelessness and housing. This prompted 68% of voters to pass an initiative that penalizes legislators with ten or more unexcused absences, a decisive refutation of Drazan’s leadership.
If elected governor, Drazan could veto legislation passed by a substantial legislative majority, thereby imposing her divergent views on mail-in voting, abortion, immigration enforcement, gun safety, and other issues of concern to Oregonians. It requires a two-thirds majority of both the Oregon Senate and House to override the Governor’s veto, so she could negate strong majorities, thereby imposing her minority rule.
These are some of the reasons why I’m voting for Kotek, who differs with Drazan on all of the above issues, and much more of consequence to Oregon voters.
