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Capital Press EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER Friday, September 2, 2022 Volume 95, Number 35 CapitalPress.com Betsy Johnson Christine Drazan $2.50 Tina Kotek A HISTORIC RACE Q&A with Oregon’s three candidates for governor By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN Capital Press O n Nov. 8, Oregonians will elect a new governor. Several factors make this race unique and explain why it’s garnering national attention. First, many Oregonians are disen- chanted with the state’s current leadership. Outgoing Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, is America’s least popular gov- ernor, according to a 2022 poll from the data fi rm Morn- ing Consult. The race is also capturing national interest because it’s a tight contest. Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Vir- ginia Center for Politics, a nonpartisan newsletter with a high rate of accuracy in predicting election results, labeled Oregon’s outcome as a “toss-up.” Oregon is hosting an unusual three-way race among a trio of women who are all recent members of the state leg- islature: former state House Speaker Tina Kotek, running as a Democrat; former House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, running as a Republican; and former state Sen. Betsy Johnson, running as unaffi liated, formerly a moder- ate Democrat. If Kotek wins, she will be America’s fi rst out lesbian governor. If Drazan wins, she will be the fi rst Republican to win an Oregon gubernatorial race since 1982. If John- son wins, she will be the fi rst independent governor to win since 1930. The Capital Press sat down with each of the candidates to talk about issues that matter to rural Oregonians. Each candidate answered the same set of questions. The candidates’ answers have been shortened for read- ability. Words in parenthesis are written by the Capital Press to add context and clarity. Follow-up questions are indicated in italics. Capital Press: If you are elected, how do you plan to bridge the political divide between Oregon’s urban and rural communities? Johnson: “Well, show up is the fi rst one. We’ve just come back from a trip to Eastern Oregon. I think being there is important and understanding that whether you’re making silicon chips, or wood chips, or potato chips out in Boardman, or fi sh and chips in Astoria, that we have throughout Oregon diff erent micro-economies, and the governor needs to understand that.” Drazan: “The opportunity to bring Oregonians together is a big part of why I’m running. When we have a Portland focus and hard, progressive Democrat agenda, you end up taking that agenda and you impose it on the rural parts of the state. “Too often in the public policy-making process, you have folks drive six or eight hours to Salem and testify for two or three minutes. No one asks them questions and their proposals do not change outcomes because this single party control machine — they’ve got the votes. Having a Republican governor ensures (lawmakers) have to compromise. They have to listen to the stake- holders, because if they don’t, they’ll get a veto in my administration.” Kotek: “For me, it is about how you listen to people, making sure you’re out in local communities, engaging with local leaders. “As speaker of the House, it was really important for me to represent the entire state. I made a point to encour- age my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to visit each other’s districts. “As governor, getting out of Salem more often — it’s important. You bring people together by listening. And focusing on issues that I don’t think are very partisan. Every part of this state has a housing problem. That’s not a partisan issue. I honestly think water’s not a partisan issue. We all need water. “So, focusing on issues that aren’t highly politicized is a good place to start.” See Candidates, Page 8 123RF The Oregon Capitol Inslee-Murray report: Snake River dam breaching not feasible now By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Breaching the lower Snake River dams is not “a feasible or responsible option” until their energy or economic benefi ts can be replaced, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in releasing a report he and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray commissioned. But state and federal governments should come up with a plan to replace the benefi ts of the dams to enable breaching to move forward, Inslee said in a press release. Inslee and Murray, both Democrats, released their fi nal report evaluating the feasibility of breaching the dams Aug. 25. “We must recognize that breaching the dams does in fact off er us the best chance at protecting endangered salmon and other iconic spe- cies that run through these waters,” Inslee stated. “But the hydropower and eco- nomic benefi ts of the dams are signifi cant, and breach- Getty Images The spillway at Lower Monumental Dam in Washington on the Snake River. ing them before we have other systems in place to replace those benefi ts would be disastrous.” “...It’s clear that breach is not an option right now — while many mitigation mea- TIME TO PLAN for next year. sures exist, many require further analysis or are not possible to implement in the near-term,” Murray said. “Importantly, the Pacifi c Northwest cannot delay its decarbonization goals as Bank of Eastern Oregon offers Operating Lines of Credit and Term loans on Equipment and Land. we confront the climate cri- sis. Key infrastructure and energy investments must be in place before we can seri- ously consider breach.” But specifi c salmon runs are “struggling,” and breach- Specializing in Agricultural & Commercial Loans. ing is “an important option that could help save the salmon,” Murray said. “We cannot under any circum- stances allow the extinction of salmon to come to pass.” Many of the actions required to mitigate and replace the dams’ benefi ts will require federal and con- gressional action, Inslee and Murray said. “Status quo is not an option,” Inslee’s offi ce said in a press release. “Chang- ing economic, energy and climate conditions requires leaders to plan for changing circumstances in the Colum- bia Basin region during the coming decades.” Saving salmon and other species in the Columbia Basin is “imperative,” Ins- lee said. See Dams, Page 8 Member FDIC
