Capital Press
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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

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