Christine Drazan is running for governor again.
The former House Republican leader announced her electoral bid at a manufacturing facility in Portland on Monday. She stood before dozens of industry workers, many wearing hard hats and reflective vests, and said, “This race will be about you.”
“It’s a chance for us all to swing for the fences and turn this place around,” Drazan said, her amplified voice echoing through the room’s high ceilings. “That is what I’m offering you today as we begin this run for governor in the state of Oregon. I am running to be accountable to you.”
Drazan is among Oregon’s most influential Republican politicians. She last ran for governor in 2022, losing the race to Gov. Tina Kotek, the Democratic nominee, by less than 4%. She was appointed to fill a vacant Oregon Senate seat last week. Her announcement could set up a rematch with Kotek, who is expected to run for reelection but has yet to announce her plans.
Drazan’s interest in higher office was hardly a secret among political power brokers in Salem. She held a meeting on the subject with trusted lobbyists last week, three Republican sources told OPB. In August, a Republican fundraising platform listed her as running for governor, even though she hadn’t made any formal announcement.
Her political committee switched to reflect her gubernatorial run on Monday. She walked beneath a large American flag as she entered the event at the Gunderson Marine & Iron facility, which builds bridges, barges, ships and other projects. The song “Legends Are Made” by Sam Tinnesz played from a set of speakers. She shook hands with a long line of workers before taking the stage.
“For these few minutes together, the machines have been quiet,” she said. “But the spirit in this space, the will to build, to restore, to believe, reminds us our future is not out there somewhere else. It is right here.”
Over the years, Drazan has used her platform to rail against the Democratic Party, criticizing leaders for how the state uses taxpayer money on issues such as transportation, behavioral health and housing. She has called for state leaders to cut taxes and regulations, adding, “We can get government out of the way.”
Her speech touched on many of Oregon’s most intractable problems: addiction, housing, education and the high costs that have made the state harder to live in. She portrayed herself as a small-town Oregonian from Klamath Falls whose modest upbringing paralleled the decline of the timber industry, leaving many small communities facing the economic challenges they still face today.
“Sitting under the lilac bushes at my grandma’s house, listening to my dad and all my uncles talk, there was one thing I heard really clearly, and it was that the politicians didn’t care,” she said.
Drazan argued that Oregon is heading in the wrong direction, pointing to its many homeless encampments, higher taxes, rising food prices and the disproportionate number of children living on the streets. She placed the blame with the state’s Democratic leaders, saying, “Our policies crush our hopes and dreams.”
“They have started governing for headlines, not results,” said Drazan. “They have been managing news cycles, not their public agencies. They have been focused on Pennsylvania Avenue, not Main Street. Our governor may be in charge, but her state is out of control.”
Drazan has emerged as a leader of the Republican party as the Democrats have garnered supermajority power in the Legislature, as well as the governor’s mansion and other statewide offices. The Canby lawmaker is likely to face headwinds yet again this election cycle.
Midterm elections seldom go well for the party that holds majority power in Congress and the White House, as Republicans currently do. Meanwhile, recent actions by President Donald Trump — from his immigration crackdown to the deployment of National Guard troops to cities like Portland — have sparked protests that swept the country.
Drazan didn’t mention Kotek by name during her speech. The governor is currently out of the country on a trade mission in Asia and was not available for immediate comment.
On Monday, before Drazan’s event, a post to Kotek’s political account on X included comments about the governor’s trade mission from former legislator Betsy Johnson. The post was tagged, “Tina For Oregon.”
“From my experience working with her on international recruitment, I saw Governor Kotek’s incredible personal attention and commitment trying to secure a major investment for rural Oregon,” said Johnson, who left the Democratic party and ran as an independent in 2022. “Not every deal will go our way, but it’s not for lack of effort or leadership on the Governor’s part.”
The announcement of Drazan’s candidacy on Monday drew a statement from the Democratic Governors Association, which accused her of “cowering to Trump as he sends the National Guard into Portland in a clear abuse of power.”
In addition, the Democratic Party of Oregon said, “Voters already rejected Christine Drazan’s extremist agenda once. Now Oregonians should ask themselves: Do you want Donald Trump as Governor?”
Drazan’s Republican allies in the Legislature were on hand to show their support for the campaign Monday morning, including Sen. David Brock Smith and House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer. Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis recalled when Drazan led the party to leave the state in 2020 and deny a quorum before a vote on a bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions in the state, saying, “I was her getaway car.”
“Through the years, one thing I’ve learned is she’s tough as nails,” said Boshart Davis. “And I couldn’t be more proud to stand next to her today.”
Oregon hasn’t had a Republican governor for decades. The last Republican to hold office was Gov. Vic Atiyeh, who served in the 1980s.
Drazan is not the only Republican running. Danielle Bethell, a Marion County commissioner, announced her candidacy in April.