5 highlights from Tuesday's primary races
5. Oregon gubernatorial race heading for rematch
In Oregon, a reliably Democratic state at the federal level, Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, will face Republican Christine Drazan in a rematch as she seeks a second term.
Kotek narrowly defeated Drazan four years ago in the state’s 2022 gubernatorial election, capturing 47% of the vote to Drazan’s 43.5%. Third-party candidate Betsy Johnson received 8.6%.
Although Oregon has experienced several competitive gubernatorial elections in recent years, Republicans have not won the governorship in decades. According to the National Governors Association, Democrats have controlled the Oregon governorship continuously since 1987.
Only one state has elected Democratic governors for a longer uninterrupted period. In neighboring Washington, Democrats have controlled the governorship since 1985.
Meanwhile, the outcome of the primary elections for Oregon’s U.S. Senate seat remains unresolved. While incumbent Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., easily won renomination, the Republican primary remains too close to call.
With 76% of the vote counted, David Smith led with 29%, followed by Jo Rae Perkins with 27.5%.
Merkley is expected to win reelection easily because Democrat Kamala Harris defeated Trump by more than 14 percentage points in Oregon in the 2024 presidential election.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
