A Republican who ran for the governorship of Oregon has narrowly lost against a woke Democrat incumbent as voters in the state grew weary of her chaotic leadership.
Oregon state senator Christine Drazan took on incumbent governor Tina Kotek in a nail-biting midterms race in a state that has not elected a Republican governor since 1982.
Despite the odds falling heavily in Kotek's favor, she won just 51.7 percent of the vote, while Drazan took home 45.4 percent.
Of Oregon's 36 counties, Kotek won just nine. Many of these are among the largest by population in the state.
Drazan took the remaining 27, though these hold far fewer than those that tended to vote for Kotek. Counties that voted for Drazan also tended to be more rural.
Though Kotek was re-elected, she has been among the most unpopular governors in the US.
A September poll by DHM Research showed that nearly 60 percent of Oregonians disapproved of the state's direction, while 58 percent disapproved of Kotek herself.
Though Kotek won in 2022 with the backing of major labor unions, she lost a critical part of that support in this year's race.
Republican Christine Drazan (pictured at an Oregon rally on October 24, 2026) narrowly lost the race for governor
Incumbent Democrat governor Tina Kotek (pictured in Oregon on October 15, 2026) won her race by a slim margin
Oregon's largest public education union declined to endorse either candidate in this year's election.
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This year's election was something of a rematch between Kotek and Drazan. The pair ran against each other in the 2022 gubernatorial election as well as an independent, Betsy Johnson.
That year saw Kotek win 47 percent of the vote, while Drazan took home 43 percent.
Johnson appeared to split the race, taking home more than 8 percent of the total vote.
This year's election centered on issues including the rising cost of living and the worsening homelessness crisis in the state.
The Oregonian reported that people in the state now pay more than the national average for necessities including housing, utilities and retail goods.
This stands in contrast to 2008, when Oregonians were used to paying significantly less for these things than the national average.
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, while the nation saw a three percent drop in homelessness in 2025, Oregon saw a 19 percent increase from the previous year.
Drazan attempted to blame these woes on Kotek and the Democrats.
Kotek, meanwhile, pushed to tie Drazan to an increasingly unpopular Donald Trump.
The president is not popular in Oregon, a state he lost by more than 14 points in 2024.
Donald Trump (pictured near the White House on November 4, 2026) is not popular in Oregon, where he lost by 14 points in the 2024 presidential election
A homeless person pushes a cart along Southwest 3rd Avenue in Portland, Oregon on January 24, 2024
But Kotek had significantly more on her plate to deal with. In March 2024, her wife claimed she was a mentally ill alcoholic as the governor dealt with a growing nepotism scandal.
Aimee Kotek Wilson announced that she is in recovery from alcoholism but did not specify what kind of mental illness she lives with.
She added: 'Far too often, individuals have remained silent about their experience because of shame, pain, and fear... And, that is why it is so important for me to do my part to reduce the stigma around addiction and mental health.'
Her comments came amid scrutiny over her role in her wife's administration, which includes a security detail while she attends events on the governor's behalf.
The funds to pay for the extra security came out of the existing governor's budget.
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