Democratic Gov. Kate Brown has a failed record of leadership on education, on foster care, government transparency, the state’s $22 billion unfunded pension liability and more.

No wonder she is scheming to make this election about something else — anything else.

One of her latest ads makes the argument that Oregonians can’t trust Republican opponent Knute Buehler on abortion and women’s rights.

Let’s unpack that.

Buehler is pro-choice.

Buehler says the same thing about abortion that Bill Clinton did. He wants abortion to be safe, legal and rare. When did that become not pro-choice enough?

Buehler says Oregon will remain a pro-choice state if he is elected.

Buehler opposes Measure 106 on the November ballot, which would bar public funding of most abortions.

Buehler pushed for the new state law that allows more access to over-the-counter birth control. It was a big deal. Brown’s party delayed action on that bill for a year.

Buehler supported a 2015 bill that requires insurers to cover 12 months of contraception at one time.

Buehler co-sponsored legislation in 2017 that expanded the power of pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives to cover hormonal patches and injectable contraceptives.

Yes, there is a clear place where Brown and Buehler differed. It was House Bill 3391 in 2017. It passed the Oregon House with no Republican votes. Brown signed it into law.

House Bill 3391 did a variety of things. It included a mandate that health insurers cover abortions with no out-of-pocket costs to the patient. It also included that state money be used to provide abortions for people who are not U.S. citizens and not covered by Medicaid.

Does voting against that mean Buehler somehow can’t be trusted? Some people and groups happily interpret his vote that way. Buehler said — referring to the bill — he opposes “extreme legislation that crosses the line from being pro-choice to pro-abortion.” He has also said he voted against it because it would add new services to a budget that couldn’t find room to improve education programs — dropout prevention and career training — as fully as voters had requested in Measure 98. Those are legitimate concerns about the bill.

Oregonians deserve better than Brown’s efforts to make Buehler into something he is not. She should be telling Oregonians why they should give her another chance after her failed record.