Drazan

We made our picks in the Republican and Democratic primaries for governor based on who we thought would best deliver for their parties if elected. We believe it’s Christine Drazan among the Republicans and Tina Kotek among the Democrats.

Out of more than a dozen candidates running in the Republican primary, we interviewed Drazan, Bud Pierce, Stan Pulliam and Bob Tiernan.

We get that Republican voters are likely frustrated in Oregon. Republicans are out of power. Really out of power. All the key statewide offices are controlled by Democrats, except Cliff Bentz in Congress. The Oregon House is controlled by Democrats. The Oregon Senate is controlled by Democrats. And the governor’s office has not been in Republican hands for more than 30 years.

There may be enough frustration in November to swing some seats. Look at inflation. Look at how homelessness seems to be increasing. Look at what has happened to housing prices. And people feel like crime is on the rise, although that feeling may not match reality everywhere or in every category.

Who will deliver change for Republican voters, if elected? Any Republican governor would at some level. They would have the power of appointments, executive orders and direction, agenda-setting, use of the line-item veto and the ability to at least start the conversation about the budget. Beyond that, though, it is about politics.

Drazan stands out to us when we think about it that way. Talk to her or listen to her and it won’t take long to recognize why her Republican colleagues voted her as minority leader in the House. She is a skilled speaker and a thoughtful and convincing politician.

She recognizes politics must include the art of compromise and listening to others who don’t share your views. “Nobody is going to get everything that they want,” she told us. “That’s not how politics is supposed to work. That’s what’s been broken for so long.” We are not saying her Republican opponents would disagree with that. She emphasized it.

She also impressed us when she talked about PERS. As frustrated as many people are with the state’s shortfall and as much as she wants to see that improved, she was also blunt about the system being solvent and better funded than in many other states. Drazan can talk about difficult policy choices, admit where people she disagrees with are correct and share a path forward in a way that actually might win people over.

We are big admirers of Tiernan’s no-nonsense approach. He has clear leadership skills from the military and business. Give him or Dr. Bud Pierce a complex policy problem and they would come back with solutions. If they don’t manage to get elected, it would be an asset for any governor to put their talents to use. There’s no denying that Pulliam, mayor of Sandy, has political skills, as well. But it’s Drazan who we think would be best at delivering for Republicans as governor.

The Democratic primary race is nearly as packed with candidates as the Republican. It seems to be between Kotek, the former speaker of the Oregon House, and Tobias Read, the state treasurer. We interviewed them both.

They come at Oregon’s challenges from a similar set of values. We aren’t aware of any significant policy differences between the two. Kotek is our pick.

She worked for the Oregon Food Bank. She worked for Children First. And then she moved into politics. That brings a lens to look at politics that most any Democrat values.

It wasn’t lost on us the way she knew when she spoke to us about the local efforts here to improve childcare from Oregon State University-Cascades and Central Oregon Community College, to add shelter capacity for the homeless and efforts by the city to add more housing. You could say that is just basic political savvy or solid preparation before an interview with a local newspaper. We do need statewide politicians who will take that time to learn about the challenges and efforts in local communities.

Kotek also brought up the importance of having a conversation about water in Oregon. Central Oregon faces another year of drought. We have a system of water allocation and a system of distribution in this basin and in the state that needs improvement. It will be a controversial topic. It needs to happen. We give Kotek credit for bringing it up.

She led on major initiatives in the Legislature on housing, on the minimum wage and on the environment. She didn’t get everything she wanted. And she has been disappointed to see the slow implementation of paid family leave in Oregon.

Kotek didn’t volunteer it, though, she also led on getting some needed reforms to PERS. That didn’t earn her any points with some union members. It does show she has been willing to get things done for the state at large that some members of the Democratic Party’s base don’t like.

We have interviewed Read several times over the years. He seems to have done a fine job at the Treasury Department. And on the state land board, he has helped bring resolution to what is to be done with the Elliott State Forest.

This is our opinion, of course, but for Democrats Read would be good. Kotek would do more to get the most out of government agencies. She would do more to achieve Democratic priorities. She would make a better governor for Oregon. It’s about her personality. It’s about her skill. Whatever you think, we hope you vote in the May election.