Oregon — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is making President Donald Trump a central focus of her campaign messaging, mentioning him by name five times in a new advertisement. Tina Kotek has been in Oregon politics for nearly two decades and was the longest serving Speaker of the House in state history before becoming governor, placing her at the helm of Oregon public policy for decades.
The ad, titled “The Choice,” opens with a series of accusations against the Trump administration, including references to immigration enforcement, reductions in health care and food assistance, and the loss of individual rights.
“In state after state, Donald Trump grabs power and punishes enemies,” the narrator says before asserting that Kotek “proved we can stop Trump” in Oregon.
The advertisement credits Kotek with protecting Oregonians from reductions to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and challenging the administration’s attempt to deploy National Guard troops in Oregon. It also includes a clip of Kotek describing a federal military presence in the state as a threat to Oregon communities.
“I communicated that to the president directly,” Kotek says in the ad.
The campaign then turns its attention to try and link Christine Drazan to Donald Trump, accusing the state senator of supporting Trump on the deployment of troops, abortion, vote-by-mail policies and the war in Iran. The ad also blames the conflict for rising gasoline prices.
“But while Tina Kotek stands up to Trump, Christine Drazan stood by him,” the narrator says.
The ad concludes by framing the governor’s race largely through each candidate’s relationship with the president. It describes the contest as a choice between Kotek, “a governor who says hell no,” and Drazan, who the ad claims “will let Donald Trump do whatever the hell he wants.”
The heavy emphasis on Trump suggests Kotek’s campaign intends to nationalize the Oregon governor’s race and present the Democratic incumbent as a state-level barrier to the Republican administration. Rather than focusing primarily on Kotek’s handling of Oregon issues such as housing, homelessness, education or the state budget, the advertisement defines her candidacy largely through opposition to the president.
All claims and characterizations above are drawn from the supplied transcript and have not been independently evaluated.
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