Oregon — Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan has unveiled a broad policy agenda centered on affordability, economic growth, housing, education, homelessness and government accountability, presenting Oregon voters with her proposed direction for the state if she defeats Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek in November.
The “Drazan Plan” casts the 2026 election as a choice between continuing Oregon’s current direction and placing Republicans in charge of the executive branch for the first time in nearly four decades.
“We cannot keep doing what we have been doing and expect a different result,” the plan states. “Nothing will change unless we do.”
Drazan, a state senator from Canby and former Oregon House Republican leader, is seeking a rematch after losing to Kotek in 2022. Kotek received 46.96% of the vote that year, compared with Drazan’s 43.54%. Unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson received 8.62%, making the race considerably closer than many recent Oregon gubernatorial contests.
Drazan’s new proposal places the cost of living at the center of her campaign. She promises to issue an executive order directing state agencies to identify regulations, fees and procedures that increase the cost of housing, food, energy, transportation, childcare, health care and operating a business.
She also proposes vetoing new taxes and fee increases, raising Oregon’s standard income tax deduction, reforming the estate tax and providing property tax relief for veterans, disabled veterans and residents over 65.
Other tax provisions would seek changes to Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax, commonly known as the CAT, and preserve the state’s “kicker” tax refunds. Drazan says she would veto attempts to redirect kicker money toward government programs.
Some portions of the plan could be pursued directly through executive orders, agency appointments or vetoes. Others, including tax changes, appropriations and revisions to state law, would require approval from the Oregon Legislature. The extent of Drazan’s ability to enact the plan would therefore depend partly on the makeup of the House and Senate after the November election.
Become a Paid Subscriber for Exclusive Content Access and Support Independent News
Regulations, energy and economic growth
Drazan proposes freezing new regulations while agencies review rules that exceed federal requirements. Major new regulations would be subject to published economic and consumer-cost analyses.
She also promises to repeal Kotek’s Climate Protection Program executive order, arguing that Oregon’s emissions policies have raised fuel and utility costs and threatened jobs. Her energy platform calls for preserving existing power generation, expanding transmission infrastructure and appointing members of the Oregon Public Utility Commission who prioritize reliability and lower costs.
The economic section proposes a recurring $200 million fund for industrial-site preparation and infrastructure. It would prioritize industries including semiconductor manufacturing, agriculture, wood products, food processing, aerospace, ports and logistics.
Drazan also calls for expanding apprenticeships and career and technical education, accelerating the recognition of occupational licenses from other states and measuring workforce programs by job placement and wage growth.
Housing, homelessness and addiction
On housing, Drazan proposes a maximum 120-day decision period for qualifying projects, expanded use of private inspectors during government backlogs and limits on repetitive appeals that delay construction.
Her plan would create a “Housing Permit Command Center” to coordinate state and local reviews. It would also establish a statewide collection of preapproved home plans and simplify regulations for accessory dwelling units, modular homes, manufactured homes and tiny houses.
For prospective buyers, Drazan supports tax credits and down-payment assistance for first-time homeowners using existing funds.
Drazan links Oregon’s homelessness crisis closely to addiction and untreated mental illness. She proposes auditing homelessness and addiction spending, declaring a state of emergency and redirecting state money toward treatment, recovery and long-term sobriety.
The plan would increase penalties for drug traffickers, provide more funding for Oregon State Police and give local governments greater authority to clear camps from public spaces. Drazan says state programs should be judged by the number of people who move into treatment and permanent housing, rather than by overall spending.
Education and government accountability
Drazan’s education agenda calls for restoring graduation requirements, emphasizing reading proficiency by third grade and allowing teachers to remove persistently disruptive students from classrooms.
She also supports school choice, curriculum transparency, parental opt-out rights and Oregon’s participation in a federal scholarship tax-credit program. The campaign estimates that more than 575,000 students could potentially use scholarships for tutoring, after-school programs and special education services.
A separate government accountability section proposes creating an Office of Government Accountability to review state operations and identify savings. Drazan would also require an annual report measuring agency fees, regulatory expenses, permit-processing times and compliance costs.
Her administration would publish a statewide economic scorecard tracking job creation, business formation, housing construction, exports, energy prices and labor-force participation.
Four decades of Democratic governors
Drazan faces one of the longest-running partisan streaks in Oregon politics. Republican Vic Atiyeh won the governorship in 1978 and was reelected in 1982. He left office in January 1987.
Since then, every elected Oregon governor has been a Democrat: Neil Goldschmidt, Barbara Roberts, John Kitzhaber, Ted Kulongoski, Kate Brown and Tina Kotek. Brown initially entered the office through succession after Kitzhaber resigned in 2015, but she subsequently won elections in 2016 and 2018. Oregon’s official archival records show the uninterrupted Democratic period began when Goldschmidt took office on Jan. 12, 1987.
By the time the next governor is inaugurated in January 2027, Democrats will have controlled the office continuously for 40 years. Republicans have lost 10 consecutive gubernatorial elections since Atiyeh’s final victory in 1982.
The streak has included several competitive contests. Republican Kevin Mannix came within approximately three percentage points of Ted Kulongoski in 2002, while Drazan lost to Kotek by 66,727 votes, or 3.42 percentage points, in 2022.
That history illustrates both Drazan’s opportunity and her challenge. She has already demonstrated an ability to come within striking distance of winning statewide, but she must persuade enough voters in the Portland metropolitan area and Willamette Valley to overcome the large Republican margins she is likely to receive in rural Oregon.
Her plan seeks to make that case primarily through household costs and dissatisfaction with state government. Kotek and Democrats, meanwhile, are expected to argue that Republican control would reverse Oregon policies on climate, labor, education and social services.
The November election will determine whether voters see Drazan’s proposals as a needed change in direction or choose to extend a Democratic hold on the governor’s office that began before many current Oregon voters were born.
About the Author
Discover more from Right Now Oregon
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
