![]() “Oregon is going to be a battleground state this cycle for a whole host of reasons,” one Democrat strategist in Oregon told us last night. ![]() They might be exceeded by fears that Republicans could pick up as many as three Dem-held House seats in the state. Democratic Governors Association spokesperson DAVID TURNER told Playbook on Tuesday night that Johnson’s ceiling is getting “lower and lower, day by day.”īut the Democratic anxieties only begin with the governor’s race. National Dems are feeling a bit more optimistic, though they acknowledge the race is way too close for comfort. AN DO, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, said Kotek was in “real danger” of losing, adding that “a vote for Johnson is a vote for an anti-choice Republican.” In a Tuesday news conference hosted by the Kotek campaign, advocates made their spoiler fears plainly known. Johnson is running as a leader “loyal only to the people of Oregon” who can break through partisan loggerheads in Salem.īiden’s visit to Portland Friday and Saturday appears primarily aimed at bucking up support for Kotek among Democrats, a sizable chunk of whom appear to be considering a vote for Johnson. Drazan, a former state rep, has decried Democratic Covid lockdowns and climate laws that have raised energy prices. And this year, there’s a wild card: Independent candidate BETSY JOHNSON, a moderate former Democratic state legislator, is pulling support from Democratic nominee TINA KOTEK, giving Republican nominee CHRISTINE DRAZAN a credible chance of victory.īoth Johnson and Drazan are using crime and homelessness as centerpieces of their campaigns. Oregon political watchers we spoke with last night noted that while their state has a true-blue reputation, its gubernatorial races have stayed relatively close in recent cycles. ![]() In recent weeks, election analysts have moved some of them to toss-ups - including an unusually competitive three-way race for governor. But this year, Democrats are becoming more and more concerned about key races as national and local trends take a toll. Oregon hasn’t elected any Republican to statewide office in 20 years, and it’s been 40 years since the state picked a GOP governor. So why, with less than four weeks till Election Day, is JOE BIDEN pointing Air Force One at Oregon this weekend? | Evan Vucci/AP Photo DRIVING THE DAYīIDEN’S NORTHWEST DETOUR - It’s perhaps the most precious campaign resource in all of American politics - a presidential fundraising visit. Joe Biden’s visit to Portland Friday and Saturday appears primarily aimed at bucking up support for Tina Kotek among Democrats, a sizable chunk of whom appear to be considering a vote for Betsy Johnson.
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