Tina Kotek Wins Reelection as Oregon Governor

Tina Kotek won reelection as Oregon governor, defeating Republican Christine Drazan and securing a second term, according to election projections and a race call. The outcome extends Democratic control of the governor’s office, which no Republican has won since 1982. Final certified statewide vote totals were not included in the reports available on Wednesday, November 4. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 11:08 p.m. Eastern on election night. At that point, with 51% of estimated votes counted, its figures showed Kotek with 54% and Drazan with 43%; Pacific Green Party candidate Brett Smith had less than 3%. CBS News also projected Kotek would win. These were partial returns and projections, not certified final results. The race was a rematch of the 2022 contest, when Kotek defeated Drazan. Polling before this year’s election had shown a close contest, while early returns posted shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday showed Kotek leading by more than 11 percentage points with only 3% counted. Those snapshots reflect different stages of vote counting and do not establish the final margin. The campaign centered on affordability, housing and homelessness, education, and the state’s...