Ever since she announced her intention to run for governor last year, Tina Kotek has been in a position of strength. But Kotek’s surefire position at the front of the pack has seemed less certain lately.

The former lawmaker and lobbyist looks like Republicans’ best hope to retake Mahonia Hall in more than a decade. Her rise to prominence has been swift and strategic.

Betsy Johnson, the unaffiliated candidate for governor, is lagging in the polls behind Democrat Tina Kotek and Republican Christine Drazan. But she's not letting it stop her. “Sitting around watching Oregon in a death spiral, I have one last fight in me, and this is it,” Johnson said. “And I’m not going to surrender a place I love without one hell of a fight.”