Christine Drazan is running for governor again.
The former House Republican leader announced her electoral bid at a manufacturing facility in Portland on Monday.
Drazan is among Oregon’s most influential Republican politicians. She last ran for governor in 2022, losing the race to Gov. Tina Kotek, the Democratic nominee, by less than 4%. She was appointed to fill a vacant Oregon Senate seat last week.
Drazan’s continued interest in higher office was hardly a secret among political power brokers in Salem. She held a meeting on the subject with trusted lobbyists last week, three Republican sources told OPB. In August, a Republican fundraising platform listed her as running for governor, even though she hadn’t made any formal announcement. Her political committee switched to reflect her 2026 gubernatorial run on Monday.
Drazan has emerged as a leader of the Republican party as the Democrats have garnered supermajority power in the Legislature, as well as the governor’s mansion and other statewide offices.
Drazan has used her platform to rail against the Democratic Party for the state’s economic struggles and its ongoing homelessness crisis. She has criticized the state government for how it has used taxpayer money on issues such as transportation and behavioral health. She has called on state leaders to cut taxes and regulations to help make the state a more affordable place to live.
Oregon hasn’t had a Republican governor for decades. The last Republican to hold office was Gov. Vic Atiyeh, who served in the 1980s.
The 2022 campaign featured Kotek and Drazan, but also Betsy Johnson, the former state legislator who left the Democratic party and ran as an independent.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.