In a contentious first gubernatorial debate, challenger Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan blamed Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, for the state’s high cost of living and tax burden, while Kotek criticized President Donald Trump and tied Drazan to his policy agenda.
The hourlong debate on Oct. 1 at the University of Oregon in Eugene, hosted by KVAL News and several local journalism partners, was a rematch of 2022, when Kotek defeated Drazan in a three-way race.
Drazan framed affordability around Kotek’s record, saying that, as a legislator and governor, Kotek had backed more than $30 billion in tax increases. She said she’d repeal Kotek’s climate protection program, a state rule aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions….