Why AP called the Oregon governor race for Tina Kotek
There were no signs that Republican Christina Drazan was improving on vote totals that would have enabled her to overtake Democrat Tina Kotek in the Oregon governor’s race
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
There were no signs that Republican Christina Drazan was improving on her vote totals over recent days that would have enabled her to overtake Democrat Tina Kotek in the Oregon governor's race.
That's what led the AP to call the race Thursday night for Kotek over Drazan and unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson.
Even without factoring votes coming in from areas that favored Kotek, there still wasn't enough room for Drazan to make up the difference.
Kotek joins Maura Healey, elected Tuesday as governor of Massachusetts, in making history as the nation's first openly lesbian elected governors.
Oregon hasn’t had a Republican governor since the 1980s and is typically reliably Democratic in statewide contests. But this year’s race to succeed term-limited incumbent Democrat Kate Brown had Republicans hopeful and Democrats worried.
President Joe Biden campaigned for Kotek in the closing weeks of the campaign, highlighting the race's importance to Democrats.
___
Reach Mike Catalini at http://twitter.com/mikecatalini and Meg Kinnard at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
___
Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Follow AP’s coverage of the 2022 midterm elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.