Tipsheet

Is This Why Oregon's Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Is Surging?

As we enter the most crucial period of the 2022 elections, many surprises have bubbled up in races long held to be longshots for Republicans. The Pennsylvania Senate race looks eminently winnable with Dr. Mehmet Oz. Ron Johnson looks like he’ll survive in Wisconsin. Democratic incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto is staring at defeat as Latino voters feel more inclined to stay home than send this no-show senator back to Washington. And Oregon might get a Republican governor. 

The Beaver State might get a red stripe, as voters appear to have had it with the relentless chaos from local left-wing politicians. The state is a proud member of the Left Coast, a bastion of progressivism. Yet, it’s also a state where left-wing activists tried to torch a federal courthouse in Portland during the summer of 2020, but the host of issues besetting the city, like homelessness and drug use, have lingered like herpes for years. Homelessness is one issue that Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan hit Democratic opponent Tina Kotek on regarding evidence of her failed leadership. Both women served in the Oregonian state legislature—Kotek was the former house speaker. 

Refusing to shy away from her progressive bona fides, Kotek suggested the state establish meth stabilization centers from which emergency services personnel can pick up meth heads that are tweaking out and send them off for treatment. It’s part of the post-Measure 110 world in Oregon, a voter referendum passed two years ago that decriminalized most forms of personal non-commercial drug possession.  

Even the most ardent liberals aren’t for facilities that would inevitably become hives for meth addicts freaking out everywhere. It’s not safe or healthy—and makes the state look insane.