Oregon is on the wrong track. A GOP governor could fix that | Opinion

With the November midterm elections just weeks away, the fight for control of Congress is getting most of the attention.

But I'm watching something else: whether Oregon voters will elect a Republican governor.

I hope they do.

I live in Michigan, so you may wonder why I care.

I grew up in the Beaver State, and much of my family is still there, so I visit often. No matter where I live, I'll always be an Oregonian. The rugged landscapes and laid-back ethos are home to me.

I've watched with dismay as decades of Democratic control have damaged the state I love. Oregon is now one of the most expensive places to live, with one of the steepest income tax burdens in the country and some of the highest homelessness rates.

The last time Oregon elected a Republican governor, I was a toddler. That was 1982, when Victor Atiyeh won reelection with more than 60% of the vote. It's been one Democrat after another ever since, and for 18 of the past 20 years, Democrats have controlled the governor's office and both chambers of the Oregon Legislature.

That could change this year. Polls show a dead heat between Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, and state Sen. Christine Drazan, a Republican, in a rematch of their 2022 race.

New leadership is best bet for meaningful change

Not surprisingly, Oregonians' biggest concerns are the problems the liberals in charge keep failing to fix.

High costs, taxes and homelessness top voters' lists, as they have for the past several elections.

Why Oregonians keep electing the party that makes these problems worse is a mystery to me. But there are signs this year could be different.

A recent poll commissioned by Oregon Public Broadcasting showed Drazan narrowly ahead of Kotek, 46% to 44%. It also found that 58% of likely voters think the state is on the wrong track.

"Poll after poll is showing that Oregonians of all political stripes are fed up with Tina Kotek's failed leadership and finding more and more reasons to support Christine Drazan," Drazan campaign consultant Trey Rosser told OPB.

Kotek has tried to tie Drazan to an unpopular President Donald Trump, but the governor is underwater herself, with a favorability rating of just 38%.

Drazan has kept her campaign focused on Kotek's record and on what she would do differently. That's smart, given what Oregon is up against.

Homelessness is a glaring problem in Oregon

Beyond the obvious economic strain, entrenched homelessness has been one of Oregonians' top concerns for years. Yet their leaders have failed to fix it.

Oregon isn't alone. Up and down the liberal West Coast, Democratic leaders have lacked the will to tackle homelessness. In Los Angeles, Spencer Pratt, a Republican who finished third in the city's nonpartisan mayoral primary this summer, made fighting homelessness the centerpiece of his campaign and drew nationwide attention to the problem.

I've seen garbage-strewn dumps that pass for "encampments" ruin downtown streets, neighborhoods and parks in cities across Oregon. They're more than eyesores. The drug use and mental illness found in many of these camps make them a threat to public health and safety.

The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way in 2024 for cities to ban public camping. But a 2021 Oregon law – championed by Kotek when she was House speaker – has tied local governments' hands. Even Grants Pass, the city that won the Supreme Court case, hasn't been able to clear its camps, thanks to a lawsuit brought under that state law.

Democrats in Salem have so far blocked efforts to repeal it.

Drazan has rightly hammered Kotek for her failure on homelessness and promised to make it a top priority as governor.

That's the kind of change Oregon desperately needs. I hope enough fed-up Oregonians finally give a Republican a chance.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oregon is on the wrong track. A GOP governor could fix that | Opinion

Reporting by Ingrid Jacques, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published October 6, 2026 at 1:02 AM.