Democrat Tina Kotek faces off against Republican Christine Drazan in Oregon's gubernatorial election

• Democrat Tina Kotek is running against Republican Christine Drazan, independent Betsy Johnson, and three others in Oregon's gubernatorial race.

• The tight contest is one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2022.

• If elected, Kotek will become the nation's first out lesbian governor.

Democrat Tina Kotek faces off against Republican Christine Drazan and a slate of other candidates in Oregon's gubernatorial election.

Oregon's gubernatorial candidates

Kotek is the former speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, a role she held from 2013 to 2022 as the longest-tenured speaker in state history and the first out lesbian speaker of any state legislature in the United States.

Kotek's been endorsed by Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden, Elizabeth Warren, and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who is stepping down because of term limits.

Drazan is a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, where she represented the 39th District, a role she held from 2019 to January 2022. Just months after being elected, she was chosen by her peers to become the state House minority leader.

While serving as the Republican leader of the Oregon House, Drazan opposed the governor's emergency COVID-19 orders and fought against implementing additional taxes.

Prior to personally serving in office, Drazan was the chief of staff for Oregon House Speaker Mark Simmons.

Other candidates in the gubernatorial race include independent Betsy Johnson, Donice Smith, R. Leon Noble, and Paul Romero. While none of these candidates are expected to win, Johnson in particular could cut into Kotek's vote total, making the race closer that expected.

Oregon's voting history

Biden defeated President Donald Trump in Oregon by 16 percentage points in 2020. The state has voted exclusively Democratic in every presidential election since 1988. Additionally, the state has elected a Democratic governor every cycle since 1986.

The money race

Kotek has raised nearly $21.4 million since the start of 2021 and spent $18.4 million, according to campaign finance records. Her opponent, Drazan, has raised $17 million and spent nearly $16.3 million, while Johnson has raised just over $16.9 million and spent $16.1 million.

What experts say

The race between Kotek and Drazan is rated as a "toss-up" by Inside Elections, The Cook Political Report, and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

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