Portland, OR – Tonight, with only hours to go until Oregonians across the state make their voices heard in the primary, the leading GOP gubernatorial candidates find themselves in an ugly and divisive race to the right as they rush to win over last-minute votes from Trump-aligned conservatives.
The GOP primary race is led by a series of candidates who support Trump’s policies, including:
- Christine Drazan, loser of the 2022 governor race, bankrolled by radical anti-abortion group Oregon Right to Life, vocal Oregon backer of Trump’s plans to end vote-by-mail, and one of two leading candidates who wouldn’t refuse an endorsement from Trump
- Chris Dudley, loser of the 2010 governor race, who fled Oregon for California after his loss, flip-flopped his stances on abortion, and would also accept an endorsement from Trump
- Ed Diehl, a pro-ICE, anti-abortion social conservative who voted for Trump in 2020, endorsed Trump in 2024, and supports the changes to SNAP and Medicaid set by Trump and MAGA Republicans in the Big Ugly Bill
The stances and policies from the leading GOP candidates have made it clear: no matter who is nominated, they would all cede Oregon to Trump’s disastrous agenda.
“Oregonians deserve a leader in the governor’s seat who will stand up to Donald Trump,” said Democratic Party of Oregon Chair Nathan Soltz. “Instead, all the leading Republican Party candidates are backing Trump’s reckless and harmful agenda, which is raising the costs of everyday goods, further rolling back access to reproductive care, and dismantling Oregon’s safe and secure elections. Enough is enough – Oregon doesn’t need another Trump.”
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