All 3 candidates for governor ask for your vote
6 min read
Presenter: The first shared media event with candidates for governor was staged Oct. 1 at the University of Oregon.
KEPW 97.3 Whole Community News is offering an opportunity for third-party candidates to participate in all debates, and to receive equal time in our news coverage of the election. Here are the opening statements from the three candidates who will be on the ballot. The incumbent, Democrat Tina Kotek:
Tina Kotek (Democratic Party candidate, governor of Oregon): Well, good evening. Like many of you, I came to Oregon and for me about 40 years ago, and I stayed. I found a state where I could be myself and I never looked back. I love our state. I love our people. And I’ve been honored to be your governor.
When I started my work here in Oregon, I was an advocate at Oregon Food Bank, and my job was to make sure people could afford to put food on their table.
And then I moved to Children First For Oregon. I fought for kids to have health insurance and families to have access to affordable child care.
And when I was in the legislature, I kept fighting. I passed paid family leave. I raised the minimum wage, and I expanded access to health care.
And through it all, it’s always been about this question: What would it do for the people who are most affected? Will it help them?
And that’s why I have fought for housing and education and health care, because those things matter.
And yes, every single day I defend our state from President Donald Trump. I’m going to keep defending our state and fighting for our state and building a future with all of you. Thank you.
Presenter: From the Pacific Green Party of Oregon, governor candidate Brett Smith.
Brett Smith (Pacific Green Party candidate, governor of Oregon): Yeah. Hi. My name is Brett, and I’m not wanted here. This system hates—hates—the working class and poor. The pushback is palpable. Even the criteria to get into this debate is monetary.
It’s not that I can’t get people to give me money. I’ve had people invest millions of dollars into me and my ideas and my future and what I believe. However, I think it’s important that we as a class of citizens feel represented.
And that’s why I’m here, to kind of spit in the eye of the status quo. We need to start electing people who understand what it is to do without.
Presenter: Republican candidate for governor, Christine Drazan:
Christine Drazan (Republican Party candidate, governor of Oregon): Four years ago. Tina Kotek told Oregonians that she would solve the problems and challenges facing our state. She hasn’t. On all the issues that we care about—homelessness, affordability, schools, our economy, spending—she has failed.
Tonight she is going to ask Oregonians to ignore that record. She’s going to divide. She’s going to mislead, and she is going to do everything that she possibly can to hold on to her power.
There is a moment in this race where we will be able to choose better for the future of our state.
I believe in Oregonians, and I believe that this is the time for us to have a leader that can stand up for us. I love this state, and I am determined to serve with integrity and to fight for the future of our state and deliver results for all Oregonians.
Presenter: After a series of questions on allowed topics from the corporate news sponsors of the event, the candidates shared their closing statements. Democratic Party candidate for governor of Oregon, Tina Kotek:
Tina Kotek (Democratic Party candidate, governor of Oregon): Well, I want to thank everyone for watching tonight, and I want to thank the organizers for putting this debate on.
I think we can all agree that things are hard right now. We have way too many Oregonians who are having a hard time meeting, making ends meet, and there are challenges coming at us that are serious.
And President Trump is just making them worse by creating disruption and uncertainty.
And what I can tell you is if Christine Drazan is our next governor, it’s just going to get worse. So Christine Drazan said, ‘Take a risk, vote for me.’
But if we look at her voting record and we look at who she listens to, that would be a risk that I don’t think we should take as a state.
That risk would entail banning abortion, cutting the Oregon Health Plan, eliminating vote by mail, and when it comes to protecting our cities, when Oregon National Guard troops are deployed, no one would stand up for them.
I believe as governor, my job is to make life more affordable, get us the best schools, make sure we have the great-paying jobs that we need, and make sure we stand up for our values and the freedoms that we deserve.
And I will continue fighting for the state, and I would be honored to have your vote in November as your governor.
Presenter: Republican candidate for governor, Christine Drazan:
Christine Drazan (Republican Party candidate, governor of Oregon): The governor has spent this evening changing the facts, running from her own record, and asking Oregonians to ignore the parts of her record that they actually do remember.
She is the sitting governor of our state, and the decline that we’ve experienced as a state has gotten worse and worse under her leadership.
We cannot afford four more years of Tina Kotek. She has shown that she cannot be trusted to turn our state around.
I’m running for governor because I believe that Oregon can be the best state in the nation to live and raise your family, to work, to start a business, to grow a business, and to get a world class education.
Higher taxes are not the solutions to our problems. I have a plan that will solve the biggest challenges we’re facing in schools, on our streets, and in our economy.
I am committed to doing everything I can to earn your trust and earn your support. I love this place. I will do everything I can to lead with integrity and to serve Oregonians and deliver results.
Presenter: Candidate of the Pacific Green Party for governor of Oregon, Brett Smith:
Brett Smith (Pacific Green Party candidate, governor of Oregon): I’ve had to sit here and listen to people who don’t know what it’s like to go without, tell me stories about when they were a kid and see their parents struggle.
And yeah, I mean, it’s hard. But I’ve lived under these conditions. I’ve raised a family under these conditions.
And I know the difference between things being a little more expensive and things being unaffordable. Right now, things are unaffordable and decisions are being made involving medical care or eating, putting gas in your car or keeping the lights on.
These aren’t hypothetical.
And these kinds of solutions, the solutions that it would take to solve these kinds of problems have to be made by somebody who knows these problems exist, without hiring a team of experts.
That’s why I’m running for governor. And that’s why I believe it’s important that somebody like me is on the ballot.
Presenter: That is Brett Smith of the Pacific Green Party running for governor, and those are the opening and closing statements from the Oct. 1 event at the University of Oregon.
KEPW is offering equal time to all candidates on the ballot. You can learn more about the candidates at our website, KEPW.News.
