Drazan concedes Oregon governor’s race to Kotek, tells supporters to ‘stay engaged’

In a video statement released Friday afternoon, Republican Christine Drazan recognized Democrat Tina Kotek as the winner in the election for Oregon’s next governor.

“It was a hard-fought battle, and this is not the outcome we hoped for. But I am grateful to have been a part of this process,” Drazan said in the recording, released three days after Election Day.

As of Friday afternoon, Kotek was nearly four percentage points ahead of Drazan in official election results. Unaffiliated candidate Betsey Johnson was a distant third.

She encouraged her supporters to “stay in the fight and stay engaged.” Drazan said she had spoken with Kotek, clearly calling her the governor-elect in the video. “I wish her and our state only the best.”

Drazan also made a point that Kotek did not receive over half the vote since it was a 3-way race with Johnson, stating “a majority of Oregonians voted for someone other than the person that will serve as our governor the next four years. And that was going to be true no matter who won this race.”

She closed with remarks supporting bipartisanship and accountability. View the full video message here.