FILE - Republican Christine Drazan (left) and Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek (right) will face off on the ballot in November.
Saskia Hatvany and Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has declined to participate in a gubernatorial debate with a statewide newspaper group, the group’s executive director said.
Kotek, the Democratic incumbent who is facing Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan in the November general election, won’t take part in the debate hosted by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, as first reported by the Statesman Journal.
Asked about her decision during a press conference, Kotek said it “has nothing to do with avoiding any conversation.”
“There are a lot of things going on this summer and we need to prioritize time,” Kotek said.
In a statement on Thursday, Kotek did not explain why she wouldn’t take part in the debate, even though she did so during the 2022 election. Instead, her communications director issued a statement the campaign sent to other media.
“We look forward to the opportunity to communicate the clear choice between Governor Kotek, who has proven she can stand up to President Trump and deliver results for Oregonians, and Christine Drazan, who is backed by extreme groups and who would do Trump’s bidding,” Federico Araujo, Kotek’s communications director, said in the statement.
Her decision comes one week after Kotek challenged Drazan to three debates: in Medford, Portland and Eugene. Those debates “will be accessible to viewers throughout Oregon,” Araujo said.
Laurie Hieb, the executive director of the newspaper association, said Kotek’s campaign manager told the group that the campaign had many invitations for debates but couldn’t do all of them.
The governor’s decision to sit out the debate with the newspaper association — which represents publications across the state — drew a response from Drazan’s campaign. “Kotek clearly doesn’t believe the people of our state deserve to hear from her,” the statement said.
“Dodging accountability and refusing to answer for her failed record is typical of Tina Kotek,” Drazan said in a statement. “After four years of Tina Kotek’s costly and chaotic leadership, Oregonians deserve a governor who will put them and their families first by lowering taxes, fixing our schools, restoring safe communities and ending homelessness as we know it.”
The debate was scheduled for the association’s annual summer gathering at the Salem Convention Center on July 24.
