The West coast has two Governor Browns. One is the incomparable Gov. Jerry Brown of California, and the other is my current Governor, Governor Kate Brown of Oregon. This November she’s up for re-election for the 2nd time in two years.
Governor Brown came to the Governorship in 2015 when Gov. Kitzhaber resigned part way through his term. She was elected in 2016 to complete that term. Although Oregon is generally considered a “blue” state, the past few races have been quite close. According to an article in The Oregonian a few months ago,
"Truth be told, Gov. [John] Kitzhaber won with less than 50 percent of the vote in both of his elections in '10 and in '14," Brown responded. "I think you recall that [Republican] Dennis Richardson won the secretary of state race in 2016."
Kitzhaber won the 2014 contest, capturing 49.9 percent of the vote to Richardson's 44.1 percent. The election took place a couple weeks after news broke of former first lady Cylvia Hayes' paid work for green energy groups that wanted to influence state policies.
In 2016, Brown was elected to finish the remaining two years of Kitzhaber's term – he'd resigned in February 2015 – with 50.6 percent of the vote. Her Republican opponent, Bud Pierce, got 43.4 percent.
www.oregonlive.com/...
As you can see, she’s got her work cut out for her this year. Although there has been a female Governor in the past, there aren’t a lot of women who run for statewide office, and this November, it’s only Governor Brown. Additionally, neither US Senator is on the ballot this cycle, so that may reduce the number of Democratic voters. Personally, I worry about the influx of new voters to the state that are employed by Nike, which has a macho corporate culture.
The same article from The Oregonian notes that the Cook Political Report has downgraded her race from Likely Democratic to Leans Democratic. The interviewer points that out to her and her answer is what I quoted above.
This year her opponent is a younger, State House member. He is well funded, having received 1.5 million from Phil Knight, the Nike co-founder, and sells himself as a moderate republican. His website highlights four major areas he’s campaigning on and it steers clear of traditional republican themes of law/order, & fiscal conservancy. He claims to be pro-choice, but I have a hard time believing he will protect the reproductive rights of women, as well as the health protections signed into law by Governor Brown.
This year I will be casting my vote for Governor Kate Brown for the 2nd and last time. I will vote for her because she is a Democrat, and Democrats can be counted on to fight for basic protections for people. This year they are the bulwark to the worst excesses of the current republican party. Gov. Brown has successfully implemented motor-voter registration, increased the use of technology for voters with disabilities, and signed into law a ground breaking reproductive health law,
It goes beyond the protections created by the Affordable Care Act to ensure access to reproductive health care for Oregonians. The bill, among other things, requires safe and affordable access to abortion; provides coverage of preventative care, including contraceptives, without cost-sharing; and expands post-partum care.
www.healthlaw.org/...
She also took a strong stand when the CHIP program was threatened by republicans in D.C.; and promised that the State would fund the program that serves over 80,000 children in the state. It’s no surprise that the Cover All Kids program she helped champion offers coverage to all children, regardless of their citizenship status.
This paragraph from her campaign website really does a terrific job of highlighting some of her accomplishments:
For working families across Oregon, Kate has focused on supporting small businesses that are growing the economy, worked successfully to raise the state’s minimum wage, ensure a fair work schedule, and guarantee paid sick leave. For our children, she has made record investments in education and instituted new teacher development resources. For seniors, Kate signed a law giving every Oregonian access to a professionally invested retirement account, so they can save for their later years. For future generations, Kate was the first governor in the country to take action to end the use of coal power, putting Oregon at the forefront of the clean energy movement.
katebrownfororegon.com/...
She could use some love in the form of Twitter follows/retweets, (@OregonGovBrown), and donations if you’re able. Let’s keep the West Coast a blue line of Governors!