Ronald Reagan was President of the United States. The original “Top Gun” movie had come out. And Micheal Jackson was an icon in the music industry. Even Oregon had a Republican governor in the 80s, and it’s been 35 years since the party has had a representative in the governor’s office. 

      As Oregonians today, we hold it self-evident that a woman has a right to her own body, that climate change is an existential threat to our way of life, and that equality is fought for and diversity is treasured.

     As Oregon grows in diversity and furthermore becomes divided between rural and urban it becomes increasingly difficult to find a candidate that can represent everybody.  In Oregon’s 2022 Gubernatorial Election, that candidate is Republican Christine Drazan.

    Despite being a Republican running in a state that voted for Joseph R Biden by roughly 16 points, Drazan passes the decisive test for a governor candidate in Oregon: accepting that Biden is the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election. 

     On the campaign trail Drazan talks about the unnecessary economic challenges that previous politicians created for those living in small communities like Klamath Falls, the town she grew up in. The representative for Linn and Benton counties, Shelly Boshart Davis, is currently drowned out by the Democratic legislative majority. With Drazan as governor, small communities like Albany could be better represented. 

      When Drazan was House Minority Leader and representative of her rural Clackamas County district, she supported a temporary ban on fracking and a requirement that straws be available at restaurants by request only. And while she opposed a cap and trade bill that would have further regulated carbon emissions, she explained her opposition was due to the harm it would cause on Oregonians economically. 

     Drazan’s campaign is often misunderstood and taken out of context, so it’s important to understand that every action she has taken has been motivated by a genuine desire to implement productive change.  

     Furthermore, there’s a successful history of Republican governors with a Democratic legislature. According to a Goucher College Poll in January 2022, Maryland’s Republican governor Larry Hogan has a 77.9% approval rating from Democrats. This goes to show that balance is important in government systems. This should definitely be taken into account especially considering how Oregon’s democratic governor Kate Brown is the least popular governor in the country, according to a Morning Consult Poll done at the beginning of this year.

    Though Drazan’s alignment on reproductive choice isn’t aligned with the values of a majority of Oregonians, she pledges not to overturn Oregon’s access to abortion. While her alignment could be seen in her budget and appointments for agency’s, as well as court vacancy’s, any executive order made to align with her position on abortion will probably be challenged and loose in the courts. It’s even more unlikely that a pro-life bill crosses her desk given the makeup of the legislature. 

     In politics, we often let our confirmation bias make our decisions without even considering an alternative. Though Drazan’s views may not be completely aligned with the majority of Oregonians, she has pledged to give a voice to many communities that are often overlooked.

     If elected, it is in Drazan’s best interest to keep her word and follow through with the promises she has made because she could easily be recalled from office if she takes Oregon down a far right path. What Drazan would provide is the right to a minority voice when the majority continues to rule, allowing for forced compromise on bills that support both Oregonians and address the issues at hand.