PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — In a statement released on Friday afternoon, Republican Christine Drazan announced her concession from Oregon’s gubernatorial race.
In her statement, Drazan thanked her supporters and shared that based on current ballot counts, a comeback does not seem mathematically possible. Drazan also said that she spoke with Governor-elect Tina Kotek and hopes “for the best for our state as she steps into this role.”
The Associated Press called the race for Kotek on Thursday night.
According to the latest vote tallies, Kotek is currently leading in the count with 47.15% of the votes and Drazan has 43.47%. Eighty-six percent of votes have been counted.
Read Drazan’s full statement below:
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to all those who supported me and put their trust in our campaign. I also want to assure Oregonians that every vote will be counted and that their voices were heard in this election. Unfortunately, given what we know about the ballots outstanding, the math for a comeback simply does not add up. Though the campaign for Governor of Oregon has come to an end, I am immensely grateful for all the Oregonians who joined our movement to take our state in a new direction. A majority of Oregonians supported a candidate that did not win. This is a unique moment in Oregon’s history and an extraordinary opportunity for leadership that recognizes the dynamics of this race that call for moderation and inclusivity moving forward. I have spoken with Tina Kotek and hope for the best for our state as she steps into this role.”
Drazan released a video statement as well. Watch it here.
According to the AP, they called the race due to there being no signs that Drazan was “improving on her vote totals over recent days that would have enabled her to overtake Democrat Tina Kotek in the Oregon governor’s race.”
“Even without factoring votes coming in from areas that favored Kotek, there still wasn’t enough room for Drazan to make up the difference,” AP stated.