KOIN 6 News contacted candidates who are planning to run for Oregon governor in 2022, asking them to respond to these three questions:
- Why are you running for governor?
- In your opinion, what are the top three issues Oregon is facing right now?
- What is something you believe is going right in Oregon and how would you like to continue to build on it?
Christine Drazan is is running as a Republican. Here are her responses:
Why are you running for governor?
Oregon has always been my home, a place to build a better life through hard work, tough choices, and a commitment to tomorrow. I was born here, am raising a family here and have worked each and every day to promote a brighter future for our state. But today that future is dimmed by years of false promises, bad policies and backroom deals. Prices are rising, taxes are high, streets are lawless, schools are a mess, and too many of our fellow citizens are sleeping in the cold. Oregon is making national news for all the wrong reasons. It doesn’t need to be this way.
I’m running for governor because I believe our state is ready for change and fresh leadership. We need leaders who are willing to confront our state’s challenges head on and have an honest conversation with Oregonians about how to solve them. That’s what you’ll always get from me. Together, we can shine a light on the path forward, restore accountability in Salem, and put Oregon back on track.
In your opinion, what are the top three issues Oregon is facing right now?
My first priority is addressing our growing public safety crisis. Crime is up in communities across this state, yet we continue to hear calls for defunding our police. At the same time, the legislature and our governor have repeatedly undermined the will of Oregon voters by seeking early releases for violent criminals. As governor, I will stop treating police like criminals and criminals like victims. When Portland politicians refuse to act to quell nightly riots and bring peace to the streets, I will. Every Oregonian should be able to count on safety and justice in their communities.
Next, as any parent knows, the past two years of school closures and remote learning have been a disaster for our kids. To add to it, we’re too often seeing competing values and muddied agendas make their way into the classroom. I will work to keep our schools open full-time and get back to basics in our schools, give parents a forum to be heard, and leave the politics at home where it belongs.
Finally, I’m committed to tackling Oregon’s affordability crisis and the skyrocketing cost of living that is squeezing hardworking families and stifling economic growth. I will balance our state budget without asking taxpayers and businesses to shoulder such a heavy burden and do everything in my power to make our state a more affordable place to live and raise a family.
What is something you believe is going right in Oregon and how would you like to continue to build on it?
As many Oregonians know, our state has a unique tax rebate program known as “the kicker.” This program provides Oregonians with a refund of a portion of the taxes they paid when our state government takes in more revenue than anticipated. As the state representative for my community, I’ve stood in steadfast opposition to liberal politicians who have called for the kicker to be eliminated because I believe it serves two purposes: 1) It puts taxpayer dollars back in the pockets of taxpayers, where they belong. 2) It helps hold down the growth of our state government by appropriately limiting the amount of money politicians can spend after balancing the budget. As governor, I will fight to preserve this critical tax relief program.
Editor’s note: KOIN 6 News asked Christine Drazan to explain which communities she is referring to when she said, “Crime is up in communities across the state.” Drazan responded saying there have been increases in shootings, homicides and weapon offenses in Portland and Salem. She cited articles from KOIN 6 News, The Oregonian and the Salem Reporter that discuss the increase in crime in the two cities. She also pointed out that the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program data show that in 2010, Oregon’s violent crime rate was 251.4/100,000 people. In 2020, the rate was 291.1/100,000 people.
KOIN also asked Drazan to clarify what she meant when she said legislature and Gov. Kate Brown are seeking early releases for violent criminals. Drazan cited information from the Canby Current, published Jan. 2, 2022, saying Brown commuted the sentences of more than 70 prisoners in November who committed serious crimes as juveniles. Brown’s order came as a result of legislation that made sweeping changes to the state’s juvenile justice system. Drazan also cited an article from the Statesman Journal, published Jan. 10, 2022, in which Brown commuted the life sentence of a Keizer man who killed his mother when he was a teenager. She also cited a Jan. 14, 2022 report from KOIN News about a serial burglar who is on the loose and accused of more crimes after his prison sentence was commuted by Brown.
KOIN also asked Drazan what she meant about muddied agendas making their way into the classroom. We asked if she was referring to critical race theory. Drazan provided the following response: “We need to get back to the basics in the classroom. We have to make sure our kids know how to read, write and do math so they are prepared for the next chapters of their lives. I’m sponsoring legislation in the upcoming legislative session that would require school districts to post curriculum online for parental inspection. The goal behind this transparency measure is to give parents more information about what is taking place in their kids’ classroom, eliminate questions about the subjects being taught, or result in meaningful changes where appropriate.”
KOIN 6 News made minor adjustments to spelling, capitalization and punctuation in the responses the gubernatorial candidates submitted.