Oregon Gov. Kotek draws response from opponent as Republican candidate claims the governor “declined to participate in debate” while accusing her of avoiding a live audience

Oregon – “But YOU declined the debate,” Republican Oregon gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan said in response to Gov. Tina Kotek after Kotek criticized Drazan for not appearing before a live Portland audience as the two candidates continue to dispute which debates they will attend ahead of the November election.

Drazan’s post came after Kotek said voters should have the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates and accused Drazan of avoiding a Portland debate because of her support for President Donald Trump’s agenda. Kotek said she was ready to make her case directly to Oregon voters and continue fighting what she described as federal overreach.

The exchange followed the cancellation of a Portland gubernatorial debate that had been planned by KGW and The Oregonian/OregonLive. KGW reported that Kotek declined the invitation, while Drazan had previously accepted the invitation to participate.

The disagreement, however, is more complicated than one candidate simply refusing to debate in Portland. Both campaigns have accepted some debate invitations while declining others, with the candidates unable to agree on a single Portland venue and media organization to host the matchup.

According to KOIN, Kotek accepted an invitation from KOIN for a Portland debate, while Drazan did not accept that invitation. Drazan instead accepted invitations from KGW and The Oregonian, as well as another Portland event, while Kotek declined those appearances.

That disagreement has left Portland without a traditional televised debate between the two major-party candidates, despite both campaigns agreeing to participate in other debates around the state.

KGW previously reported that Drazan accepted its debate invitation while Kotek declined. The event was intended to give Portland-area voters an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates before Election Day.

Photo Courtesy – Christine Drazan (@ChristineDrazan) via X | https://x.com/ChristineDrazan/status/2092359264870576423/photo/1

The latest dispute also follows an earlier disagreement over debates during the campaign. In June, Kotek declined to participate in a debate hosted by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. The Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that Kotek said her decision was related to the number of commitments on her schedule and said it was not about avoiding conversations with voters.

At the time, Kotek’s campaign said it wanted to highlight differences between the governor and Drazan, while Drazan criticized Kotek for declining the newspaper association’s invitation. Drazan said Oregon voters deserved to hear from the governor and criticized Kotek’s record on taxes, schools, public safety and homelessness.

The debate dispute has continued as the November election approaches and both campaigns increase their efforts to define each other before voters. Oregon Capital Chronicle reported in August that Kotek and Drazan had not yet debated, even as both campaigns continued attacking each other through advertisements and public statements.

The candidates have agreed to participate in debates outside Portland, including events in Eugene, Bend and Medford, according to recent reports. Both are also scheduled to appear at a Portland Business Journal candidate forum, although that event is separate from the KGW and Oregonian debate that Kotek declined.

Kotek and Drazan’s competing schedules have therefore turned the debate question itself into another point of contention in the governor’s race. Kotek has argued that Drazan should appear before Portland voters and answer questions about her support for Trump, while Drazan’s latest response points back to Kotek’s decision to decline the KGW and Oregonian invitation.

With Election Day approaching, the dispute leaves both campaigns continuing to argue over not only what voters should hear from the candidates, but also where and under whose format those conversations should take place.