Tina Kotek, one of two lesbian candidates poised to make history in runs for governor this year, exudes confidence on the campaign trail although it’s clear she’s in a tough battle.Kotek is the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in deep-blue Oregon, which has already had the nation’s first out bisexual governor, Kate Brown, a Democrat who’s retiring due to term limits. Kotek and fellow Dem Maura Healey, in Massachusetts, stand to become the first out lesbian governors in the U.S. But while polls show Healey with a lead of more than 20 points over her Republican opponent, Kotek is in pretty much a dead heat with Republican Christine Drazan.The race in Oregon has been complicated by the presence of an independent candidate, Betsy Johnson, a former Democratic state legislator.
Johnson is far down in the polls, but she’s getting enough support to make trouble for the other candidates. A recent poll from Nelson Research found 43 percent of likely voters supporting Drazan, 41 percent for Kotek, and 5 percent for the fast-fading Johnson.Leading up to Tuesday’s election, Kotek, the former speaker of the Oregon House, is crossing the state and has brought in some big-name Democrats, such as President Joe Biden and U.S. Sens.
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Oregon’s two U.S. senators, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, have campaigned for her, and former President Barack Obama has done a video ad.
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Tina Kotek