Rep. Christine Drazan is seeking appointment to succeed Sen. Daniel Bonham in Senate District 26.
OREGON — Gov. Tina Kotek has not announced her reelection plans for 2026, but her fundraising has kicked into a higher gear, with nearly $400,000 raised since Sept. 1, giving her $1.1 million in the bank.
Meanwhile, Kotek’s 2022 Republican opponent, state Rep. Christine Drazan (R-Canby), is keeping her options open.
Drazan, the former two-time House minority leader, passed on seeking that position again; Rep. Lucetta Elmer (R-McMinnville) replaced her in caucus elections last week. Drazan is seeking appointment to succeed state Sen. Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) in Senate District 26. (President Donald Trump nominated Bonham to be assistant secretary of labor Oct. 2.)
If Drazan wins the Senate appointment, she would frustrate a rival, state Rep. Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River), who also wants Bonham’s seat. A Senate seat would offer the ability to fundraise for a potential governor’s run during the February short session — a step House rules prohibit.
But Drazan is reticent about the governor’s race: “I am really focused on the Senate appointment.”
•••
This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project (oregonjournalismproject.org), a nonprofit investigative newsroom for the State of Oregon.
Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?)
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sign up to receive notifications when a new Columbia Gorge News e-Edition is published.
Would you like to receive our news updates? Signup today!
Receive weekly updates on obituaries and death notices.
Oregon Capital Press presented by Columbia Gorge News
Receive updates on upcoming promotions and special sections.
Receive weekly updates on local sports news.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.