Bend Bulletin Endorses Christine Drazan for Governor

Editorial: Drazan and Kotek for governor in their respective primaries
Bend Bulletin Editorial Board

Who will deliver change for Republican voters, if elected? Any Republican governor would at some level. They would have the power of appointments, executive orders and direction, agenda-setting, use of the line-item veto and the ability to at least start the conversation about the budget. Beyond that, though, it is about politics.

Drazan stands out to us when we think about it that way. Talk to her or listen to her and it won’t take long to recognize why her Republican colleagues voted her as minority leader in the House. She is a skilled speaker and a thoughtful and convincing politician.

She recognizes politics must include the art of compromise and listening to others who don’t share your views. “Nobody is going to get everything that they want,” she told us. “That’s not how politics is supposed to work. That’s what’s been broken for so long.” We are not saying her Republican opponents would disagree with that. She emphasized it.

She also impressed us when she talked about PERS. As frustrated as many people are with the state’s shortfall and as much as she wants to see that improved, she was also blunt about the system being solvent and better funded than in many other states. Drazan can talk about difficult policy choices, admit where people she disagrees with are correct and share a path forward in a way that actually might win people over.
 ###