The 2022 midterm elections will take place Nov. 8. This year, Oregon has a three-way race, with candidates Tina Kotek (Democrat), Christine Drazan (Republican) and Betsy Johnson (Independent) all running for governor. The race sets up an unusual situation; the winner may not even need 40 percent of the votes to win.

 “From homelessness to climate change, it’s one thing to talk about our problems, it’s another thing to make the tough calls and actually get things done. And that’s why I’m running for governor,” Tina Kotek said in a campaign video. 

According to Multnomah County’s 2022 Point-in-Time Count, 5,228 citizens living in Portland experience homelessness. This number has increased due to COVID, and Kotek hopes to reduce the number quickly. 

Drazan’s top donor, the Republican Governor’s Association (RGA), aims to ban abortion nationwide without exceptions for rape or incest. Drazan disagrees with the current abortion protections in Oregon. 

Johnson hopes to make progress on the mental health crisis in Oregon. 

“We need to deploy people that are trained in helping folks dealing with mental health crises, and at some point, we’re going to have to recognize that mentally ill and drug-addicted people do not make good personal choices for themselves,” Johnson said. 

Last year, 34.6 percent of adults reported symptoms of anxiety/depressive disorder. Johnson’s hope is to reduce that percentage if she becomes governor. 

Johnson can expect the fewest number of votes, according to polls as of press time. Oregon is usually a Democratic state and has not elected a Republican governor since 1982. However, recent nationwide polls predict that Republican candidates will do better than usual in currently-blue states.