Republican · Oregon governor · 2026
Christine Drazan
Drazan grew up in southern Oregon, with a father who worked in the timber industry and a mother who lived with multiple sclerosis.
Biography
Christine Drazan and her husband, Dan, live in rural Clackamas County with sheep, chickens, a rescue dog and an old cat.1 Their three children are now young adults.1 She grew up in Southern Oregon and says her family moved so often in search of work that she had lived in fifteen homes before finishing high school.1
After Eagle Point High School, Drazan earned a communication arts degree at George Fox University in 1993.2 She worked in public relations and Republican legislative offices before becoming chief of staff to House Speaker Mark Simmons in 2001.2 Her subsequent work included lobbying for the Oregon Restaurant Association and directing the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon.2
Drazan first won a state House election in 2018 and became the Republican leader in 2019.2 She led House Republicans in the 2020 walkout that prevented climate legislation from advancing.2 County commissioners appointed her to the state Senate in October 2025, and she now represents District 26.34
Her platform would set a 120 day decision limit for qualifying housing projects, expand assistance for homebuyers and review regulations that increase household costs.5 She pledges to veto new taxes and fees while increasing the state standard deduction.5 On homelessness and addiction, she proposes spending audits, stronger recovery requirements and a mental health emergency declaration to coordinate the state's response.5 She again faces Democratic Governor Tina Kotek, who won their 2022 race.6
Record and controversies
Nonprofit payments to family firm
The Oregon Capital Chronicle reported that A New Direction, the nonprofit Drazan founded, paid her family consulting firm $96,000 in 2023 and 2024 without a documented conflict of interest policy.7 The article raised governance concerns but expressly reported no evidence of a state or federal law violation.7 The nonprofit said the services furthered its mission, occurred outside her campaigning and officeholding, and that her husband did not vote to approve the payments.7 The reporting describes governance concerns, not an adjudicated corruption or illegal payment case.7