Christine Drazan’s Broke Campaign Left Out to Dry by RGA

Christine Drazan’s Broke Campaign Left Out to Dry by RGA 

New reporting from The Oregonian reveals how Christine Drazan’s flailing campaign is struggling to “keep pace with Kotek’s fundraising”  as the Republican Governors Association has  “sat out of her 2026 rematch with Gov. Tina Kotek.”

Drazan’s cash on hand has now dwindled to $1.2 million while Kotek heads into the final month of campaigning with $9.2 million on hand. And while the RGA spent $7 million to boost Drazan’s first failed campaign in 2022, they’re now nowhere to be found as Drazan faces increasing scrutiny for her anti-abortion record and failure to stand up to Donald Trump’s deeply unpopular agenda.

The Oregonian’s reporting on Drazan’s financial woes comes after Drazan desperately called in anti-abortion extremist Ron DeSantis to help bail her out last week.

“Christine Drazan is so out-of-step with Oregonians that even the RGA doesn’t see her as a sound investment and has completely hung her campaign out to dry,” said Deputy Communications Director Johanna Warshaw. “Voters trust Governor Kotek to continue making progress for Oregon and fighting back against Trump’s attacks, and that’s why she has the fundraising momentum to win and send a strong message that Drazan’s extremism doesn’t work for Oregon.”

The Oregonian: Top Drazan donors from 2022 remain absent as Kotek maintains fundraising lead in Oregon governor’s race

• The two biggest contributors to Republican Christine Drazan’s 2022 gubernatorial campaign have so far sat out her 2026 rematch with Gov. Tina Kotek.

• … as of Tuesday evening, Drazan’s campaign had not reported a single contribution this year from the national political group [the Republican Governors Association.] 

• A spokesperson for the Republican Governors Association declined on Tuesday to discuss the organization’s spending strategy or plans.

• Regardless, Drazan has struggled to keep pace with Kotek’s fundraising even as polls have indicated a tight race. Kotek has raised $14.7 million since January 2025, compared with $11.4 million for Drazan in that same period.

• Notably, Drazan faced a competitive May primary and has outspent Kotek this year, reporting $10 million in expenditures compared with $5.4 million for Kotek. That has left Kotek with significantly more cash on hand — about $9.2 million — than Drazan, who has $1.2 million available.

• Kotek’s biggest donor, meanwhile, is the Democratic Governors Association, which has given her more than $3.8 million as of Tuesday. Her other top donors include various labor unions, such as the campaign arm of SEIU Local 503, which has given her $1 million this year, and the state’s nurses union, which has given her $800,000.

• “Our strong fundraising advantage is representative of Governor Kotek’s broad coalition of support from Oregonians who trust her to continue making progress for Oregon and stand up against (President Donald) Trump’s attacks,” Federico Araujo, spokesperson for Kotek, said in a statement.

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