PORTLAND, Ore. — The three candidates running to be Oregon's next governor meet Wednesday night for a televised debate hosted by KGW and The Oregonian. This is the fourth and final televised debate featuring Republican Christine Drazan, unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson and Democrat Tina Kotek — and it's set to happen as ballots are in the mail, bound for Oregon voters.
Like most statewide offices, for decades Oregon's governorship has been a lock for Democrats. But former Democratic state senator Betsy Johnson's well-funded centrist bid has changed the race into a true toss-up. While the latest polling put Johnson at the rear of a three-way race, Drazan had a slight lead over Kotek — albeit a lead hovering around the margin of error.
The debate will be moderated by Laurel Porter, KGW evening anchor and host of the "Straight Talk" public affairs show, and Hillary Borrud, state government and politics reporter at The Oregonian. Porter's evening co-anchor, David Molko, will host the broadcast.
The debate airs live on KGW at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, and will be streaming in this article, on kgw.com and the KGW+ app.
The candidates will be asked about a variety of topics, including homelessness in the state, an issue that's top of mind for many voters. Viewers also had an opportunity to submit their own questions to candidates.