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Four Republican candidates face off in Oregon gubernatorial debate

Four Republican candidates for Oregon governor face off in a debate hosted by the City Club of Portland.
Credit: KGW
Clockwise from top left: Bridget Barton, Stan Pulliam, Jessica Gomez, Bud Pierce

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon's May primary election is just two weeks away, and four of the leading Republican candidates for governor hope to make their mark in a Tuesday debate, hosted by the City Club of Portland and moderated by KGW's Laural Porter and David Molko.

Tuesday's debate is the last in a series of six primary debates that the club has hosted over the past month, including an April 22 Democratic primary debate between Tina Kotek and Tobias Read.

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Kotek and Read are the frontrunners on the Democratic ticket, but the Republican roster is wider, both in terms of the total number of candidates in the running and the number who appear to be near the top of the pack heading into the primary.

Watch the full Republican gubernatorial debate here:

For a full list of all the candidates running for governor, check out KGW's candidate breakdown and see where the candidates stand on the issues.

Here's a rundown of each of the candidates in Tuesday's debate:

Bridget Barton
Occupation: Political consultant
Lives in: West Linn

Jessica Gomez
Occupation: CEO in electronics manufacturing
Lives in: Medford

Bud Pierce
Occupation: Physician
Lives in: Salem

Stan Pulliam
Occupation: Mayor of Sandy, insurance executive
Lives in: Sandy

A fifth candidate, former State Rep. Christine Drazan, was also scheduled to participate in the debate but withdrew from the event on Tuesday morning. Her campaign manager, Trey Rosser, sent KGW the following statement:

Christine has participated in nearly a dozen public candidate forums, including two televised debates in the last two weeks. She has also visited every corner of the state and hosted countless public events. While she is not participating today, she appreciates the forum provided by the Portland City Club and looks forward to the next opportunity.

Catch up on last month's Democratic gubernatorial debate here:

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