TK
Tina Kotek
Democratic · Governor, Oregon · Incumbent since 2023
2026 General Election
Tina Kotek has served as Governor of Oregon since January 2023 after winning the 2022 election in a three-way race. Before becoming governor, she served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2013 to 2023, one of the longest-serving state house speakers in the country. She is a strong progressive and the first openly LGBTQ governor in Oregon history. She is running for re-election in what is a rematch of the 2022 race against Republican Christine Drazan in a two-way contest.
Official website →Views on the Issues
Gov. Kotek’s stated positions alongside Democratic and Republican party platforms. Sources cited below each position. MyPolity does not editorialize.
Democratic Platform
Tina Kotek
Republican Platform
Economy & Taxes
Democratic Platform
Democrats support progressive taxation, with higher rates on top earners and corporations to fund public investment. The party favors raising the minimum wage, strengthening unions, and expanding worker protections. Democrats generally support government investment in infrastructure, education, and social programs as drivers of broad economic growth.Tina Kotek
Governor Kotek has focused on housing affordability as a central economic issue, declaring a homelessness and housing emergency and pushing for expanded housing supply. She has backed clean energy investment, workforce development programs, and support for Oregon's technology, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors. She supports a minimum wage that keeps pace with Oregon's cost of living.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans favor lower taxes across income levels, with particular emphasis on cutting corporate and capital gains taxes to stimulate investment and job creation. The party supports deregulation, reduced government spending, and free market solutions over federal programs as the primary engine of prosperity.Healthcare
Democratic Platform
Democrats support expanding access to affordable healthcare, including protecting the Affordable Care Act and moving toward a public option or expanded Medicare coverage. The party broadly favors government negotiation of prescription drug prices and opposes removing protections for pre-existing conditions.Tina Kotek
Governor Kotek supports Oregon's expanded Medicaid program and has backed further expanding healthcare access. She has prioritized behavioral health care as a policy focus, working to expand mental health and addiction treatment infrastructure following Oregon's experience with Measure 110 drug decriminalization. She supports abortion access and reproductive healthcare.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans have generally sought to repeal or significantly reform the Affordable Care Act, favoring market-based solutions. The party supports expanding health savings accounts, increasing competition among insurers across state lines, and reducing federal mandates on coverage requirements.Immigration
Democratic Platform
Democrats generally support pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients, and favor comprehensive immigration reform. The party supports increased resources for legal immigration processing and a humanitarian approach to asylum seekers at the border.Tina Kotek
Governor Kotek has maintained Oregon as a welcoming state for immigrant communities. She supports comprehensive federal immigration reform and has backed state-level protections for Oregon's immigrant residents including mixed-status families. She opposes state and local cooperation with civil immigration enforcement actions.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans prioritize border security and strict enforcement of existing immigration law. The party broadly supports completing physical border barriers, ending policies they view as incentivizing illegal entry, and reforming legal immigration to favor applicants with marketable skills.Education
Democratic Platform
Democrats favor robust federal investment in public K-12 education and higher education, along with policies to reduce or eliminate student loan debt. The party generally opposes using public funds for private school vouchers and supports universal pre-K and affordable childcare.Tina Kotek
Governor Kotek has prioritized education investment including school funding, teacher pay, and expanded early childhood education. She supports Oregon's public school system and has worked to improve student outcomes, particularly in rural and low-income communities with historically lower graduation rates. She backs affordable community college and university access.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans support school choice, including voucher programs for private and religious schools, and local control over curriculum decisions. The party generally opposes federal education mandates and broadly supports parental rights in schooling. Many Republicans oppose student loan forgiveness as unfair to borrowers who repaid their loans.Gun Policy
Democratic Platform
Democrats broadly support stricter gun safety measures, including universal background checks, red flag laws, and restrictions on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The party frames these regulations as consistent with the Second Amendment and necessary to reduce mass shootings.Tina Kotek
Governor Kotek supports gun safety measures and backed Measure 114, Oregon's voter-approved permit-to-purchase law, which requires a permit for gun purchases and bans large-capacity magazines. She has been a consistent advocate for gun safety legislation at both the state and federal levels.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans strongly defend Second Amendment rights and generally oppose new gun control legislation, arguing that existing laws should be enforced more effectively. The party emphasizes mental health intervention, the right to self-defense, and opposes what they view as infringement on law-abiding gun owners.Climate & Energy
Democratic Platform
Democrats view climate change as an urgent crisis requiring immediate government action. The party supports transitioning to clean energy through federal investment and regulation, reducing carbon emissions across the economy, and meeting international climate commitments. Democrats generally oppose expanding fossil fuel development on public lands.Tina Kotek
Governor Kotek supports Oregon's clean energy goals and the transition away from fossil fuels. She has backed clean energy investment, electric vehicle adoption, and land conservation as climate priorities. Oregon's forests, coastline, and outdoor economy give climate adaptation a particular urgency that Kotek has emphasized in her environmental policy agenda.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize American energy independence through domestic production of oil, gas, and coal alongside renewable development. Many in the party are skeptical of aggressive climate regulations they argue harm economic growth and jobs. Republicans generally prefer market-based energy solutions over government mandates and oppose restrictions that raise energy costs for families.Foreign Policy
Democratic Platform
Democrats generally support a multilateral approach to foreign policy, emphasizing alliances, international institutions, and diplomacy as the first line of engagement. The party broadly supports maintaining NATO commitments, providing aid to democratic allies, and engaging international bodies to address shared challenges.Tina Kotek
Governor Kotek supports U.S. alliances and engagement-based foreign policy. As governor she engages foreign policy through Oregon's significant trade relationships in Asia — particularly its agricultural exports and technology sector — and has backed federal policies that open markets for Oregon products while protecting Oregon workers from unfair competition.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize American sovereignty, a strong military as a deterrent, and bilateral relationships over multilateral institutions. The party broadly supports robust defense spending and is skeptical of international agreements they view as constraining American action or requiring open-ended foreign commitments.Social Security
Democratic Platform
Democrats oppose cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits and support expanding both programs. The party generally favors raising the Social Security payroll tax cap on high earners to ensure long-term solvency and opposes any form of privatization.Tina Kotek
Governor Kotek is a strong defender of Social Security and Medicare and opposes cuts to earned benefits. She supports protecting both programs' long-term solvency and backs federal legislation that reduces costs for beneficiaries, including allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.Republican Platform
Republicans support reforming Social Security and Medicare to ensure long-term fiscal solvency, which some in the party argue requires adjusting benefits or eligibility ages. The party opposes tax increases to fund the programs and some members have supported personal investment account options.Criminal Justice
Democratic Platform
Democrats broadly support criminal justice reform, including reducing mandatory minimum sentences, addressing racial disparities in policing and incarceration, and investing in community-based alternatives. The party generally supports police accountability measures and evidence-based approaches to reducing recidivism.Tina Kotek
Governor Kotek has taken a nuanced approach to criminal justice, supporting reforms while responding to Oregonians' public safety concerns. She oversaw the recriminalization of low-level drug possession after Measure 110's results were mixed, backing a bipartisan approach that combined accountability with expanded treatment. She supports community policing, violence intervention programs, and reentry services.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize law and order, strong support for law enforcement, and tough penalties for crime. The party generally opposes reducing mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenses and supports prosecutors pursuing strong sentences. Republicans broadly oppose policies they view as undermining police authority or creating leniency for criminals.About these profiles. Party platform positions are drawn from the 2024 Democratic and Republican national platforms. Candidate positions are sourced from official statements, voting records, and campaign websites. MyPolity does not editorialize or endorse any candidate.