Unlike the Republican primary, the Democratic race for governor is largely a two-person contest between former House Speaker Tina Kotek and Treasurer Tobias Read. Despite a field of 15 contenders, only Kotek and Read have generated any notable attention, endorsements and campaign contributions. And except for the brief candidacy of former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who was declared ineligible to run due to residency requirements, the primary has been decidedly drama free.
That will likely change after May, when the Democratic nominee will face off not only with the Republican contender but also former Democratic legislator Betsy Johnson, a longtime moderate running for governor as a nonaffiliated candidate. While Kotek and Read both have the experience to succeed Gov. Kate Brown, Democrats should choose Kotek as their nominee for her unflinching determination to tackle big challenges and an indisputable record of effectiveness.
First elected in 2006 to the House representing North Portland, Kotek, 55, stepped down earlier this year after five-and-a-half terms as House speaker – the longest stretch anyone has served in that position. During her tenure, she articulated an agenda full of progressive wants and, with the help of a Democratic majority, muscled them through to passage. Among her accomplishments: minimum wage increases, a paid sick-time program and a host of housing bills, including a first-in-the-nation law that requires cities to allow duplexes and similar developments in neighborhoods previously zoned only for single-family homes. She also secured passage in 2019 of both a $1 billion-a-year tax for education as well as a key public pension system refinancing bill that drew fierce blowback from public employee unions. Whether people cheered or opposed Kotek’s agenda, few legislators can boast her record of accomplishment.
She shows her ability to think ambitiously in laying out her platform for addressing Oregon’s housing crisis and unsheltered homelessness. Among her ideas: Develop a 10-year plan to build enough homes to erase the state’s 110,000 unit-deficit and keep pace with continuing growth; consider both how to create the needed workforce and explore ways to streamline permitting; and target the 2024 legislative session for necessary legislation to support the plan. With homelessness, she would prioritize sheltering those most vulnerable – veterans, people over 65, families with children and young adults; adding “housing navigators” trained specifically to find housing and reduce barriers; and expanding access to state properties to site temporary shelters and centers to connect people to services.
Despite Kotek’s proven leadership, our endorsement comes with significant asterisks. While Kotek has been criticized for power-hoarding, the most disturbing example occurred last year when she abruptly reneged on a deal giving House Republicans an equal say on the committee drawing new congressional district boundaries. Her reversal came after Republicans rightly pushed back on a blatantly gerrymandered map, which was eventually replaced with a less skewed map. Her actions, which contributed to Republicans’ boycotting a House floor session, give Oregonians a clear example of how such hardball, partisan tactics can lead to legislative walkouts.
If Kotek wins the nomination, she’ll need to show that she can lead the state and not just her party. As successful as she has been in passing legislation, many of her priorities advanced with little or no Republican backing. Similarly, she will need to demonstrate she won’t reflexively push the agenda of public employee unions, which are among Democrats’ biggest donors. Notwithstanding the pension reform bill, Kotek has supported a number of bills over the years that watered down educational standards or accountability metrics. Her K-12 education platform, in fact, is downright anemic, consisting of little more than reducing standardized testing time and aiming for 90% graduation rates across all student groups. While she argues that the new tax she helped pass is designed to give districts the funds to improve educational outcomes, that hands-off approach is not sufficient for the governor, who also serves as the state’s superintendent of public instruction. If she wins the primary, she should spend time listening to Oregon students and families about the many ways the K-12 system is failing them – especially students of color – and come back with a better plan.
It is in prioritizing education where her challenger, Read, 46, makes his most compelling case. He calls for funding universal preschool, adding reading specialists, hiring more school nurses and phasing out fees for sports – just some of the many investments he wants the state to make. But Read’s track record in achieving success on such complex and expensive initiatives is limited. While he came up with the innovative idea to transfer the Elliott State Forest to Oregon State University and supported the workgroup developing the plan, he has not demonstrated the same initiative and iron will to get things done as Kotek has.
Read argues that his experience running the Treasury reflects the executive skills needed to be governor. But he has failed to show leadership on the biggest issue threatening Oregon’s financial stability in recent years – the massive public pension debt that Kotek, albeit begrudgingly, addressed. In fact, at a union-hosted debate earlier this year, Read chided Kotek, saying he was “not one that wants to make political deals on the back of public employees.” For the treasurer, who has a front row seat to the enormity of our pension debt and its impact on the budgets of school districts and other public agencies, his comment is indefensible.
Some Democrats may prefer Read’s more moderate vision, but vision must be backed up with action. Kotek has delivered time and again and deserves the nod from Democrats.
-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
Original source can be found here.
