Oregon

Democrats control the governor’s office, both chambers of the Legislature, the attorney general’s office, and the secretary of state’s office. Governor Tina Kotek won her May 19 primary and faces Republican Christine Drazan in a November rematch of the 2022 race.

Oregon has governing power. The question is whether it is using that power fast enough on homelessness, housing, and the aftermath of its drug decriminalization experiment.

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Homelessness Keeps Getting Worse Despite Emergency Powers

Kotek declared a homelessness emergency on her first day in office in January 2023. She extended it for a third time in January 2026.

12,034 people were homeless in the Portland metro area in January 2025, a 61% increase from two years earlier

The state committed $20 million for permanent supportive housing with intensive services for people with addiction or mental illness.

Thousands of people have moved from streets to shelter and from shelter into homes. But the numbers are still climbing. Kotek’s own words frame the tension.

Officials say the 61% increase is due in part to more comprehensive data used in the 2025 count.

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New Housing Laws Take Aim at Investor Buyers

The 2026 Legislature passed a set of housing bills. Kotek signed most of them in late March and celebrated six of them at an April 22 signing event. They build on the $376 million housing production package lawmakers passed in 2024.

The question is whether new money and zoning changes can outrun a housing shortage that took decades to build.

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Oregon Reversed Its Drug Experiment

In 2020, Oregon voters made history by passing Measure 110, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of illicit drugs. It was the first law of its kind in the country.

Four years later, it was over. Governor Kotek signed House Bill 4002 in 2024, making possession a crime again.

The reversal split advocates. Supporters say it was the only response to the fentanyl crisis. Opponents say it criminalized addiction without building enough treatment beds first.

The treatment infrastructure Measure 110 was supposed to fund is still being built. That is the gap that matters now. Recriminalizing possession without adequate treatment means more people cycle through the courts instead of getting help.

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Voters Approved a Gun Law in 2022 and It Still Has Not Taken Effect

Oregon voters passed Measure 114 in November 2022. It requires a permit to buy a gun and bans magazines holding more than 10 rounds. Nearly four years later, it has never been enforced.

Oregon voters passed Measure 114 in November 2022. A federal judge ruled it constitutional, a state circuit judge blocked it, and the Court of Appeals reversed. The Oregon Supreme Court will make the final call, and the law has not taken effect.

The Legislature tried to help. The House passed HB 4145 by a vote of 33-19 to implement Measure 114. But Senate Republicans threatened a walkout, and Democrats gutted the bill in the final days of session. The implementation timeline was pushed to 2028. The bill went from 28 pages to two.

This is a case study in how a minority party can override a majority vote by threatening to shut down government. Oregon Democrats had the votes. They chose to compromise rather than risk a walkout that would stall the entire session.

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The Governor’s Race Is a Rematch

Kotek beat Drazan by a few percentage points in 2022, in a three-way race that included independent Betsy Johnson. This time it is head-to-head.

The gas tax fight is already settled. On May 19, voters rejected Referendum 120, repealing the gas tax, payroll tax and vehicle fee increases Democrats passed in 2025.

The lever Oregon’s governor controls homelessness emergency powers, housing agency direction, and the veto pen on the Legislature’s work

Voters who care about housing, drug policy, gun safety, or public lands should know what the governor can do and what the Legislature needs to send them.

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What You Can Do in Oregon

1. Check your voter registration. Oregon uses automatic voter registration and vote-by-mail. Verify your address and ballot delivery at oregonvotes.gov.

2. Track your ballot. Oregon lets you track your ballot online. Do not assume it arrived. Confirm it was received and counted.

3. Read your voters’ pamphlet. Read the actual ballot measure language before November. Campaign ads on both sides will simplify it.

4. Ask candidates about Measure 114. The gun law voters approved in 2022 still has not taken effect. Ask governor and legislative candidates whether they will implement it or let it sit until 2028.

5. Call the governor’s office. 503-378-4582. Ask about treatment infrastructure. Recriminalizing drug possession without adequate treatment capacity means more court cycling, not more recovery.