Gov. Tina Kotek led Sen. Christine Drazan 52.3% to 45.1% in partial returns Tuesday, Nov. 3, with nearly 1.3 million ballots counted in Oregon's governor's race, OPB reported.

The Associated Press has not called this race. Results are partial and unofficial. This article will be updated as more ballots are counted.

Pacific Green Party candidate Brett Smith had 2.5% of the vote as of 8 p.m. The Oregon Secretary of State's office reported 1,282,797 ballots counted out of 2,909,762 active registered voters, a 44.09% turnout, as of 8:45 p.m. Pacific.

The race is a rematch. Kotek, 60, a former Portland-area state representative and Oregon's longest-serving House speaker, defeated Drazan in 2022, 47% to 43.5%, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson took nearly 9% that year.

Oregon has not elected a Republican governor since Vic Atiyeh in 1982, the Salem Statesman Journal reported. Democrats hold all statewide offices and supermajorities in the Legislature.

What's at stake for Portland

All three candidates said lowering the cost of living is their top priority, the Statesman Journal reported. The winner will lead a state grappling with education, economic competitiveness and homelessness.

Kotek said she is making progress and would protect Oregon from federal interference. Her second-term agenda centers on affordability, economic growth, education and expanding social services, including a universal state-funded preschool program, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle. During her first term she prioritized behavioral health, education and housing.

Drazan, 54, of Canby, promised to cut taxes and veto new ones, order agencies to review spending and repeal the state's Climate Protection Plan (CPP). She grew up in Klamath Falls and served as House minority leader before being appointed to the Senate in October 2025.

Smith, 44, has never held political office. He called for a permanent statewide moratorium on data centers and charging businesses that pay below a living wage.

Data centers became a flashpoint. Both Kotek and Drazan backed a moratorium on new data center construction, according to OPB. An OPB-commissioned poll found nearly two-thirds of likely voters favor a temporary ban.

Polls showed a toss-up

A late September OPB-commissioned survey of 915 likely voters by DHM Research found Drazan at 47% and Kotek at 46% after undecided voters were pressed, according to an OPB press release.

That lead fell within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3.24 percentage points.

Record spending

The two major-party candidates collectively raised more than $40 million, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported. This is the last Oregon election without campaign donation limits. A 2024 state law caps individual contributions at $3,300 per candidate per cycle starting next cycle.

As of Nov. 2, Drazan had received $21.5 million and spent about $22.2 million, with the Republican Governors Association giving $5.75 million in the final month, the Statesman Journal reported.

Kotek had received about $19 million and spent $20.2 million, with the Democratic Governors Association contributing more than $5 million. Smith had not reported any contributions or spending.

How to follow results

Oregon is a vote-by-mail state. Ballots had to be at a drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day or postmarked by Nov. 3 to count, according to the Statesman Journal's election guide. Live results are available at the Oregon Secretary of State's website and the AP results page.