Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Christine Drazan hosts VA Governor Glenn Youngkin for campaign rally

SALEM Ore. (KPTV) - Tuesday night, Republican Gubernatorial Christine Drazan hosted notable Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin from Virginia to drum up support ahead of the November election.

In both local and national polls, she’s leading over Democratic candidate Tina Kotek, by as many as eight points.

More than 200 people turned up to The Barn at Countryside to show support at her campaign rally and hear what Drazan had to say on several issues from crime to homelessness.

“Immediately on day one, issue a homelessness emergency that will give me as governor the opportunity, and frankly the power, to be able to align all of the various entities out there, state and local governments, to ensure we look at our 14,000 unhoused folks on our streets and we don’t see them as one big number, but see them as individuals and we help progress them from houselessness to supportive services, houses, stability and the dignity of work,” Drazan said.

Youngkin beat out a democratic gubernatorial candidate in the last election, which is the first time a republican has won a statewide election in Virginia since 2009 and he said Oregon is ready to elect a republican too.

“Nobody thought that a republican governor candidate could win in Virginia, sound familiar Oregon? And we stood up last year and it’s your turn to stand up now,” he said to Tuesday night’s crowd.

Youngkin’s visit comes on the heels of President Joe Biden’s visit over the weekend, who came to Portland to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act and to back Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Tina Kotek.

This week Independent Betsy Johnson also hosted a roundtable with local businesses to talk about the impacts crime and homelessness has had on the Downtown core’s economy.

All three candidates are doing some major campaign legwork as ballots are expected to be sent to Oregonians’ mailboxes Wednesday.

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