Gov. Tina Kotek has clinched the last outstanding nomination of a minor party in Oregon, effectively cementing the slate of candidates vying for governor this year.

On Sunday, the Oregon Working Families Party voted to cross-nominate Kotek as its candidate in the Nov. 3 election, meaning the party will appear alongside “Democrat” after Kotek’s name on the ballot.

The development is hardly a surprise. The Working Families Party has nominated Democrats in every Oregon gubernatorial election since 2014 – including Kotek four years ago. It’s never put forward its own candidate for the job. “We can run our own candidates, but we prefer not to be spoilers or to waste your vote,” the party says on its website.

Still, this year’s nomination may carry more importance than others.

As things stand, Kotek will square off against just two other candidates: Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan – her rival in the 2022 governor’s race – and Brett Smith, who is representing the left-leaning Pacific Green Party.

Assuming nothing changes, it will mark the first time an Oregon gubernatorial race has featured just three candidates since 2002.

Smith’s candidacy as a Pacific Green Party nominee threatens to siphon votes from Kotek, who has consistently been one of the country’s least popular governors and whom one poll suggested may be trailing Drazan. Bearing the progressive Working Families Party mantle on the ballot could help Kotek blunt that impact.

The nomination also signals a slight shift for the Working Families Party, which opted not to endorse the governor during her noncompetitive May primary race.

While Kotek has often aligned with progressive interests during nearly two decades in public office, some of her recent initiatives have given left-leaning groups pause.

That included raising concerns about the tax impacts of Multnomah County’s universal free-preschool program last year, and her announcement in December she will focus on boosting the state’s business reputation – an effort some progressive and labor groups worry could undercut state funding for public services.

In a joint statement issued with the Kotek campaign Friday, the Oregon Working Families Party said it had secured commitments from the governor in exchange for its members’ support. Those include a pledge by Kotek to pursue statewide universal preschool, and “supporting the model created by Preschool For All in Multnomah County.” Multnomah County’s program is funded by a tax on high-income earners.

Among the other items on the party’s list of commitments from Kotek: That she protect the state’s farmworker overtime and climate protection policies – two things that have come under intense fire from critics. Kotek has also agreed to support stronger transparency in campaign finance, defend the state’s sanctuary laws, and meet with lawmakers affiliated with the party while the Legislature is in session, according to the release.

“Our members have sent a clear message: They will support candidates who can point to a concrete plan for working people,” Annie Naranjo-Rivera, the Working Families Party’s state director, said in a statement. “This cross-nomination is not a favor. It is the result of Governor Kotek being in dialogue with members of our party, hearing what multiracial working-class families in Oregon are up against, and putting her name on commitments that working families can hold her to.”

For her part, Kotek said she was “proud” to have the endorsement.

“This election is not only about what we are fighting against — it is also about what we are fighting for: an Oregon where working people can afford a home, quality childcare, and the basic costs of living; where they can join a union, raise a family, and retire with dignity,” Kotek said in a statement. “I’m proud to earn this cross-nomination by re-committing to that work.”

The Working Families Party appears to be the last of the state’s six minor parties to nominate its candidate ahead of an Aug. 25 deadline.

Three of those groups — the Oregon Progressive Party, Independent Party of Oregon, and the No Labels Party — made no nomination in the race.

The Libertarian Party of Oregon, meanwhile, cross-nominated Drazan in late July, the first time in 40 years it hasn’t had a standalone candidate on the gubernatorial ballot. Richard Burke, the party’s vice chair, told OPB last month the move was aimed at helping Drazan consolidate conservative votes.

“It’s not that our party has great love for Christine Drazan,” Burke said. “It’s that we want Kotek to lose.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/21/kotek-drazan-smith-minor-parties-three-way-race-oregon-governor/