Gov. Tina Kotek held a lead over Sen. Christine Drazan in early returns Tuesday, Nov. 3, in Oregon's governor's race.

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

Early returns showed Kotek leading Drazan, 54.4% to 43%, with an estimated 35% of ballots counted, OPB reported. 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 1,099,350 ballots counted out of 3,111,078 active registered voters, a 35.34% turnout, as of 8 p.m. Pacific.

Washington County voters are part of that count. Updated results from the county are expected several times a day until the tally is complete, according to Yahoo News' Washington County results tracker.

Kotek, 60, faces Drazan, 54, of Canby and Smith, 44. The race is a rematch. Kotek won 47% to 43.5% in 2022, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle.

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

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

Kotek says she is making progress and would continue to 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 has promised to cut taxes and veto new ones, order agencies to review spending and repeal the state's Climate Protection Plan. She grew up in Klamath Falls and served as House minority leader before being appointed to the Senate in October 2025.

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

Data centers hit close to home

Data centers emerged as a major issue in this race, and Washington County is at the center of the debate. Both Kotek and Drazan came out in favor of 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.

Kotek ordered a halt to new air and water permitting for data centers until July 2027, The Oregonian reported. The Washington County Board of Commissioners took a different path. The board passed a resolution opposing large-scale standalone data center development in unincorporated Washington County and opposing tax incentives to attract such facilities, Hoodline reported. The county skipped a formal moratorium because staff identified no pending data center applications and only eight industrial parcels that met the criteria, all already developed.

Nearby Hillsboro adopted a temporary moratorium on data centers on July 27 and later approved permanent regulations capping data center development at just over 600 acres citywide, according to Hoodline's reporting.

Polls showed a toss-up

Multiple polls showed the race within the margin of error. 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 in final unlimited race

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, thanks to a 2024 state law that caps individual contributions at $3,300 per candidate per cycle starting next cycle.

As of Nov. 2, Drazan had received $21.5 million in contributions 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 must 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.