Decision Desk HQ projects that Tina Kotek has won a second term as Oregon governor, defeating Republican challenger Christine Drazan in their rematch. The election results organization made its call at 8:08 p.m. Pacific on Tuesday, November 3, just eight minutes after Oregon’s ballot drop box deadline. Counties are still counting, and the vote totals remain unofficial.
For the latest numbers, visit our live Oregon governor results page. It includes statewide totals and a searchable breakdown of all 36 counties. The figures below are an election-night snapshot, while that tracker continues checking for new returns.
Where the reported vote stood
In the Oregon Secretary of State’s 8:45 p.m. update, Kotek had 673,729 votes to Drazan’s 581,941. That put Kotek ahead by 91,788 votes, with 52.23% of the reported governor votes compared with Drazan’s 45.12%. Pacific Green candidate Brett Smith had 32,721 votes, or 2.54%, and the state listed 1,457 write-in votes.
| Candidate | Reported votes | Vote share |
|---|---|---|
| Tina Kotek | 673,729 | 52.23% |
| Christine Drazan | 581,941 | 45.12% |
| Brett Smith | 32,721 | 2.54% |
| Write-in votes | 1,457 | 0.11% |
Those percentages describe the 1,289,848 votes reported in the governor’s contest at that point. They do not tell us what percentage of all eventual votes had been counted. They also come from a later update than DDHQ’s 8:08 p.m. call, so they should not be mistaken for the exact figures its analysts used when making that decision.
How a race can be called at 8:08 p.m.
Oregon’s first results can include ballots returned well before Election Day. State law allows counties to open returned ballot envelopes and scan ballots under approved security plans before results are released. The 8 p.m. deadline therefore does not mean election workers are starting from an empty tally at that moment.
DDHQ says its race call team examines the votes already reported, the locations and types of votes still outstanding, and whether the trailing candidate can overcome the gap. Its analysts use statistical models along with human review. A sufficiently clear pattern can support a projection soon after the first returns appear, even while substantial counting remains.
DDHQ’s public announcement confirms its decision and the time, but does not spell out the exact calculations behind this Oregon call. A projection also carries no authority to stop election workers from counting eligible ballots. DDHQ acknowledges that it has retracted projections in past elections.
What the county returns show
The state’s county feed, checked at 8:50 p.m., showed Kotek building a large advantage in Multnomah County, with 165,707 votes to Drazan’s 42,924. Kotek also led in Washington County, 81,674 to 44,046, and Lane County, 74,761 to 50,794. Drazan led in Jackson County, 48,155 to 40,680, and Douglas County, 27,390 to 10,890.
Clackamas County was closer, with Kotek at 74,755 votes and Drazan at 69,858. These are partial county totals, and the county and statewide feeds can refresh at different times. Our live county table lets you check your own county as more returns arrive.
The official count continues
Kotek and Drazan also faced each other in 2022, when Kotek won her first term in a race that included nonaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson. The Hill also reported DDHQ’s projection of a second Kotek victory Tuesday evening. That call addresses the expected winner; the final margin will depend on the completed count.
The Secretary of State says eligible mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive up to seven days afterward and still be counted. Its calendar lists December 10 for final statewide results. Until then, readers can follow the changing totals on our live Oregon election tracker and check their own ballot through the state’s My Vote service.
