Kotek Leads Oregon Governor's Race as Early Statewide Election Results Come In

SALEM, Ore. - Oregon's first unofficial election results show incumbent Gov. Tina Kotek leading Republican challenger Christine Drazan, while several other statewide and congressional races are beginning to take shape following Tuesday's general election.

The latest figures from the Oregon Secretary of State show Kotek leading statewide, although early returns in Douglas County indicate stronger support for Drazan locally.

In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Jeff Merkley is also leading statewide, while Oregon's two congressional districts representing portions of Douglas County are showing different results.

As of approximately 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 3, more than 1.4 million ballots had been counted statewide, representing about 45% of Oregon's active registered voters.

All results remain unofficial, and additional ballots will be counted in the coming days.

Oregon Governor

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek is leading Republican Christine Drazan in the race for Oregon governor.

Statewide Results:

• Tina Kotek (Democrat): 727,532 votes (52.37%)
• Christine Drazan (Republican): 624,328 votes (44.94%)
• Brett Smith (Pacific Green): 35,631 votes (2.56%)

Kotek currently holds a lead of more than 103,000 votes statewide.

The race marks a rematch between Kotek and Drazan, who faced each other in the 2022 gubernatorial election.

Early Douglas County returns show a different pattern from the statewide results, with Drazan leading locally. An earlier county tally placed Drazan at 27,390 votes, or approximately 69% of the local vote.

The governor's race remains unofficial as counties continue counting ballots.

United States Senate

Democratic incumbent Jeff Merkley is leading Republican challenger David Brock Smith in Oregon's U.S. Senate race.

Statewide Results:

• Jeff Merkley (Democrat): 789,816 votes (57.17%)
• David Brock Smith (Republican): 553,249 votes (40.05%)
• Chris Henry (Progressive/Pacific Green): 25,068 votes (1.81%)
• Gary Lyndon Dye (Libertarian): 12,326 votes (0.89%)

Merkley holds a statewide lead of more than 236,000 votes.

Douglas County's early results show a different preference, with David Brock Smith receiving a majority of the local vote in the initial returns.

U.S. House of Representatives, District 2

Republican incumbent Cliff Bentz is leading Democrat Chris Beck in Oregon's 2nd Congressional District.

Districtwide Results:

• Cliff Bentz (Republican): 165,553 votes (61.74%)
• Chris Beck (Democrat): 102,230 votes (38.13%)

Bentz currently leads Beck by more than 63,000 votes.

The 2nd Congressional District includes portions of southern and eastern Oregon, including part of Douglas County.

U.S. House of Representatives, District 4

Democratic incumbent Val Hoyle is leading Republican challenger Monique DeSpain in Oregon's 4th Congressional District.

Districtwide Results:

• Val Hoyle (Democrat): 147,508 votes (54.20%)
• Monique DeSpain (Republican): 116,312 votes (42.74%)
• Justin Filip (Pacific Green/Progressive): 8,133 votes (2.99%)

Hoyle currently leads DeSpain by more than 31,000 votes across the district.

However, early Douglas County returns show DeSpain leading locally.

An earlier county tally placed DeSpain at 20,854 votes, compared with 9,896 for Hoyle.

The results highlight the difference between voting patterns in Douglas County and those across the broader congressional district.

Oregon House of Representatives, District 1

Republican Court Boice is leading Democrat Bret Cecil in the race for Oregon House District 1.

Districtwide Results:

• Court Boice (Republican): 20,394 votes (63.79%)
• Bret Cecil (Democrat): 11,505 votes (35.99%)

Boice currently leads Cecil by 8,889 votes.

The district includes southwestern Oregon communities, including portions of Douglas County.

Oregon House of Representatives, District 2

Republican Virgle Osborne ran without a listed opponent in the general election.

Districtwide Results:

• Virgle Osborne: 19,077 votes

Additional write-in votes have also been recorded.

Oregon House of Representatives, District 4

Republican Alek Skarlatos also ran without a listed opponent.

Districtwide Results:

• Alek Skarlatos: 20,222 votes

Skarlatos received the overwhelming majority of votes recorded in the contest, with the remaining votes going to write-in candidates.

Douglas County Voting Patterns Differ From Statewide Results

The initial returns illustrate a difference between the choices of Douglas County voters and the overall statewide electorate.

While Kotek leads Oregon's governor's race and Merkley leads the U.S. Senate contest, early Douglas County results favor their Republican opponents.

A similar divide is visible in the 4th Congressional District, where Val Hoyle leads across the district despite Monique DeSpain receiving more votes in Douglas County's initial count.

These differences reflect the larger geographic areas covered by statewide and congressional elections, where ballots from multiple counties contribute to the overall results.

More Ballots Remain to Be Counted

The figures represent early election-night returns and are subject to change.

Oregon elections officials will continue processing eligible ballots over the coming days, including ballots received under the state's postmark rules.

The Oregon Secretary of State is scheduled to certify the statewide election results on December 10, 2026.

Voters can review the latest unofficial results through the state's official election website:

https://results.oregonvotes.gov/

The Roseburg Receiver will continue following statewide, congressional and local election results as additional ballots are counted.