Ahead of Final GOP Primary Debate, Republican Candidates Continue to Dodge Questions About Trump

Portland, OR - Today, as Oregonians across the state are casting their votes for the May primary, GOP gubernatorial candidates for governor Christine Drazan, Ed Diehl, Chris Dudley and Danielle Bethell will participate in one final debate hosted by KOIN and the Portland City Club.

In the weeks leading up to the final debate, the candidates have continued to duck, dodge, and deflect tough questions about Trump and the impacts of the federal administration:

• During a debate at the Dorchester Conference, Drazan, Diehl, and Dudley deflected the questions about their support for Trump sending the National Guard to Oregon.
• Drazan did not respond to a questionnaire from Oregon Capital Chronicle, which included questions about the specific issues each candidate disagrees with Trump on and the candidates' approach to working with the federal government.
• Dudley continues to duck questions about Trump at every opportunity, instead pointing to being "Oregon first" despite spending over a decade in California.
• Diehl dodged OPB's question about Trump's executive order on mail-in voting, instead reaffirming his support for the so-called SAVE Act, which would gut mail-in voting.

Drazan and Dudley have already dropped out of at least one public debate. With one last chance to answer direct questions ahead of the May primary, Oregonians deserve to know: will the candidates stand up against Trump and his disastrous policies, or will they continue to stay silent on his MAGA agenda that's hurting Oregonians?

"For the majority of voters, this will be their last chance to hear from each of the leading Republican candidates," said Federico Araujo, DPO Communications Advisor. "Tonight's debate will offer one last opportunity for the candidates to rush even further to the right and win over their conservative base. To do so, each of them needs to answer one last question: will they stand up against Trump and his MAGA agenda?"

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