Oregon's incumbent Democrat faces tight race for governor

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — On a warm fall day, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown stood in a public square known as Portland’s living room, surrounded by excited children on their way back from a field trip to a local courthouse.

Brown used the pronoun ‘she’ as she explained what a governor does — until one child reminded her that a boy can be governor too. “Or ‘him,’ yes. Well … right now, it’s a ‘her,'” Brown said, moving on quickly to the next question.

It was an unscripted moment in a closely fought gubernatorial campaign, but it was also a telling one.

Brown, an incumbent and one of just two female Democratic governors nationwide, has struggled to create distance between herself and her GOP rival, a state lawmaker who has fashioned himself as a moderate Republican who appeals to independents and centrist Democrats alike with his anti-Trump and pro-choice platform.

Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/oregons-incumbent-democrat-faces-tight-race-for-governor/