REDMOND — Surging homelessness and excessive regulation have primed Oregon voters for Republican leadership, according to Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby.

Drazan aims to take advantage of that opportunity and urged farmers to support her candidacy for governor in what’s expected to be a crowded Republican primary race.

“I would not get into this race if there were not a path to victory,” Drazan said at the Oregon Farm Bureau’s convention in Redmond on Thursday, Dec. 9. “This is a Republican year in the state of Oregon. It is a Republican year across this nation.”

The lack of an incumbent in the race and low approval numbers for the Biden administration bode well for Republican chances, she said.

The unaffiliated campaign of Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, also is likely to give the Republican candidate a boost, Drazan said. “You’re going to split even farther that part of the vote.”

Drazan drew a clear distinction between herself and Johnson, saying she’d be “all in” on issues important to farmers.

In comparison, Johnson is “working on getting you a little better on a bad deal,” said Drazan, the House minority leader.

Her harshest criticisms were reserved for the Democratic supermajority in the state legislature, which Drazan said is more interested in an “exertion of power” than serving Oregonians.

“There’s not going to be change without a change in the governor’s office,” she said. “The metro area, the I-5 corridor, think they are Oregon. What’s good for them is good for everyone.”

When asked how she would handle state agencies such as the Water Resources Department, Drazan said she’d “clean house” by replacing agency heads.

“That is absolutely what we need down the line. What we have now is a state government that is pushed by agendas,” she said. “There is going to be a bloody Monday. You won’t make change unless you make someone cry.”

If she became governor while Democrats still dominated the Legislature, Drazan said she’d be a in a position to force them to compromise.

The possibility of a Republican veto also would help stop the “runaway train” of left-leaning bills, she said.

“I think Oregon could use some deadlock right now,” Drazan joked.

However, Drazan said she’s optimistic Republicans also will pick up legislative seats due to voter disaffection with the current leadership.

“Supermajorities — I don’t care who the party is — are not good for the state,” she said.

Denver Pugh, a Linn County farmer, said he expects Drazan to get a lot of support in the agricultural community.

Pugh said he likes Johnson, who also spoke at the convention, since “she doesn’t hide anything and she tells it like it is.”

However, he’s leaning toward supporting Drazan because he shares her optimism about Republican chances in 2022.

“I think rural Oregon has a shot at getting back a voice,” Pugh said.

Lumping the GOP candidate together with former President Donald Trump didn’t prove an effective in Virginia’s governor’s race, which was recently won by a Republican, said state Rep. Shelly Boshart-Davis, R-Albany.

That outcome gives the Republican party hope in Oregon, she said.

Among farmers, stopping government over-regulation is certain to be the top issue in the governor’s race, she said.

“There’s been too much, too fast over the past many years and many sessions,” Boshart-Davis said. “One after another, there is more regulation with each session without seeing how that regulation affects the agricultural economy.”