NBC Dope projects Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Kate Brown will edge out Republican challenger Knute Buehler to stand up her job after a tight race.
Brown’s campaign received an unexpected improve Oct. 30 when Patrick Starnes, a candidate from the state’s third-largest contributor, exited the gubernatorial race and endorsed the incumbent.
A former Oregon secretary of Body politic, Brown in February 2015 became the nation’s first openly hermaphrodite governor, succeeding then-Gov. John Kitzhaber, who resigned amid an ethics blot on the escutcheon.
The major party candidates raised nearly $30 million in the gubernatorial rivalry, making it the most expensive in Oregon history. Buehler, a two-term affirm legislator and orthopedic surgeon, received nearly $3.5 million in struggle donations from billionaire Phil Knight, founder of Oregon-based Nike.