Election Stunner — You Will Not Believe Which BLUE STATE Just Flipped Red
Salem, Oregon - June 5, 2026
Former state House Minority Leader Christine Drazan won the Republican nomination for governor in Oregon on Tuesday, positioning her to challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek in November. The victory marks a significant step for Republicans seeking to end nearly four decades of Democratic control of the governor’s office.
Drazan defeated a field that included former NBA player Chris Dudley, state Rep. Ed Diehl, and Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell. She previously came close to winning the office in 2022, losing narrowly to Kotek.
Republican Focus on Key State Issues
Republican candidates in the primary emphasized voter concerns over homelessness, public safety, drug policy, and the rising cost of living. These issues have drawn increasing attention in Oregon, particularly in Portland and other urban areas where visible problems with unsheltered populations and crime have persisted under Democratic leadership.
Kotek faced limited opposition in her own primary and has drawn criticism for the state’s handling of homelessness and housing shortages, as well as funding for schools and transportation infrastructure.
Drazan now faces Kotek in the general election. The last time a Republican won the Oregon governorship was in 1982.
Broader Republican Primary Successes
Drazan’s win comes as several candidates endorsed by President Trump have prevailed in primaries across the country. In Kentucky, decorated former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein defeated incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie in the Republican primary for his House seat.
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters highlighted the party’s strong financial position heading into the midterm cycle. He noted that the RNC currently holds approximately $125 million in reserves, while the Democratic National Committee has reported negative cash reserves.
Gruters stated that the broader conservative movement could have access to roughly $800 million in coordinated spending power, compared to approximately $350 million on the Democratic side. He suggested that Republicans may outspend Democrats in this election cycle for the first time in recent history.
“The financial landscape could be a historic departure from past election cycles,” Gruters said.
The combination of primary victories and improved fundraising has boosted Republican confidence as they prepare for the November midterm elections in states including Oregon
Nearly 150,000 California Mail Ballots Rejected In Primary
California election officials are examining why nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during the state’s June primary, with late-arriving ballots accounting for most of the increase.
The higher rejection rate comes despite years of election law changes designed to make voting more accessible and ensure more ballots are ultimately counted.
According to data compiled by the California Secretary of State’s office, 148,241 mail-in ballots were rejected during the June primary, representing 1.73% of all mail ballots returned.
That marks an increase from the 2024 primary, when 108,982 ballots were rejected, or 1.56% of all mail ballots cast.
The largest reason for rejection was ballots arriving too late to qualify under California law.
State data shows that 93,479 ballots were rejected because they failed to meet the state’s deadline requirements.
California allows mail ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on or before Election Day.
Voting experts believe many of the rejected ballots received postmarks dated after Election Day, making them ineligible to be counted even if they arrived within the seven-day grace period.
Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said the timing of postal processing appears to be a significant concern.
“Ballots rejected due to lateness are caused primarily to being postmarked too late to count, not because they arrived too late to count,” Alexander said.
Election experts have questioned whether recent operational changes within the U.S. Postal Service may be contributing to delayed postmarks.
Earlier this year, a group of mostly Democratic U.S. senators wrote to the Postal Service expressing concern that mail-processing changes could affect ballot handling during federal elections.
Updated Postal Service procedures mean postmarks may reflect when mail is processed at regional facilities rather than when it first enters the mail system.
Because processing centers have been consolidated in some areas, election officials have warned that postmark timing could be affected.
Before the June primary, California election officials encouraged voters to mail ballots as early as possible because of potential postal delays.
The June election also featured a highly competitive race for governor, which some experts believe encouraged many voters to wait until the final days before casting ballots.
In addition to late-arriving ballots, approximately 44,000 ballots were rejected because election officials determined the voter’s signature did not match the signature on file.
Another 8,300 ballots were rejected because the return envelope did not contain a signature.
State records also show that 743 ballots were rejected because those voters had already cast another ballot.
Other rejected ballots involved missing ballots inside return envelopes or multiple ballots submitted in a single envelope.
The highest rejection rate in the state occurred in Tulare County, where 3.52% of returned mail ballots were rejected.
Alpine County and Merced County followed closely, each recording rejection rates of 3.36%.
California has frequently faced criticism for taking weeks to complete vote counting after major elections, largely because state law permits ballots meeting certain requirements to continue arriving after Election Day.
Following the June primary, President Donald Trump again criticized California’s election system, while the Department of Justice opened an investigation into election administration in Los Angeles County.
Election experts emphasize that the increase in rejected ballots should not be interpreted as evidence of widespread voter fraud.
A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found documented cases of mail ballot fraud remained extremely rare, estimating roughly four cases for every 10 million mail ballots cast, The Associated Press reported.
State officials have not identified evidence of widespread fraud connected to the June primary, but the increase in rejected ballots is expected to receive additional scrutiny as election administrators evaluate whether changes in postal operations, voter behavior or election procedures contributed to the higher rejection rate.
