Kotek called Dudley to ask him not to run

By Oregon Campaign Watch,

OPB reports, “In social media videos, Dudley is telling voters, “There is a reason why Tina Kotek called me to try and convince me not to run for governor because she knows I’m the only one who can beat her in November.” Marissa Sandgren, a spokeswoman for Kotek’s re-election campaign, disputed the nature of the call.“After the governor heard Chris Dudley was thinking about returning to Oregon politics, they had a cordial conversation, but at no time did she ask him not to run for office,” Sandgren said. Dudley’s campaign asserts the timing makes sense.“In the closing days of the campaign — it’s important for voters to know the current governor is only threatened by one of the candidates — Chris Dudley,” Brittany Yanick, a spokesperson for Dudley’s campaign, wrote in an email. “Kotek knows she can beat any of the others — and has beaten Drazan — and knows she would lose to Dudley. Republicans need to rally behind Chris in order to win in November.”