Oregon Democrats clutching pearls about Christine Drazan being “combative” and “partisan” is peak Salem gaslighting. Let’s talk about the real record of Tina Kotek’s nearly decade long reign as House Speaker the longest in Oregon history. This is the same Tina Kotek who ran the chamber with an iron fist, twisted arms until they nearly snapped, and treated agreements like disposable paper towels. In 2021 she cut a deal with House Republicans: equal power on the redistricting committee in exchange for them dropping delay tactics so Democrats could push their agenda. Republicans held up their end. Then, when the maps didn’t go her way, Kotek unilaterally voided the deal on the first day of the special session. Christine Drazan called it exactly what it was a broken promise and a lie to Oregonians and moved to censure her. Democrats protected their queen, of course. That’s not leadership. That’s power politics at its rawest. She wasn’t shy about the strong arm tactics either. Multiple accounts, including a formal workplace complaint from a fellow Democrat, described Kotek threatening careers and killing bills if members didn’t fall in line. Investigators found the pressure tactics credible. That’s the culture she ran, loyalty over principle, results for the progressive checklist over any genuine “across the aisle” work. So when Oregon Democrats scream that Drazan was “combative,” what they really mean is she refused to roll over while Kotek’s speakership steamrolled the minority, broke deals when convenient, and turned the House into a one party machine. Drazan used the tools available to a minority leader because the alternative was complete surrender. Kotek used the full power of the speakership to punish dissent and rewrite the rules mid game. If “working across the aisle” means sitting quietly while the majority breaks its word and runs the state into the ground, then yes, Drazan never did that. And thank God. Oregon already suffered enough under Speaker Kotek’s version of bipartisanship. 🇺🇸 🐺