Politics & Finances

One Oregon Gubernatorial Candidate Won't Hand Over Tax Returns

One Oregon Gubernatorial Candidate Won't Hand Over Tax Returns

Of the three candidates for Governor of Oregon this year, only one won't hand over their tax returns.

Willamette Week shared details about the publication's attempt to secure tax return copies from all three candidates in this year's race -- Republican Christine Drazan, Democrat Tina Kotek, and Independent Betsy Johnson.

Former Democratic state Senator Johnson, however, refused to hand over her returns. Per WW:

“Betsy has always filled out the required financial disclosure forms to the Legislature and will continue to do so as governor,” says Johnson campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Sitton. “That is the sum total of the public’s interest. Betsy believes that whether you are voting for governor or running for governor, you continue to have a constitutional right to privacy, which most people value.”

In Oregon and around the nation, the practice of politicians making tax returns public has been "the standard for at least 50 years," according to Reed College Professor Paul Gronke via WW's report.

In 2018's Oregon Gubernatorial race, for instance, incumbent Governor Kate Brown and her Republican opponent Knute Buehler both shared their tax returns with the press.

A notable exception to this practice was former President Donald Trump's refusal to turn over his tax returns during his 2020 Presidential campaign. It was recently determined that the FBI has the right to obtain Trump's IRS tax records as the result of an ongoing investigation. 

As for Johnson, her candidacy was originally considered a long shot, but local Portland news network KPTV recently reported that the ex-Senator has a "real shot" according to some political experts. 

Yesterday, Johnson and her campaign staff delivered over 48,200 signatures to be verified for her to appear on November's ballot -- this is nearly double the required number of signatures in the State of Oregon.

KPTV noted:

John Horvick, with local political think tank DHM Research, says the momentum Johnson is bringing into the race based on recent polls could make history in November.

“Oregon has only once had an independent candidate become governor and it was in the 1930s,” said Horvick. “So yeah, Johnson has a real shot to win.”

This is the first time in history Oregon voters will choose from three female candidates for the office of Governor.

What do you think? Should Betsy Johnson have turned over her tax returns?

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Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

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