SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read on Monday launched his campaign for governor.
The Beaverton Democrat said he would focus on Oregon’s kids as governor, making Pre-K more accessible, extending the school year, expanding career and technical training and investing in clean energy to fight climate change.
The Statesman Journal reports Read was elected as Oregon’s treasurer in 2016 and re-elected to a second term in November 2020. Before that, he represented Beaverton in the Oregon House of Representatives for a decade.
Read joins an expanding Democratic primary field. Five candidates have officially filed to run for governor with the Oregon secretary of state, not including House Speaker Tina Kotek of Portland, who has also announced her intention to run.
The Democratic field is crowded in part because Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, is unable to run again due to term limits.
Four Republicans are also officially running for the office. A Republican hasn’t served as governor of Oregon since Vic Atiyeh left in 1987.
The deadline to file with the secretary of state is March 8, 2022.