Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read launches campaign for governor
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.
News release:
Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read Announces Run for Governor
Beaverton, Oregon - Today, Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read launched his campaign for governor.
WATCH THE VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENT AT LINK BELOW:
“I’m running for governor because I believe it’s going to take steady leadership to help us move beyond this pandemic and start building a better future,” said Democratic State Treasurer Tobias Read. “We need to stop lurching from one crisis to the next and lay out a vision for where to take Oregon, not just next year, but for the next generation. My approach is simple: I’ll measure Oregon’s progress by how well our kids are doing.”
In the coming months, Treasurer Read will focus on getting Oregonians vaccinated so we can keep our schools and small businesses open safely and start addressing the big issues facing our state. He knows that too many kids in Oregon are going to bed hungry. Too many are dropping out of school. And too many aren’t sure there are any opportunities left for them in the rural communities that raised them.
Read has always focused on investing in our future. In the legislature, he was a leader in passing full-day Kindergarten for every Oregon child and helped establish the state’s rainy day fund to help us weather crises like the pandemic. As Treasurer, he implemented a first-in-the-nation retirement savings program, helping more than 100,000 Oregonians save more than $130 million for retirement. And helped thousands more save for college through Oregon’s BabyGrad program.
As Governor, Read would continue to invest in our kids, making Pre-K available to every Oregon child, extending the school year and supporting teachers, expanding apprenticeships and vocational training opportunities, and increasing investment in clean energy to fight climate change and preserve the beauty of Oregon.
For more information, visit TobiasRead.com
ABOUT TREASURER READ:
A proud Democrat, Tobias Read was elected State Treasurer in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Before that, he represented the Beaverton area from 2006 to 2016 as State Representative. He lives in Beaverton with his wife Heidi and their two kids.
