Decision 2026: Candidate Conversations – Republican Danielle Bethell
Spencer Sacks
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — As midterm races approach, KTVZ is bringing viewers in-depth interviews with candidates in local and statewide contests.
If you have an issue or question you would like me to ask candidates who are running for local, state, and national races, reach out to me at spencer.sacks@ktvz.com.
I recently sat down with Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell, a Republican candidate for Oregon governor. The two discussed topics including the recent Oregon Department of Transportation tax and fee increases, wildfires, education and immigration.
I opened the interview by asking Bethell why she is running for governor.
“Because it’s time that Oregon has a leader who understands the function of government from an executive perspective, not just a legislative perspective,” Bethell said. “As a Marion County commissioner, I have struggled for the last five years to have an active partner in the governor’s office with all the issues that we face across Oregon, from homelessness to housing to economic development.It feels like we’ve had an agenda-oriented individual in that office for far too long. I just want to come in and run the government so it’s efficient and effective. I want to lower the cost of government so that we’re not paying so much in taxes as citizens.”
I then asked what distinguishes Bethell from Republican front-runner Christine Drazan.
“I don’t come from the Legislature,” Bethell said. “I don’t have the need to create more laws and rules. My job as a commissioner is to make sure that my neighbors and my community are served properly, that businesses can thrive, and that our health and human services departments are effective.”
One of the major issues in the campaign is the recently passed ODOT funding bill. Bethell criticized the measure, which includes $4.2 billion in taxes and fees.
“We didn’t need to have that $4.2 billion tax package forced through,” she said. “What we needed was a leader to sit down with the director of ODOT and prioritize differently — to look at the funding space, live within their margins and partner locally.”
On immigration, Bethell addressed recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Portland.
“Right now, Oregon doesn’t have a good grasp on who is here legally and illegally,” she told KTVZ. “I don’t believe it’s appropriate for anybody to be living among our community scot-free. We all have to earn our way. We all have to invest in the system, and we need to do it in a way that maintains safe communities. Unfortunately, I think the individuals who are here illegally have committed a crime. They should go back to their country of origin.”
The interview also touched on Oregon’s education system and newly released state performance numbers.
“One of the biggest challenges we have in Oregon today is that we don’t allow parents in the classroom like we once did,” Bethell said. “Parents are trying to survive, and they miss a lot of opportunities to know what is going wrong in our education system. School districts should be the ones running what’s happening in their neighborhoods.”
She added that Oregon’s current approach is “top-down” and lacks accountability.
“We need to go back to real accountability in the classroom,” Bethell said. “We need to be able to serve each kid individually. Every brain is different in how it learns and comprehends, and we’ve created a one-size-fits-all system that doesn’t work. We’ve also removed academic standards — we’re not testing kids to determine whether they have the comprehensive foundation needed to move forward.”
Many residents in Eastern Oregon say they feel left out and ignored by state leadership. Sacks asked Bethell how she plans to connect with those communities if elected governor.
“I can understand why they feel left out and ignored, and I think that’s unacceptable,” Bethell said. “I made a commitment to set a table for them. I also inform them of the civic process and that the governor doesn’t have authority in every space, but the governor’s job is to listen and make connections.
“And while I am not a proponent of losing most of the best part of the state to Idaho, I understand that they want to be heard, and I’m going to show up for them.”