Knute Buehler

Oregon's governor has been in office four years yet faces a competitive race.

The two main candidates in the governor’s race largely agree but still blast each other's policies.

With an anti-abortion measure on the ballot and differences in the governor's race, abortion will be a hot-button issue in the next few months.

The surgeon in Bend, who's the Republican candidate for governor, also said he would protect women's reproductive rights.

Rep. Knute Buehler has spent $1.3 million in the past eight weeks as he works to fend off challengers Greg Wooldridge, backed by Right to Life, and Sam Carpenter, who has the support of former Senate candidate and Oregon Medical Association past president Monica Wehby.

The author contends that Buehler continues to work against efforts that protect access to comprehensive healthcare coverage, including contraception.

The freshman Republican representative flirted with a run for the governor's office next year but he told supporters in an email Tuesday that he opted to run again for his current office instead. Recently, he shared concerns about the top health policy subjects on people’s minds, including the sale of Lane County CCO Trillium to Centene, and the struggle for the coordinated care organizations to improve mental health services.