Halloween may be over in Portland, Oregon’s largest city, but the grim scenes playing out on its streets show no sign of disappearing.
Days later, homeless people remained gathered along sidewalks, slumped in doorways or wandering into busy roads while shouting incoherently.
Still, amid growing frustration over the crisis and criticism of her record, Democratic Governor Tina Kotek secured another four-year term.
Kotek, 60, defeated Republican challenger Christine Drazan, 54, in Tuesday’s election, surviving a race that threatened to end the Democrats’ decades-long hold on the governor’s mansion.
Portland’s homeless population, along with Oregon’s overall homeless population, has risen by 35 percent over the past four years, despite executive orders from Kotek directing cities to prioritize reducing street homelessness and providing millions of dollars to support the effort.
The issue transformed what should have been a comfortable Democratic victory in a reliably blue state into a closely fought contest. Kotek had been elected in part on a promise to address homelessness, but many voters believe she has fallen short.
“I feel like Tina Kotek hasn’t done much,” Annie T.S., an 18-year-old first-time voter, told the Daily Mail.
“Oregon has been plummeting from what I’ve been seeing, and it is such a beautiful state, so I’m really hoping that whoever takes charge really has a love for the state.”
She added: “Oregon has failed a bunch of people. And instead of people coming together, it feels like there’s so much more hatred.”
Oregon’s homeless population has climbed 35 percent in four years, despite Governor Tina Kotek’s promises to confront the crisis and millions of dollars in public funding
People experiencing homelessness resting beside buildings in downtown Portland have become an increasingly familiar sight
The worsening homelessness crisis became a central issue in Oregon’s gubernatorial campaign
“I hate seeing homelessness on the street because it breaks my heart – they were somebody’s babies once.”
The Portland native said she planned to vote for Kotek’s Republican opponent, Christine Drazan, who campaigned on a pledge to address homeless encampments that have spread across the city, despite signs prohibiting tents on sidewalks.
Oregon has not elected a Republican governor since 1982 and has backed Democrats in every presidential election, with Kamala Harris carrying the state by 14.3 percentage points in 2024.
Yet polls showed Kotek and Drazan locked in a virtual tie during the final weeks of the campaign. Kotek ultimately won 51.7 percent of the vote, finishing just six points ahead of Drazan.
Polls also found that 60 percent of voters viewed Kotek unfavorably, putting her approval numbers nearly on par with President Trump’s standing among Oregonians.
“Tina Kotek told Oregonians that she would solve the problems and challenges facing our state,” Drazan said during an October debate. “She hasn’t.”
Kotek was not the only West Coast Democrat facing political pressure over homelessness, an issue that has become a defining battleground from California to Washington State.
As of Wednesday morning, votes in the Los Angeles mayoral race were still being counted, with incumbent Democrat Karen Bass trailing Democratic Socialist challenger Nithya Raman. Bass has faced intense criticism over the city’s worsening homelessness crisis after winning office in 2022 on a promise to reduce it, as well as over her response to the devastating wildfires in 2025.
Despite mounting criticism over homelessness, Kotek secured another term as governor on Tuesday night
Republican challenger Christine Drazan made homelessness a central part of her campaign, accusing Kotek of failing to deliver on her promises
In Oregon, Drazan capitalized on public anger by covering the state with billboards showing a stern-looking image of Kotek alongside the question: “Is this working?”
For Riley, a local security guard who gave only his first name and openly acknowledges that Portland’s hundreds of drug users have helped provide him with steady work, the answer was clear.
Although he said he disliked Kotek, he was not fully convinced that Drazan was the answer either.
“On a day-to-day basis, the fact we have a huge homeless problem is a wild scenario, but it does keep me in a job,” he told the Daily Mail. He added that security concerns and the threat posed by drug use among homeless people would influence his vote.
“Tina Kotek hasn’t done a whole lot for a long time,” he said. “Like, I appreciate that she’s trying. I think.”
“But most of the people I’ve talked to in the past think that she’s just messing things up. It’s just goofy.”
“I don’t like Drazan either, though, so that’s a problem. It’s like it’s always a lesser-of-two-evils type thing.”
The Daily Mail observed dozens of homeless people on Portland’s streets, where many sidewalks smelled strongly of urine and feces could be seen in corners
A homeless person smokes while sheltering beside buildings beneath blankets on a cot or makeshift bed
Drug users are visible in doorways across the city and have become more discreet about smoking in public
He said he was also worried about his wife’s safety. “Every time she leaves the house, she gets followed and harassed and we have a three-year-old kid,” he said.
“Now, she’s not willing to do it anymore unless I’m around. It’s a massive problem.”
Not everyone blames Kotek for the homelessness crisis, including some homeless residents. Their main grievance is a September 2024 order she signed that once again criminalized possession of hard drugs.
Between 2021 and 2024, Oregon conducted a brief and controversial experiment that reduced possession of hard drugs to a misdemeanor. Critics said the policy coincided with a surge in open drug use on the streets.
“Oh, I hate Tina Kotek,” one homeless man said outside Helen’s Market in Portland’s Chinatown, an area known as a gathering place for people living on the streets.
“I trusted her and then she immediately overturned the ballot measure. We had a ballot measure that legalized all drugs, and she just overturned it. It was working and she didn’t give it long enough.”
Drug users remain visible in doorways throughout the city, but many now try to conceal their consumption by turning away from the street or retreating into alleys.
Even so, the notorious “fentanyl fold” – in which users bend at the waist with their heads pointed toward the ground – remains a common sight. Families also report having to pass aggressive people shouting insults, including “What are you looking at, n****?”
Oregon’s controversial drug-decriminalization experiment ended in 2024 after lawmakers reversed key parts of the measure
The homelessness crisis continues to affect this Pacific Northwest city and remains a major concern for voters
Many sidewalks smell strongly of urine, with streams running along the concrete, while feces can be found in corners.
The conditions have fueled widespread anger at Kotek. Before the election, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report gradually shifted Oregon’s gubernatorial race from “Solid Democrat” to “Likely Democrat” and finally to “Lean Democrat.”
At Helen’s Market, 49-year-old employee Josh was working behind the counter. He told the Daily Mail he had little expectation that conditions would improve, regardless of who won the governor’s race.
“I’m still bored, I’m still young, and, I mean, not young. I’m bored of the way I’m still broke and one day I’ll die, and after a generation or two, nobody will remember me,” he said.
“It’s all the same f**king bulls**t, honestly.”