Who would have thought that the liberal co-founder of Nike would be so turned-off by Democrat policies in Oregon that he would financially contribute to an Independent candidate to increase the likelihood of a Republican victory? It’s happening. For the first time since 1982 Oregon is just about to elect a Republican for governor. The red wave is real, y’all.

Phil Knight is 84 years old. Perhaps with age comes some wisdom, even for a committed liberal like Knight. He’s had enough of Democrats in Oregon. He is pouring millions of dollars into the campaigns of Democrat Tina Kotek’s opponents. Knight describes himself as “an anti-Tina person.” That is good news for Oregonians concerned with the state of their state after the Kate Brown years. Fortunately for the citizens of Oregon, Brown is term-limited out and cannot run for re-election.

Democrat Tina Kotek is cut from the same cloth as Tina Brown. A panicked White House sent Joe Biden to Oregon as part of his West Coast swing over the weekend. While there he tried the old scare the voters so they’ll get out and vote routine. The bad Orange Man controls the Republican Party and will control state legislative bodies, given the chance, was Biden’s pitch.

Biden, a Democrat, praised Kotek as an “articulate, tough, committed woman” and emphasized the stakes of state leadership contests.

“As long as Trump controls the Republican Party, he’s going to have incredible impact on state legislative bodies,” and state government, Biden said at a reception for Kotek.

He said the role of governors in the country was increasing exponentially and said Kotek’s race mattered well beyond Oregon.

“She’s rational. She’s smart,” he said of Kotek.

Phil Knight begs to disagree, Sleepy Joe. First, he contributed to Independent candidate Johnson’s campaign. She serves as the spoiler in this race. Betsy Johnson is a former Democrat. Her candidacy gives the Republican candidate, Christine Drazan, a pathway into securing votes from the liberal electorate no longer confident in far-left policies, like Phil Knight.

“One of the political cartoons after our legislative session had a person snorting cocaine out of a mountain of white,” Knight told the New York Times on Saturday. “It said, ‘Which of these is illegal in Oregon?’ And the answer was the plastic straw.”

Yikes.

The race is tightening and just 21 days away from November 8, Drazan looks like she can win it. On October 13, a polling average from FiveThirtyEight shows Drazan with a 3-point lead over Kotek. It breaks down to 37.4% for Drazan, 34.3% for Kotek, and 16.4% for Johnson. As we say in my home state, laissez les bon temps rouler.

Ten days ago, Knight donated $1M to Drazan’s campaign. She has the financing to remain competitive until election day.

The problem with Biden’s scare tactics about Trump is that Drazan isn’t a Trump-endorsed candidate. She describes herself as a moderate candidate who is focusing on crime and homelessness. In other words, the concerns of Oregonians, especially in Portland. The day before Knight’s donation was received, Drazan received a $1.5 million donation from the Republican Governors Association. Drazan is an experienced state legislator having served since 2018, and as minority leader from 2019 to 2021. She sounds like a good fit for fed-up liberals and hopeful Republicans.