Oregon voters 'fed up' with Portland crime could elect Republican governor, Maryland Gov. Hogan says
Christine Drazan has a 'great shot' to flip the state red, Hogan said after visiting Portland
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is enthusiastic about the GOP's chances of winning Oregon's gubernatorial race, predicting relentless crime could drive voters to flip the state red and elect Republican Christine Drazan.
"Portland is a poster child for far-left policies run amuck," Hogan told "America's Newsroom" hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino Thursday after visiting the city.
"People are doing hard drugs that are now legalized all over the streets, there are homeless people… a 207% increase in violent crime…"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Oregon state lawmaker Christine Drazan, seen in a TV campaign ad, is her state's 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee. (Drazan gubernatorial campaign)
Hogan went on to call Drazan a "great" candidate to replace outgoing Democrat Gov. Kate Brown in November, arguing many in Oregon have grown tired of the status quo.
Explaining Drazan's chances against Democrat opponent Tina Kotek, he pointed to his own victory in Maryland – a typically blue state – eight years ago, when he said a poll indicated that 48% of the state's residents wanted to leave.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That's when I decided to run for governor," he said. "People said a Republican can't win in the bluest state in America, but we did because people were so fed up that they were ready to finally do something and vote in a way that they never had before."
Graffiti on a building in Portland. (Portland Police Bureau )
Portland's residents are fleeing the city as homeless fill neighborhood parks and crime surges.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jeff Reynolds lived in the city for almost three decades, but was forced to flee over what he called the "unbearable" circumstances.
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"I don't know if there's one final straw, there were infinite final straws," Reynolds told "Fox & Friends First" Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You have to get to the point where they've hit the wall, and they're willing to try anything," Hogan said of Oregon voters. "They're fed up with politics as usual and they're ready to see a change."
Fox News' Bailee Hill contributed to this report.