Danielle Bethell beat a much better funded candidate for a school board position. She then bested a much better funded candidate for County Commissioner in Marion County. She’s been campaigning for almost a year now trying to show Oregon she can do the same in this year’s Governor race.
Danielle spent Wednesday and Thursday this week visiting with various Republican groups in Jackson and Josephine counties. We caught up with her at one of her stops in Josephine County where she greeted a former Josephine County Commissioner with a hug and talked with various folks in attendance as if she was a local in Josephine County. Relationship building is clearly a strong point for this candidate for governor.
As a current Marion County Commissioner, Danielle positions herself as a proven local leader with hands-on experience in government, ready to bring practical, bottom-up solutions to the state level. A fifth-generation Oregonian, Bethell is a mom, grandmother, small-business owner, and a two-term county commissioner. She previously served on the Salem-Keizer School Board and as executive director of the Keizer Chamber of Commerce. In 2024, she served as President of the Association of Oregon Counties, engaging with all 36 counties to advocate for local priorities and emphasizing local control over top-down state mandates.
Bethell’s campaign highlights her direct responsibility for key areas as commissioner, including behavioral health, public safety, transportation, economic development, and housing. She argues that this experience sets her apart, allowing her to understand how government functions in practice rather than just in theory. She is not afraid to bridge divides, convene stakeholders, and deliver tangible results. Her statewide role with the Association of Oregon Counties has given her insight into the unique needs of rural, urban, and coastal communities alike. She remarked that during her lifetime all of Oregon’s governors have been former legislators and that Oregon needs a top executive with more practical real life public and private leadership experience.
Bethell points to a track record of delivery amid challenges. She helped lead efforts to repeal Measure 110 (Oregon’s decriminalization policy for small amounts of hard drugs) and supported HB 4002, which reformed the state’s drug laws by re-criminalizing possession while expanding treatment access. In her county role, she balanced five consecutive budgets without raising taxes, secured millions in funding for post-disaster rebuilding, opened transitional housing for families in addiction recovery, and launched behavioral health initiatives. During the 2020 wildfires that devastated the Santiam Canyon, she obtained $12 million in relief funds, established an $8 million recovery-housing program, and provided grants for hazardous tree removal and septic system replacements. These accomplishments, she says, demonstrate her ability to turn policy into progress—something Oregon needs more of at the statewide level.
Public safety tops her list of priorities. As commissioner, she aligned sheriff priorities with community needs, expanded patrols, restored full jail operations, and promoted co-response teams of law enforcement and mental health professionals for crises. She pushed back against Measure 110’s impacts and advocates for coordinated efforts among police, prosecutors, counselors, and experts to address crime, addiction, and mental health before situations escalate.
With rising rents and barriers to homeownership, Bethell has used federal grants for down-payment assistance, homeowner rehab programs, and financial literacy to help renters become owners. She supported land purchases for new housing in fire-affected areas and waived fees to aid rebuilding. As governor, she aims to streamline permitting, protect property-tax fairness, and eliminate “back-door” taxes like the Corporate Activity Tax.
Drawing from her wildfire response, Bethell supports active forest management to reduce risks and sustain jobs. She believes local governments should lead recovery efforts rather than distant state agencies, ensuring funds reach communities effectively.
As a small-business owner, she understands regulatory burdens. She criticizes excessive mandates, fees, and red tape driving businesses away. Her approach includes cutting unnecessary rules, balancing budgets responsibly, and fostering workforce development to create an economy that works for everyday Oregonians.
A former school board member and parent, Bethell fought for school resource officers, stronger academics, and career-technical education. She launched programs like “His Place, Her Place, and Our Place” to support parents in recovery while keeping children safe. As governor, she plans to prioritize parents’ rights, youth mentorship, and school-treatment connections to break cycles of addiction and trauma.
Bethell’s message is clear: Oregon needs action, not more talk. With her executive experience running a county, balancing budgets, and delivering results in crisis, she presents herself as the candidate equipped to tackle the state’s challenges—from public safety and housing to economic growth and family support—with common sense and accountability. Her campaign website emphasizes bringing real-life experience back to Salem to restore trust and prioritize Oregonians. As the 2026 race unfolds, Bethell aims to appeal to voters seeking pragmatic, results-oriented Republican leadership.
Visit daniellebethellforgovernor.com for more information and for links to social media.