After three days of counting ballots, Tina Kotek appears to be Oregon’s new governor, according to poll numbers released by the Associated Press.

AP has counted 73% of votes as of midday Thursday, with 46.7% of voters in favor of Kotek and 43.9% of votes in favor of her republican opponent Christine Drazan. 

Independent candidate Betsy Johnson, who served on the Oregon Senate from 2005 to 2021, has garnered 8.7% of votes as of Thursday at noon. Johnson conceded from the race late Tuesday night. 

While the votes between Kotek and Drazan remained too close to call in the first 48 hours following the ballot deadline, most major outlets are projecting Kotek as Oregonian’s next governor. Despite this, AP has not yet called the race.

Kotek is running as the only Democrat in this year’s midterm election. Her platform centers around economic security for Oregon families, Oregonian access to reproductive care, fighting for the rights of unhoused residents, and protection for Oregonian’s in the LGBTQ+ community. 

If elected, Kotek will be the first openly lesbian governor in Oregon. In this same midterm election, incoming Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy made history as the first openly lesbian governor in the U.S.

Kotek follows into the governor’s office behind now-previous Governor Kate Brown, who served for eight years.