Pacific Green Party candidate Brett Smith, who is making a bid for Oregon governor, said he is not so much running against Gov. Tina Kotek or Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, but against Democrats and Republicans, who he said all echo the same talking points. Photo: Anastasia Mason/Statesman 

Third-party candidate Brett Smith wants to 'spoil it for both of them' in Oregon governor's race. Smith, 44, is a tradesman who has not held elected office. He invented a medical device and has multiple patents.

Statesman Journal
By Anastasia Mason
October 14, 2026

Running for governor, Smith said, was never on his to-do list, and he's excited for his future regardless of the outcome.

Smith is backed by Oregon's Pacific Green Party, a minor party that had 7,727 registered members as of Oct. 5.

In 2024, Smith ran as an Independent Party candidate for Oregon's Fifth District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district is represented by U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Oregon. Smith captured about 4.7% of the vote.

He and his wife filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2005 after their son, who Smith designed the medical device for, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and needed expensive medication.

"I guess we could have let him die, but we had grown attached to him by that point, so we opted for bankruptcy," Smith said.

He has called for a permanent statewide moratorium on data centers.

To lower costs on everyday workers, Smith would implement a new charge on businesses that pay below a living wage to help fund programs like SNAP. According to the MIT Living Wage Institute, a living wage amounts to $26.46 for a single person with no kids in Oregon.

"I don't think people would run for the hills," Smith said of his proposal. "I think large conglomerates would hate it. But they're not gonna go anywhere. They want Oregon's money just as much as they want anybody else's money."

He said taxes are the biggest burden on businesses and called for subsidizing small businesses in place of large ones.

He is running for the "protest vote" and specifically targeting support from young people, who he said have been harmed by establishment politicians.

Smith's pitch to young voters is "to vote for me in protest. Not because I'm so great, not because you think I'm the best candidate. It's because they have failed you already."

Smith, who had yet to report any campaign donations or spending as of Oct. 12, believed Kotek and Drazan would underestimate him because of his lack of funds. Those campaigns have raked in a combined over $25 million in contributions so far.

"I think it's gonna be pretty embarrassing for them," he said.

Smith said he is not so much running against Kotek or Drazan, but against Democrats and Republicans, who he said all echo the same talking points. He declined to identify himself as a "spoiler" candidate, but said he believed his candidacy will absolutely impact the race.

"They don't have the votes already. I'm not taking anything. Any vote I get is earned and is mine," Smith said. "I'd push back and argue and say they're kind of spoiling it for me. I mean, Christine Drazan's spoiling it for Tina Kotek and vice versa."