The right candidate for the right moment
Mom. Small-business owner. County Commissioner. Proven problem-solver.
A history of getting the job done.
$12 million secured for wildfire recovery
Five straight balanced county budgets
Led statewide reform to fix Oregon’s drug laws
Why I’m running
Oregon is at a crossroads. After years of progressive‑centric policymaking and reactive crisis management, trust in Salem is at an all‑time low. Tent encampments, shuttered storefronts, failed infrastructure and annual wildfires aren’t partisan talking points, they’re the daily reality for too many Oregonians.
I’m running because I’ve spent the last five years turning crisis into progress at the county level and I know we can do the same statewide. As Commissioner for Marion County, the fifth largest county in Oregon, equally urban and equally rural, I’ve seen firsthand how disconnected state government has become.
Marion County is home to a thriving capital city, no thanks to the state government that calls it home, and thousands of small family farms. It’s where high-tech meets agriculture, where frontline public safety demands meet the quiet needs of rural communities. Governing here requires balance, accountability, and respect for people with very different needs. It requires honesty. Plainspokenness. A willingness to tell the truth even when there’s a cost to doing so. That’s exactly the kind of leadership Oregon has been missing in the Governor’s Office.
While others debate theory, I’ve balanced budgets, negotiated contracts, and kept public safety systems funded. I’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with wildfire survivors, addiction counselors, and small-town mayors. I’ve fought for housing and infrastructure projects that matter to both working families and small businesses. That hands-on executive experience is exactly what Oregon hasn’t had in the Governor’s Office for far too long, and it shows.
I’m not an off-the-shelf candidate. I haven’t spent my life climbing the political ladder or building a career in rulemaking. I’ve been in the trenches. Starting a business, raising a family, then working in local government. Negotiating contracts, balancing budgets, and making tough calls when the state walked away. While others draft laws from a distance, I’ve been the one responsible for turning those laws into results people can actually feel in their daily lives.
Why now?
We have a narrow window to rebuild trust, modernize mental‑health care, and put Oregon back in the black. If we keep waiting, more businesses will leave, and more families will lose faith. I refuse to let that happen.
This campaign isn’t about left or right; it’s about showing up, owning the results, and proving that government can still work for the people who fund it.
Meet Danielle
Danielle Bethell is a fifth-generation Oregonian, mom, grammy, small-business owner, a two-term County Commissioner and former school board member.
She and her husband co-own Bethell Plumbing, a family-run business rooted in Marion County.
Danielle feels the impact of rising costs, overregulation, and broken systems because, like you, she’s living it, and she’s never backed down from a fight.
As a County Commissioner, Danielle led efforts to recover from the 2020 wildfires, launched new recovery housing for parents and couples fighting addiction, and worked across the aisle to push back on statewide policies that put communities at risk. Before her time in office, she ran the Keizer Chamber of Commerce, where she advocated for small businesses and built partnerships that delivered real results for working families.
Danielle’s leadership is rooted in lived experience. Raised by a single mom who battled mental-health challenges, she moved, constantly; attending six elementary schools in four Oregon towns, two middle schools, and finally graduating from McKay High School. Stability wasn’t guaranteed, but community was: teachers, coaches, and the parents of friends stepped in, and Danielle learned early that pitching in and showing up could change everything.
She’s held every kind of job, berry picker, grocery bagger, budget analyst, small-business consultant, and each one taught her the same lesson: relationships and hard work solve problems better than regulations alone. That hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves approach is exactly what she’s taken into county government and why she refuses to shy away from tough conversations about poverty, addiction, and homelessness.
Now, Danielle is running for Governor to bring executive leadership, common sense, and real-life experience back to Salem.
“A leader’s job is to stand in the gap where things are broken and bring people together to fix them.”
Issues that Matter
Danielle’s campaign is built on what’s most urgent for Oregonians:
Keeping Oregonians safe, both from crime and from untreated addiction or mental health crises, is Danielle’s top priority. As County Commissioner, she helped bring on a new sheriff aligned with community safety priorities, expanded East Salem patrols, restored full jail operations, and focused contracts on outcomes driven by evidence-based practices. She worked to reestablish law enforcement and health teams that respond together when someone is experiencing a mental health emergency, not after it turns violent. Danielle also pushed back on the dangerous consequences of Measure 110, fighting to re-criminalize hard drugs while expanding access to treatment systems so people can get help before it’s too late.
The bottom line: Real public safety means police, prosecutors, addiction counselors, public defenders and mental health experts rowing in the same direction. Danielle has already proven she can deliver that coordination—and as governor, she’ll do it for all of Oregon.
Sky-high rents and hidden taxes are squeezing families while the dream of owning a home slips away. As commissioner, Danielle put federal Community Development Block Grant dollars to work, funding down-payment assistance, homeowner-rehab grants, and financial-literacy programs that move renters onto the “escalator” to ownership. She helped purchase 15 acres in Mill City and 6 acres in Gates for new housing and waived county permit fees and post-fire tax hikes so survivors could rebuild. As governor, she’ll streamline state permitting, protect property-tax fairness, and stop back-door sales taxes like the Corporate Activity Tax.
The bottom line: Danielle doesn’t treat housing like a political issue, she treats it like a personal one. She knows what it’s like to feel the squeeze, to fight for stability, and to see neighbors fall through the cracks. That’s why she focuses on ownership ladders, local solutions, and programs that produce results, not just headlines.
When the 2020 fires leveled the Santiam Canyon, Danielle secured $12 million in relief, built an $8 million recovery-housing program, and created grants for hazardous-tree removal and septic replacement. She has spearheaded local discussions around economic recovery and growth. Danielle believes active forest management saves lives and jobs, and that local governments, not distant agencies, should direct recovery dollars.
The bottom line: Healthy forests and thriving rural towns go together; Danielle’s record proves she can protect both.
From family-owned mills to coffee start-ups, employers are eyeing the exit because of runaway regulation and ever-growing fees. Quite simply, Oregon’s economy isn’t working for working people. Businesses are laying off. Families are falling behind. And Salem keeps layering on mandates, fees, and paperwork that punish job creators and discourage growth. Danielle has felt it firsthand as a small-business owner trying to make payroll while navigating red tape. As County Commissioner, she balanced five budgets without new taxes, helped secure funding for new infrastructure, and pushed state agencies to sunset outdated rules that stall housing and industry projects. She’s also led statewide conversations about workforce recovery, because economic stability and community stability go hand in hand.
The bottom line: Oregon doesn’t have a tax-revenue problem, it has a leadership problem. Danielle knows what it takes to run a business, balance a budget, and make tough calls. She’ll bring that same discipline and grit to Salem, cut the red tape, and rebuild an economy that actually works for the people who live here.
Danielle is a mom, a “Grammy,” and a former school-board member who fought to keep school resource officers on campus and restore academics over politics. She expanded career-and-technical education, pushed for stronger reading and math standards, and launched mental-health supports like His Place, Her Place, and Our Place so parents in recovery can raise their children in safety. As someone who’s walked alongside families in crisis, Danielle knows that a child’s future can hang in the balance if their parents don’t have the support they need. Her work with His Place, Her Place, and Our Place isn’t just policy, it’s personal. As governor she’ll anchor parents’ rights, fund proven youth mentorship, and connect schools with treatment resources to break cycles of addiction and trauma, focusing on families.
The bottom line: Oregon’s future is sitting in our classrooms today. Danielle will give families a voice, teachers the tools, and kids the chance to thrive.
Proven results
From wildfire recovery to mental health reform, Danielle Bethell has delivered where others have delayed. As a County Commissioner, Chamber executive, and statewide advocate, she’s built a track record of showing up, solving problems, and staying accountable.
She’s helped lead the repeal of Measure 110, opened transitional housing for families overcoming addiction, balanced five straight county budgets without raising taxes, and secured millions in funding to rebuild communities after disaster.
Her leadership helped pass HB 4002, reforming Oregon’s drug laws, and she’s taken the fight directly to the state when public safety was threatened. Whether it’s launching new behavioral health services, protecting taxpayers, or clearing red tape for housing, Danielle has proven she can turn policy into progress.
Oregon doesn’t need more talk. It needs a governor who’s already done the hard work, and is ready to do it again statewide.
From the ground up
Danielle understands how government really works because she’s running one. As commissioner, she’s been responsible for behavioral health, public safety, transportation, economic development, and housing. As the President of the Association of Oregon Counties (2024) she engaged across Oregon, in all 36 counties, understands their uniqueness and why local control and bottom up, not top-down systems must be prioritized. She’s not afraid to stand in the gap, bring people together, and find real solutions.
Stay Connected
Oregon needs a leader who shows up, listens, and delivers real results. Sign up today to get the latest updates on Danielle Bethell’s campaign and how you can help make a difference.
“If you want different outcomes, you need different leadership.”
