Gov. Tina Kotek is not exactly a carbon copy of her liberal predecessor, Kate Brown

Kotek is just as progressive as her fellow Democrat, perhaps going even further. However, Kotek is much more of a hands-on governor, dissecting and discussing the innards of legislation and public policy.

So far, she has kept her campaign promises — traveling the state and focusing on her core issues of housing and homelessness, behavioral health and substance abuse treatment, and schools and early learning.

The East Oregonian newspaper recently editorialized: “Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek didn’t secure a groundswell of support in Eastern Oregon when she ran for the office, and while that was to be expected her recent willingness to journey into our region deserves at least some credit from even the most die-hard, right-wing advocates.”

Kotek at times has rebuffed fellow progressives. She delayed the start of freeway tolling. Despite pleas from the liberal Oregon Center for Public Policy, last month she signed SB 498, which lessens the estate tax on natural resource properties that are inherited.

She gained landmark legislation that benefits homelessness programs, childcare, education, the semiconductor industry and other areas.

There also have been lapses and failures: Data breaches at the DMV and Oregon Health Plan. Management turmoil. Executive appointments that appear inadequately vetted. The governor’s inability to negotiate an end to the Republican senators’ walkout. Last-minute legislative failure of a controversial land-use proposal. The La Mota and OLCC fiascoes.

Still, I find it a bit baffling that Kotek, like Brown before her, ranks among America’s least-popular governors.

In the Morning Consult poll released last week, Kotek had the lowest approval rating of governors. Merely 45% of Oregon voters approved of her job performance.

The Oregon Republican Party jumped on the latest Morning Consult ranking to launch a fundraising appeal: “{span}It’s obvious that Oregon voters are tired of the progressive agenda ruining our state. … The Oregon Republican Party is doing everything we can to prevent Tina Kotek and her radical ideas from further destroying our state.”

Days earlier, the Democratic Governors Association had featured Kotek in its own fundraising appeal, quoting her as saying: “Democratic governors are fielding far-right attacks from every direction: the courts, conservative-majority state legislatures, and GOP governors who want to limit the rights of not only their constituents, but folks across the country.”

After Kotek ceremonially signed a series of education bills on Wednesday, I asked the governor what she thought had gone well during her six months-plus in office, what she would do differently and what remained as the greatest challenges.

She responded: “I think what is going well is Oregonians are coming together to solve problems. I truly mean that. Despite the challenges in the Legislature, the session was finished and what you saw today was the product of a lot of hard work from Oregonians across the state to improve our education system and to make sure our early learning system is stronger.

“That comes through partnership. And I think across the board what I’ve been so excited about in my first six months [is] seeing all Oregonians stepping up to the plate to solve problems together. Absolutely true.

“And I want to see that continue and I’m going to do everything I can to support that, promote that, foster that. No one person has the answer to the challenges facing our state, but if we all come together and work on it, we will make progress — as we are today and what we’re going to see in the months ahead.”

Stay tuned.