by Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle
March 10, 2026
More than 350 Oregonians, veteran elected officials and newcomers alike, filed to run for statewide, congressional and legislative offices by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
Oregonians will elect a governor, labor commissioner, U.S. senator, six members of Congress, 60 state representatives and 15 state senators this year, as well as scores of city councilors, county commissioners and other local officials.
Dozens of candidates, staff and supporters gathered in the Oregon House chamber Tuesday to watch as names appeared on a trio of screens hanging from the chamber’s balcony.
“We’re all friends until 5 o’clock tonight,” joked Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis.
Gomberg, who is running for his seventh term representing the Central Coast, worked for then-Rep. Barbara Roberts, a future Oregon governor, in the 1980s, when filing day felt much more hectic as candidates raced to turn in paper forms ahead of the deadline. As he looked at the digital screens with all the candidates, he remarked that while information was much more immediate, the energy was a “lot less exciting.”
In brief comments ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline, Secretary of State Tobias Read, a Democrat elected in 2024, thanked those gathered in the House and all who chose to run for office. Secretary of State Tobias Read addresses the crowd for closing remarks before gaveling the end of Filing Day. (Photo by Robin Linares/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
“Among you may be future legislative leaders, a future governor or someone who will serve us in Congress,” he said. “And whether you’re a rookie or a veteran candidate, what’s most important is that all of you are committed to strengthening our communities and building a future worthy of the people you represent.”
While Tuesday was the deadline for candidates to file to run in the May primary, races still might change before Friday’s deadline to withdraw. The following is a non-exhaustive rundown of candidates in competitive primaries, while a full list of statewide, congressional and legislative candidates can be found on the secretary of state’s website.
U.S. Senate and Congress
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat running for his fourth term, and all six members of Oregon’s congressional delegation have filed for reelection. Democratic U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Maxine Dexter represent solidly Democratic Portland-area districts, and Republican U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz represents a solidly Republican district that covers most of eastern and southern Oregon.
U.S. Reps. Janelle Bynum, Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas represent more competitive districts in the Willamette Valley and Cascade range. None of the incumbents have garnered notable primary opponents.
Current state Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, is running for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination along with perennial candidate Jo Rae Perkins and several others. Republican Monique DeSpain, who lost to Hoyle in 2024, is running again in the 4th Congressional District, while Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair and former legislative aide Jonathan Lockwood are vying for the chance to challenge Bynum in the 5th District.
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Governor
The highest-profile race for Republicans this cycle is governor, with two former gubernatorial nominees, a state representative who led a successful campaign to refer transportation taxes to the ballot and a social media influencer who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol among the more than a dozen GOP candidates.
Chris Dudley, the former Portland Trail Blazer who came closer to the governor’s office than any Republican in decades; 2022 GOP nominee and current state Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, state Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Scio and influencer David Medina are the biggest names in a GOP race that also includes Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell.
Eight people, none with statewide name recognition, will challenge incumbent Gov. Tina Kotek for the Democratic nomination. The crowd listens to Secretary of State Tobias Read’s closing remarks marking the end of the filing period for the 2026 legislative races. (Photo by Robin Linares/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Bureau of Labor and Industries
The biggest surprise of filing day was a name absent from the list: Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, did not end up filing to run for labor commissioner.
The nonpartisan role of commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries is a two-way race between incumbent Christina Stephenson, a Democrat with close ties to the state’s labor unions, and former BOLI employee Chris Lynch, who argues the bureau has been too politicized. https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/e54rL/3/window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
State Senate
Half of the 30 seats in the Oregon Senate, where Democrats hold an 18-12 majority, are up in 2026. Senators serve staggered four-year terms, and five of the seats up this year have no incumbents.
Three Republicans — Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek, Kim Thatcher of Keizer and Suzanne Weber of Tillamook — could not run for reelection because voters amended the state constitution to bar lawmakers who skip 10 or more floor sessions from running again. The four participated in a six-week walkout in 2023 to protest Democratic bills. Drazan is running for governor, and Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, is retiring.
The 3rd Senate District now represented by Golden has a five-way Democratic primary, with retired attorney and former congressional hopeful Jim Crary, health care consultant Denise Krause, nursing professor Cristian Mendoza Ruvalcaba, attorney Tonia Moro and Medford City Councilor Kevin Stine vying for the chance to replace Golden.
Rep. Jami Cate, R-Lebanon, and small business owners Nicole de Graff and Jack Tibbetts are running for the GOP nomination in the Republican-leaning 6th Senate district now represented by Hayden.
Former state Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon and former Salem City Councilor Virginia Stapleton are campaigning for the Democratic nomination for Thatcher’s 11th Senate District, while former Republican state Rep. Tracy Cramer is alone in the Republican primary.
Myrna Muñoz, a labor organizer and sister of state Rep. Lesly Muñoz, the Woodburn Democrat who unseated Cramer in 2024, and patient care coordinator Nelly A. Donis-Purcell are challenging Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, in the Democratic primary for the 15th Senate District.
The coastal 16th Senate District Weber now represents has crowded primaries in both parties. Former state Sen. Rachel Armitage, nurse Aaron Dickie and tax consultant Jordan Gutierrez are running for the Democratic nomination, while substitute teacher Courtney Bangs, business owner Tripp Dietrich and retired aerospace engineer Frank Mansfield are running as Republicans. https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/y7UOf/3/window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
State House
All 60 seats in the Oregon House are up for election. Democrats hold a 37-23 majority after Rep. Cyrus Javadi, elected to represent Tillamook as a Republican, switched parties.
While most incumbents are running for reelection, Reps. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton; Rick Lewis, R-Silverton; John Lively, D-Springfield, and Boomer Wright, R-Reedsport, are retiring. Cate and Rep. Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River, running for the state Senate and Diehl running for governor opened three more seats. Rep. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, planned to run for Clackamas County Commission but opted not to run for any office this year as she fights a stage 3 cervical cancer diagnosis.
Archaeologist Ky Fireside, attorney KC Huffman and Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley are running for the Democratic nomination for Lively’s Springfield-based 7th House District. The Republican primary for Wright’s coastal 9th District is a two-way race between health administrator Troy Cribbins and legislative aide Claire Lynn.
The 17th District now represented by Diehl drew three Republicans: business development manager Dan Farrington, attorney Beth Jones and retired truck driver Ron Nalley.
Automotive technician Ben Fisher, hazelnut farmer Matthew Lawson, farmer Amanda Staehely, retired school superintendent Bryan Starr and Hubbard City Council President Joseph Steininger are all running for the Republican nomination for the 18th District represented by Lewis. Candidates, staffers and families gather in the House Chamber for the 2026 Filing Deadline Day event. (Photo by Robin Linares/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
The Democratic primary in the 27th District Helm now represents is a two-way race between Beaverton School Board member Tammy Carpenter and Ashley Hartmeier-Prigg, a Beaverton city councilor and director of product management at Crate & Barrel.
Convenience store owner and police officer Adam Dean, retired Intel director Christian Honl and retired agricultural sciences instructor Max Sherman are vying for the Republican nomination to challenge Javadi in the coastal 32nd District.
Three Republicans and four Democrats are running for the 52nd District Helfrich now represents, one of few truly competitive districts. Residential property manager Robert Fleming, Wasco County Commissioner Scott Hege and former professional barrel racer Darcy Lapier are in the Republican primary, while adjunct professor David Osborn, legislative assistant Hank Sanders, veteran and former city administrator Bernard Seeger and 2024 nominee Nick Walden Poublon are running as Democrats.
Both Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend and chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner and the longest-serving member of the House, face primary challenges from opponents who argue they’re out of touch with their districts. Disability advocate Andrew Caruana is challenging Kropf and former Morrow County Commissioner Jim Doherty is running against Smith.
Intern Robin Linares contributed reporting.
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- March 11, 20269:32 amCorrection: State Rep. Annessa Hartman, who last fall announced plans to leave the Legislature to run for the Clackamas County Commission, is not running because of her health.
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Shumway for questions: [email protected].