On August 12, 2024, the Elections Division determined that the petition for forming a statewide minor political party named “We the People” has submitted sufficient valid signatures.
Voters can choose to affiliate with We the People party, or any recognized major or minor party, at OregonVotes.gov
In Oregon, political parties are formed by petition. Forming a political party enables a group of voters to nominate candidates for any partisan office, including federal, state, and county offices if the party was formed in the electoral district and has maintained ballot access. A political party is formed by gathering and submitting a petition that contains the required number of active registered voter signatures. The required number to form a new statewide minor political party is 29,294.
https://apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/SOS/Posts/Post/we-the-people-party
We The People Party Oregon Launches Website
We The People Party Launches National Website
We The Poeple Party Lane County Launches Website
https://www.wtplane.org
Who’s running for office in Oregon in 2026?
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/10/whos-running-for-office-in-oregon-in-2026/
Next November, Oregon voters will elect a U.S. senator, six members of Congress, governor, labor commissioner, 15 state senators and 60 state representatives, as well as hundreds of local officeholders.
The Capital Chronicle has covered candidates as they’ve announced campaigns and will update this live blog until filing deadline of March 10, 2026. Links in the text below will take you to further coverage of the candidates.
U.S. Senate
Incumbent Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat in the Senate since 2009, confirmed in July that he’ll run for another term, saying that he felt like he needed to continue to serve because of the “magnitude of the darkness and danger” presented by President Donald Trump. Merkley, who has cruised to reelection with more than 55% of the vote in past campaigns, isn’t expected to face a serious challenge.
Congress
All six of Oregon’s members of Congress — Democrats Suzanne Bonamici, Janelle Bynum, Maxine Dexter, Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas and Republican Cliff Bentz — are expected to seek reelection. Oregon was a congressional battleground in the past two cycles, with national Democrats and Republicans pouring money and resources into the 4th, 5th and 6th Congressional districts represented by Hoyle, Bynum and Salinas. So far, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has named only Bynum to its “frontline” list of potentially vulnerable incumbents, while the National Republican Congressional Committee didn’t include any Oregon districts in its list of top targets.
Republican Monique DeSpain, who lost to Hoyle in 2024, is running again in the 4th District. Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair, also a Republican, is running in the 5th District.
Governor
Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek, elected in 2022 after nearly a decade as speaker of the Oregon House, announced her reelection bid on Dec. 4. Her 2022 Republican opponent, Christine Drazan, announced her 2026 campaign on Oct. 27.
So far, the only other notable Republican candidate is Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell.
Labor Commissioner
Democratic incumbent Christina Stephenson, who filed to run on the first possible day, has kept a relatively low profile during her four years as commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. No other candidates have yet emerged.
Oregon Senate
Half of the 30 seats in the Oregon Senate, where Democrats hold an 18-12 majority, are up in 2026. Oregonians will elect at least four new senators because Republicans Daniel Bonham of The Dalles, Cedric Hayden of Falls Creek, Kim Thatcher of Keizer and Suzanne Weber of Tillamook were barred from running 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. County commissioners named Drazan to finish Bonham’s term after he left for a federal job, but she’s running for governor instead of Senate.
Thatcher and Weber represent competitive districts based in Salem and the North Coast, respectively. Two Democratic senators up for reelection, Jeff Golden of Ashland and Deb Patterson of Salem, also represent competitive areas.
State Rep. Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River, plans to run for the seat Bonham vacated and Rep. Jami Cate, R-Lebanon, plans to run for Hayden’s seat. Former GOP Rep. Tracy Cramer announced a campaign for Thatcher’s seat, as did Democrat Virginia Stapleton, a former Salem city councilor who ran unsuccessfully for the state House in 2024.
Oregon 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. Republican Christian Honl will run against him.
Rep. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, plans to run for the Clackamas County Commission instead of reelection. Helfrich and Cate running for the Senate opens up two other House races. Rep. John Lively, D-Springfield, plans to retire and Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley and progressive activist Ky Fireside are running for his seat.
Three Democrats are running in the 2026 Primary to represent the ultra-competitive, unpredictable Gorge-based 52nd House District.
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/01/26/whos-running-for-office-in-oregon-in-2026/
Here’s how much Oregon’s congressional delegation raised at the end of 2025
Candidates with more than $5,000 in campaign fund are required to file quarterly report
BY: MIA MALDONADO-
FEBRUARY 10, 2026 6:00 AM
Oregon’s candidates for Congress raised nearly $3 million between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 — half a million more than they had in the previous quarter, federal campaign finance records show.
As the May 19 primary approaches, fundraising is ramping up among candidates for U.S. Congress, with the tightest races expected in Oregon’s 4th and 5th Congressional Districts.
All six U.S. House incumbents — Democrats Suzanne Bonamici, Janelle Bynum, Maxine Dexter, Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas and Republican Cliff Bentz — are expected to seek reelection. They have until March 3 to file for reelection. At least 14 others have filed to run, according to campaign filings on the Oregon Secretary of State website. Non-incumbents have until March 10 to file to be in the May 19 primary.
Only those that have raised more than $5,000 for their campaign are required to report their finances to the Federal Election Commission every three months.
Merkley raises millions
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley raised the most this quarter out of Oregon’s congressional delegation — raising $1.2 million and spending $419,000 on his campaign.
The Democratic senator since 2009 has nearly $6 million remaining in his campaign fund, mostly from rollover funds from previous campaign cycles, federal records show.
His colleague, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, is not up for reelection until 2028.
Opponents in Oregon’s most competitive districts bring in $500,000
Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, which spans from Bend to Portland, continues to be the likely most competitive district, with Bynum raising the most out of her House colleagues from Oregon.
Bynum in 2024 was up against Lori Chavez-Deremer, who now serves as the U.S. Secretary of Labor. Bynum won by 2.7 percentage points. In the last three months of 2025, Bynum raised $506,000 and spent $136,000 on her campaign. She has $1.8 million remaining in her campaign fund.
Patti Adair, a Deschutes County commissioner and Bynum’s most prominent opponent, raised $185,000 in the last quarter and spent $12,000 on her campaign. The Republican reported having $173,000 left in her campaign fund.
Oregon’s 4th Congressional District is another competitive race, spanning the college towns of Eugene and Corvallis, as well as the central and south coast. Hoyle, the incumbent, raised about $135,000, spent $97,000 and has $386,000 remaining in her campaign fund.
Hoyle’s top competitor, Monique DeSpain, raised $309,000 this quarter. DeSpain, a Eugene Republican and U.S. Air Force veteran, challenged Hoyle in the 2024 election and lost by about 30,000 votes. She spent $33,000 on her campaign this quarter and has $276,000 remaining in her campaign account.
DeSpain, one of the few challengers nationwide to outraise an incumbent, said her success in the last quarter of 2025 shows voters want change.
“Despite a tough year-end fundraising climate, our campaign raised nearly $400,000 from 1,100 grassroots donors across every corner of Oregon’s Fourth District—amassing nearly three times Congresswoman Hoyle’s anemic $134,000 and returning the national spotlight on this race in Oregon’s Fourth Congressional District,” DeSpain said in a statement. “The momentum is undeniable.”
Melissa Bird, a trained social worker and life coach, is also running against Hoyle in the Democratic primary. Bird raised $8,300 last quarter and spent $9,300 on her campaign. She reported having $3,100 in her account by the end of the quarter.
Salinas — who represents Oregon’s 6th Congressional District which includes parts of Clackamas, Marion and Washington counties and all of Polk and Yamhill counties — raised $193,000 this quarter. She spent $156,000 on her campaign and has $506,000 remaining in her campaign fund.
Her main opponent, Republican David Russ, reported no fundraising or expenses this quarter, but he still has $7,000 in his campaign fund.
Some candidates in safe districts raise less than last quarter
Bonamici’s, Dexter’s and Bentz’s districts are largely safe districts, with all three congressional delegates winning their districts in 2024 with more than 60% of the vote.
Bonamici raised $139,000 this quarter, slightly more than the previous quarter. The Democrat representing Oregon’s 1st Congressional District that stretches from west Portland to cities along the North Coast spent $120,000 on her campaign and has $536,000 remaining.
Meanwhile, Dexter and Bentz both raised less than they did in the third quarter of 2025.
The Portland Democrat representing Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District which spans from east Portland to Hood River raised $137,000 — $14,000 less than last quarter. She spent $109,000 and has $200,000 remaining in her campaign fund.
Bentz, the Republican representing the state’s 2nd Congressional District located mostly in central and eastern Oregon, raised the least out of his U.S. House colleagues this quarter. He raised $94,000 — less than the $184,000 he raised in the third quarter. He spent $46,000 and has $1.3 million remaining in his campaign fund.
At least three Democrats running against Bentz reported raising funds this quarter, including Dawn Rasmussen, who raised $16,600, Patty Snow who raised $13,000 and Rebecca Mueller, who raised $3,800.
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