Thursday, Sept. 11 is the first day for candidates to file for office. (Getty Images)
Thursday marks the official start of the 2026 election season in Oregon, as candidates for state and local offices are finally able to file for office.
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 throughout the day Thursday and during the six months before the 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.
Governor
Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek, elected in 2022 after nearly a decade as speaker of the Oregon House, hasn’t yet confirmed her reelection bid. So far, the most notable Republican candidate is Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell. House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, Kotek’s 2022 Republican rival, sparked speculation that she’ll run again through spending campaign money on polling but has yet to confirm her plans.
Labor Commissioner
Democratic incumbent Christina Stephenson 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 are 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.
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 is vacating 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.
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.
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. No other incumbents have yet indicated plans to retire or seek a different office.
