Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2022

2022 Oregon House Elections
Primary	May 17, 2022
General	November 8, 2022

2022 Elections
Choose a chamber below:

Elections for the Oregon House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for May 17, 2022. The filing deadline was March 8, 2022.

The chamber's Democratic majority decreased from 37-23 to 35-25.

The Oregon House of Representatives was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas

Oregon House of Representatives
Party	As of November 8, 2022	After November 9, 2022
	Democratic Party	37	35
	Republican Party	23	25
Total	60	60

Candidates

General

Primary

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:

Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 12, 2022

Incumbents defeated in general elections

No incumbents lost in general elections.

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

See also: Defeated state legislative incumbents, 2022

One incumbent lost in the May 17 primaries.

Name	Party	Office
Bradley Witt	Democratic	House District 19

Retiring incumbents

Twenty incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.^[1] Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office	Reason
Duane Stark	Republican	House District 4	Retired
Cedric Hayden	Republican	House District 7	Other office
Marty Wilde	Democratic	House District 11	Retired
Raquel Moore-Green	Republican	House District 19	Other office
Chris Hoy	Democratic	House District 21	Retired
Teresa Alonso Leon	Democratic	House District 22	Other office
Ron Noble	Republican	House District 24	Other office
Jessica George	Republican	House District 25	Retired
Sheri Schouten	Democratic	House District 27	Retired
Wlnsvey Campos	Democratic	House District 28	Other office
Suzanne Weber	Republican	House District 32	Other office
Rachel Prusak	Democratic	House District 37	Retired
Andrea Salinas	Democratic	House District 38	Other office
Mark Meek	Democratic	House District 40	Other office
Karin Power	Democratic	House District 41	Retired
Barbara Smith Warner	Democratic	House District 45	Retired
Jeff Reardon	Democratic	House District 48	Retired
Lori Kuechler	Democratic	House District 52	Retired[2]
Jack Zika	Republican	House District 53	Retired
Daniel Bonham	Republican	House District 59	Other office

Primary election competitiveness

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2022

This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Oregon. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Oregon state legislative competitiveness, 2014-2022
Year	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2022	75	75	24	188	150	14	23	24.7%	9	17.6%
2020	75	75	15	189	150	20	13	22.0%	5	8.3%
2018	76	76	8	160	152	13	12	16.4%	9	13.2%
2016	75	75	18	156	150	11	10	14.0%	4	7.0%
2014	76	76	16	148	152	7	13	13.2%	5	8.3%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Oregon in 2022. Information below was calculated on April 15, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Following Oregon's candidate filing deadline, voters were set to make more decisions in their state legislative primaries elections than at any point since at least 2014. Of the 150 possible primaries, 38—or 25.4%—were being contested by more than one candidate.

This was also the first time since 2014 when the contested Republican primaries outnumbers those for Democrats. This was likely driven by the fact that, for the first time since at least 2014, more Republicans filed to run for state legislative office than Democrats: 190 major party candidates filed, 90 Democrats (47%) and 100 Republicans (53%).

Additionally, 24 districts were left open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. That was the largest number of open districts since at least 2014. With 75 districts up for election, that also means 32% of districts were guaranteed to be won by newcomers. For those incumbents who filed for re-election, 18% (9) were set to face primary challengers, the largest percentage since at least 2014. Overall, 190 major party candidates filed, equaling 2.5 candidates per district, the same as in 2020 but higher than all previous cycles back to at least 2014.

Open seats

Open Seats in Oregon House of Representatives elections: 2010 - 2022
Year	Total seats	Open seats	Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2022	60	20 (33 percent)	40 (67 percent)
2020	60	11 (18 percent)	49 (82 percent)
2018	60	7 (12 percent)	53 (88 percent)
2016	60	14 (23 percent)	46 (77 percent)
2014	60	15 (25 percent)	45 (75 percent)
2012	60	8 (13 percent)	52 (87 percent)
2010	60	5 (8 percent)	55 (92 percent)

Incumbents running in new districts

When an incumbent files to run for re-election in the same chamber but a new district, it leaves his or her original seat open. This may happen for a variety of reasons ranging from redistricting to a change in residences. This may result in instances where multiple incumbents face each other in contested primaries or general elections if the incumbent in the new district also seeks re-election. In 2022, 11 incumbents filed to run for re-election in new districts different from those they represented before the election. Those incumbents were:

Incumbents running in new districts
Name	Party	Originally represented ...	Filed in 2022 in ...	New district open?
Christine Goodwin	Republican	House District 2	House District 4	Yes
John Lively	Democratic	House District 12	House District 7	Yes
Jami Cate	Republican	House District 17	House District 11	Yes
Bradley Witt	Democratic	House District 31	House District 19	Yes
Ken Helm	Democratic	House District 34	House District 27	Yes
Dacia Grayber	Democratic	House District 35	House District 28	Yes
Lisa Reynolds	Democratic	House District 36	House District 34	Yes
Janelle Bynum	Democratic	House District 51	House District 39	Yes
James Hieb	Republican	House District 39	House District 51	Yes
E. Werner Reschke	Republican	House District 56	House District 55	Yes
Vikki Breese-Iverson	Republican	House District 55	House District 59	Yes

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Oregon

For major party candidates

See statutes: Chapter 249, Sections 020, 068 and 056 of the Oregon Revised Statutes

A major party candidate can gain access to the ballot via one of two methods: by paying a filing fee or by filing a nominating petition.

Filing fee

A candidate of a major party can have his or her name printed on the ballot by filing a declaration of candidacy with the Oregon Secretary of State and paying the requisite filing fees. Filing fees are as follows:^[4][5][6]

Filing fees for major party candidates in Oregon
Office sought	Fee
United States Senator	$150
Governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, labor and industries commissioner, United States Representative	$100
State senator and state representative	$25

Nominating petition

A candidate of a major party can have his or her name printed on the ballot by filing a nominating petition with the Oregon Secretary of State. Signature requirements are as follows:^[7]

Petition signature requirements for major party candidates in Oregon
Office sought	Required signatures
United States Representative	The lesser of 1,000 signatures or 2 percent of the number of votes cast in the district for president by members of the candidate's party*
Governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, United States Senator	The lesser of 1,000 signatures or 2 percent of the number of votes cast for president by members of the candidate's party**
State senator and state representative	The lesser of 500 signatures or 2 percent of the number of votes cast in the district for president by members of the candidate's party***
*"Signatures must be obtained from 5 percent of the precincts in one-fourth of the counties in the congressional district." **"Signatures must be obtained from at least seven counties and be comprised of electors from 5 percent of the precincts in each of those counties." ***"If the district is within one county, signatures must be obtained from 10 percent of the precincts. If the district is in more than one county, signatures must be obtained from at least two counties and be comprised of electors from 6 percent of the precincts in each of those counties."

For minor party candidates

Recognized minor parties (as defined in this article) are not permitted to participate in primary elections and instead must select candidates by nominating convention.

For unaffiliated candidates

An unaffiliated candidate can gain access to the ballot via one of two methods: nomination by individual electors or nomination by an assembly of electors.

Nomination by individual electors

See statutes: Chapter 249, Section 740 of the Oregon Revised Statutes

An unaffiliated candidate must submit the appropriate filing form with the Oregon Secretary of State and obtain approval to circulate the nominating petition prior to collecting signatures. Once approval has been obtained, circulators must gather signatures equal to at least 1 percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for presidential electors in the most recent general election within the electoral district for which the nomination is being sought.^[8]

The Oregon Secretary of State does not calculate in advance the number of signatures required for each office. Instead, the number of required signatures is determined when candidates obtain approval to circulate nominating petitions.^[9][10]

Nomination by assembly of electors

See statutes: Chapter 249, Section 735 of the Oregon Revised Statutes

An unaffiliated candidate must submit a candidate filing form signed only by the candidate. Upon receipt of the form, the Oregon Secretary of State will review the document and provide approval to organize an assembly of electors. The candidate must coordinate with the secretary of state to determine the time of the assembly. Once scheduled, notice of the assembly must be published at least once in at least three newspapers of general circulation in the electoral district in which the assembly seeks to nominate candidates. The notice must include the time and place of the assembly, offices for which nominations will be made, and the names and addresses of at least 25 active registered voters who want the assembly held and who are eligible to participate.^[11]

Final approval to convene the assembly is granted once the candidate files a copy of the published notice with the secretary of state. An affidavit verifying that notice of the assembly was published in accordance with statutory requirements must be included with the copy of the notice. This affidavit must be signed by the newspaper's owner, editor, publisher, manager, advertising manager, principal clerk of one of the aforementioned, or the printer. The secretary of state will provide a written approval to convene the assembly. This formal approval document will include a petition number, the number of signatures required, the filing deadline, and a signature sheet template.^[12][13]

The assembly itself must meet the following requirements:^[12]

• The assembly must be held in one day in one location and must be completed within 12 hours.
• Assembly participants must be active registered voters within the electoral district from which the assembly is nominating candidates.
• Candidates may only be nominated for offices published in the notice.
• The candidate winning the highest number of voters will be the nominee of the assembly for that office.
• Only assembly-goers may sign the approved signature sheets.
• All signers on a signature sheet must be registered voters in the same county.
• Once the required number of registered voters are present, they must remain in assembly until candidates have been nominated, signature sheets signed, and the convention adjourned.

Signature requirements for nomination by an assembly of electors are described in the table below.^[12]

Signature requirements for nomination by an assembly of electors in Oregon
Office sought	Required signatures
United States Representative	500 signatures obtained at the assembly
Governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, United States Senator	1,000 signatures obtained at the assembly
State senator and state representative	250 signatures obtained at the assembly

Once the nomination process has been completed, the assembly is adjourned. The secretary of state collects all completed signature sheets and stamps each sheet under the last signature line signed to ensure that no additional signatures are added. Signature sheets will be then be returned to the presiding officer at the assembly, who in turn must submit the signature sheets to the appropriate county-level election official for verification. The county-level election official, upon completing the verification process, will return the forms to the presiding officer of the assembly. The candidate or presiding officer of the assembly must then submit to the Oregon Secretary of State a candidate filing form with the certificate of nomination completed by the presiding officer and secretary of the assembly and notarized, the verified signature sheets, and the proof of published notice affidavit. The Oregon Secretary of State will then determine whether the filing packet and petition are valid.^[12]

For write-in candidates

Write-in candidates are not required to submit candidate filing forms in advance. In the event that a write-in candidate is nominated or elected, the election official will notify the candidate by sending a write-in candidate filing form. To accept the nomination or office, the candidate must complete, sign, and return the form to the election official.

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 4, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution states:

• No person shall be a Senator or Representative who at the time of election is not a citizen of the United States; nor anyone who has not been for one year next preceding the election an inhabitant of the district from which the Senator or Representative may be chosen. However, for purposes of the general election next following the operative date of an apportionment under section 6 of this Article, the person must have been an inhabitant of the district from January 1 of the year following the reapportionment to the date of the election.
• Senators and Representatives shall be at least twenty one years of age.
• No person shall be a Senator or Representative who has been convicted of a felony during:
  • The term of office of the person as a Senator or Representative; or
  • The period beginning on the date of the election at which the person was elected to the office of Senator or Representative and ending on the first day of the term of office to which the person was elected.
• No person is eligible to be elected as a Senator or Representative if that person has been convicted of a felony and has not completed the sentence received for the conviction prior to the date that person would take office if elected. As used in this subsection, “sentence received for the conviction” includes a term of imprisonment, any period of probation or post-prison supervision and payment of a monetary obligation imposed as all or part of a sentence.
• Notwithstanding sections 11 and 15, Article IV of this Constitution:
  • The office of a Senator or Representative convicted of a felony during the term to which the Senator or Representative was elected or appointed shall become vacant on the date the Senator or Representative is convicted.
  • A person elected to the office of Senator or Representative and convicted of a felony during the period beginning on the date of the election and ending on the first day of the term of office to which the person was elected shall be ineligible to take office and the office shall become vacant on the first day of the next term of office.
• Subject to subsection (4) of this section, a person who is ineligible to be a Senator or Representative under subsection (3) of this section may:
  • Be a Senator or Representative after the expiration of the term of office during which the person is ineligible; and
  • Be a candidate for the office of Senator or Representative prior to the expiration of the term of office during which the person is ineligible.
• No person shall be a Senator or Representative who at all times during the term of office of the person as a Senator or Representative is not an inhabitant of the district from which the Senator or Representative may be chosen or has been appointed to represent. A person shall not lose status as an inhabitant of a district if the person is absent from the district for purposes of business of the Legislative Assembly. Following the operative date of an apportionment under section 6 of this Article, until the expiration of the term of office of the person, a person may be an inhabitant of any district.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024[14]
Salary	Per diem
$35,052/year	$157/day

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Oregon legislators assume office the second Monday in January following the election.^[15]

Oregon political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Oregon Party Control: 1992-2025
Seventeen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Presidential politics in Oregon

2020

See also: Presidential election, 2020

2016

See also: Presidential election, 2016

Oregon presidential election results (1900-2024)

• 16 Democratic wins
• 16 Republican wins

Voting information

See also: Voting in Oregon

Redistricting following the 2020 census

Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed new state legislative maps into law on September 27, 2021. The maps were approved by the Oregon House of Representatives, 31-18, and approved in the Oregon State Senate 18-11.^[16] These maps took effect for Oregon’s 2022 legislative elections.

Below is the state House map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

See also

Oregon	State Legislative Elections	News and Analysis
Oregon State Executive Offices Oregon State Legislature Oregon Courts	2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 Oregon elections: 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015	Party control of state government State government trifectas Partisan composition of state legislatures Partisan composition of state senates Partisan composition of state houses

External links

• Oregon House of Representatives

Footnotes