That agency head, Ben Edtl, is a Tualatin-based political consultant who is also the chief petitioner for a 2026 ballot initiative that would end Oregon’s pioneering vote-by-mail system. Edtl, 47, is a rising player in the MAGA wing of the Oregon Republican Party.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley announced his run for reelection in 2026, while his colleague Sen. Ron Wyden has stated he will run for reelection in 2028.

Oregon, announced Thursday that he will seek re-election to a fourth term in 2026, "pledging to continue to fight for working families and stand firm against growing threats to democracy, freedom, and economic justice,

The challenge comes as more Oregonians than ever are excluded from primary contests that decide many general elections.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) confirmed he will run for a fourth term in office next year despite some speculation that he may retire. The progressive senator who has served since 2009

From the late 1960s until the mid-1990s, two Republicans, Mark Hatfield (1967-1997) and Bob Packwood (1969-1995), represented Oregon in the Senate. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) replaced Packwood in 1996 and Merkley defeated Smith 12 years later.

In 2017, he spoke for more than 15 hours in opposition to Trump’s Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch — a nomination he deemed “theft” after Republicans blocked President Barack Obama’s attempt to fill the vacancy the year before. The speech is among the longest in Senate history.

Oregon’s junior U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, will seek a fourth term in Congress. Merkley, 68, announced Thursday he’d run again for the Senate seat he’s held for more than 16 years. He’s represented Oregon in the U.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) told the Oregon Journalism Project in an interview Thursday morning that he will run for a fourth term next year.

The challenge comes as more Oregonians than ever are excluded from primary contests that decide many general elections.