Your Guide to Primary Elections Guides in Portland and Beyond

By some measures, Oregon’s democracy is extraordinarily healthy. There are no long lines to cast a ballot, because you can register to vote online and vote by mail. As a result, Oregon consistently has among the highest voter registration numbers and turnout.

But there is room for improvement in making our democracy a vigorous contest that allows voters to decide who best will represent them.

Part of the answer may require big changes to the system.

✅ For now we can stay informed and vote.

I’ll be running a guide to election guides to help you decide who to vote for, from now until election day.

⚠️ The deadline to decide: primary day, Tuesday, May 21.

❗If you haven’t received your ballot yet: Call the elections office for a replacement (Multnomah County: 503-988-8683, Clackamas County: 503-655-8510, or Washington County: 503-846-5800). In general, the recommendation is to call for a replacement ballot if you haven’t received it five days after the deadline for it to be mailed out.

Table of Contents

Congress

Statewide

Statehouse

Local Measures

Multnomah County District Attorney

Multnomah County Commissioners

Congressional races can be sleepy affairs, with incumbents reliably sleep-walking to reelection, but two local primary races are fiery and competitive:

3rd District — Democratic Primary 🟦

Portland’s bow-tie-wearing, bike-riding congressman, Earl Blumenauer, is retiring at the end of this year, after nearly two decades’ of service in Washington. The competition to replace him is an intense one (at least in the primary, which is expected to all but decide the race in a heavily Democratic district):

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

🗞️ The Inside Scoop

Dexter’s candidacy is being buoyed by big-dollar independent expenditures and sizable campaign donations from backers of Israel. Her two main opponents are drawing attention to the outside spending.

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

5th District — Democratic Primary 🟦

Unlike in the 3rd District, the Democratic primary here is to face a Republican incumbent: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who is a moderate, in her first term, and excelling at fund-raising. It’s one of the closest-watched districts in the country, because Democrats have the chance to flip it.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

🗞️ The Inside Scoop

Bynum has twice beaten Chavez-DeRemer in state legislative races and has the backing of key Democratic leaders, including Gov. Tina Kotek. McLeod-Skinner, a favorite of grassroots Democrats, accomplished the rare feat of beating a sitting incumbent in the primary two years ago.

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

It’s an unusual year for statewide races. There are no incumbent candidates for secretary of state, treasurer, or attorney general. That sets up competitive races in the May primary — and potentially November. (Yes, this blue state has elected Republicans on occasion.)

❓Trivia: When did Republicans last win a statewide election? Award yourself bonus points for naming the last three times. (Answer is below in the signoff note ⬇️)

Secretary of State — Democratic Primary 🟦

There have been eight secretaries of state in the last decade — the latest unexpected transition came when Shemia Fagan resigned last year after revelations she had a six-figure contract with the cannabis company La Mota.

The job is to oversee elections, audits, and state records, including business registrations. The secretary of state is also first in line to replace the governor (as happened in another surprise turnover, when Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned in 2015).

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

Secretary of State — Republican Primary 🟥

State Sen. Dennis Linthicum joined the race as his party’s leading contender after being barred from a reelection bid after the Republican walkout.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

Treasurer — Democratic Primary 🟦

The job is to manage the state’s financial investments including the $100 billion Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund. The current treasurer, Tobias Read, is term-limited and is running for secretary of state.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

🗞️ The Inside Scoop

Gudman is making his third run for treasurer, though his first as a Democrat. Steiner has led the legislature’s budget writing and oversight. The winner will face state Sen. Brian Boquist (R-Dalles), the only Republican running. (Boquist participated in the Republican walkout and was among the lawmakers barred from seeking reelection as a result.)

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

Attorney General — Democratic Primary 🟦

After 12 years in office, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum isn’t seeking another term. The AG is in charge of offering legal opinions to the governor, state agencies, and the Legislature, with the help of the Department of Justice, which she oversees. She’s also charged with protecting consumers and vulnerable Oregonians, investigating organized crime and public corruption, and more.

Rosenblum was the first woman elected to the post.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

Attorney General — Republican Primary 🟥

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

There are no competitive state Senate primaries in the area this year. But here are four Oregon House races where the outcomes in May are key.

🔎 Tip: You can look up your state legislative district (or consult your ballot).

House District 33 — Democratic Primary 🔵

This district on Portland’s west side elected Rep. Maxine Dexter, who is resigning at the end of this term and is running for U.S. Congress. This primary is a competitive race with endorsements split among the three Democrats in a district with seven times more Democrats than Republicans.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

House District 40 — Republican Primary 🔴

In this Clackamas County district, the Democratic incumbent won two years ago by fewer than 200 votes. That means whoever wins has a real shot in November.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

House District 46 — Democratic Primary 🔵

This eastside Portland district is heavily Democratic, and no Republicans are running, so the winner of this primary is all but certain to replace Rep. Khanh Pham, who is running for the Oregon Senate this year.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

House District 51 — Republican Primary 🔴

Former House Minority Leader Christine Drazan resigned her seat in 2022 to run for governor. She’s taken the unusual step of challenging the current incumbent to represent this Clackamas County district. (He was arrested at the Clackamas County fair in 2022.)

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

Sometimes the local ballot measures require some extra homework before you can finish off your ballot. So here’s some help in getting up to speed on the issues before voters in all three metro area counties:

🌊 Columbia River Levee Bond (Measure 26-243)

The $150 million bond measure could help protect against flooding from the Columbia River. Currently there are some "27 miles of levees, pump stations, pipes, drains and wetlands,” the Oregonian reports. And they’re in need of upgrades. The new property tax would be $29 a year on the average Multnomah County home.

📖 Read Up on the Issue

🌳 Tualatin Hills Parks Levy (Measure 34-337)

Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District is asking voters to fill a $16 million shortfall with a new tax — of $152 a year for the average home in the district. It would help maintain current service levels and cover 50 full-time and 250 part-time maintenance staff and recreation instructors.

📖 Read Up on the Issue

🚗 Portland Gas Tax Renewal (Measure 26-245)

The best plug for keeping the city’s 10-cents a gallon tax on gas is that it will help fix some of the potholes. It has generated $150 million for city street projects since 2016, but the Portland Bureau of Transportation will need additional funding in the future to dig out from a backlog of problems.

📖 Read Up on the Issue

🐘 Metro Zoo Bond Renewal (Measure 26-244)

A Metro measure would ask voters to renew a property tax that would raise $380 million for zoo renovations, such as a new penguin habitat that is more accessible for wheelchairs. For a home in the three Metro counties, it would amount to $34 a year on $400,000 of assessed value — though property tax bills would remain the same, because voters approved a similar measure in 2008.

📖 Read Up on the Issue

✏️ Portland Teachers Levy Renewal (Measure 26-246)

The Portland school district is asking voters to renew a property tax that covers the cost of 660 teachers. The tax bill is about $550 per year for the average home — and would remain unchanged, because this renews a previous levy.

📖 Read Up on the Issue

🏠 North Plains (Measure 34-327)

The city of North Plains has voted to double in size, by adding 850 acres to its urban area, as a way to make the city more financially stable. Opponents including some farmers oppose the plan to put the issue on the ballot. (There’s still an open legal question before Oregon’s courts about whether such measures will be allowed in the future.)

📖 Read Up on the Issue

Multnomah County District Attorney

Four years ago, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt won election promising criminal justice reform. After the local murder rate and fentanyl use climbed, Schmidt faces a challenge from one of his deputies, who is campaigning for a tougher-on-crime approach.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

🗞️ The Inside Scoop

Recent polling shows that voters in the region are very concerned about crime — an issue that works in Vasquez’s favor. While Vasquez has big donations from local downtown developers, Schmidt has seen a deluge of money come in from billionaire backers of criminal justice reform.

📖 More on the Candidates

Multnomah County Commissioners

This year, there’s a potential sea change happening at Multnomah County:

“Everybody's running against the status quo at the county because things have not been going well there,” the Oregonian’s Shane Dixon Kavanaugh told the City Cast Portland podcast.

District 1

Commissioner Sharon Meieran faces term limits and can’t run for reelection. She’s often been a vocal critic of the two county chairs she’s served with, pushing for more urgency on addressing homelessness.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

🗞️ Read more: “Multnomah County commission race pits candidates backed by developers against one backed by unions, elected Democrats.” [Oregonian 🔒]

District 2

Former commissioner Susheela Jayapal resigned to run for Congress (she’s also on the ballot). The candidates are running to complete the rest of her term, which lasts through 2026.

🗳️ Who’s on Your Ballot

🎧 Learn more: Top three candidates — Adams, Singleton, and Burke — debate. [OPB]

District 3

Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards is up for reelection. She’s joined with Meieran in pushing for more urgency, and may be getting some more allies on the board this year. She enjoys the advantage of incumbency.

🗳️ Who’s on Your Ballot

🗞️ Learn more: Brim-Edwards took the lead on a plan to reopen a sobering center in the county. [Oregonian 🔒]

District 4

As in District 2, Lori Stegmann is coming to the end of two terms. A Gresham elected official is the frontrunner.

🗳️ Who’s on Your Ballot

🗞️ Read more: “In race for Multnomah County’s most diverse commission district, leading contender would ‘shift the narrative’” [Oregonian 🔒]

📖 Check out newspaper endorsements: the Oregonian, Portland Mercury, and Willamette Week.

Note: Candidates included here took the initiative to appear in the official Oregon Voters' Pamphlet or the relevant county pamphlet (including Multnomah County).