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Oregon State Senate elections, 2022
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2024 →
← 2020
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| 2022 Oregon Senate Elections | |
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| Primary | May 17, 2022 |
| General | November 8, 2022 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2020・2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008 |
| 2022 Elections | |
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| Choose a chamber below: | |
Elections for the Oregon State Senate 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 supermajority decreased from 18-11 (with one independent) to 17-12 (with one independent).
The Oregon State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
A special election also took place for Senate District 18. Click here for more on the special election.
Party control
| Oregon State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After November 9, 2022 | |
| Democratic Party | 18 | 17 | |
| Republican Party | 11 | 12 | |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 30 | 30 | |
Candidates
General
Oregon State Senate General Election 2022 |
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| Office | Other | ||
| District 3 |
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| District 4 |
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| District 6 |
Ashley Pelton (Democratic Party, Independent Party) |
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| District 7 |
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| District 8 |
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| District 10 |
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| District 11 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 13 |
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| District 15 |
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| District 16 |
Melissa Busch (Democratic Party, Independent Party) |
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| District 17 |
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| District 19 |
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| District 20 |
Bill Kennemer (i) |
Bill Kennemer (i) (Republican Party, Libertarian Party, Independent Party) |
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| District 24 |
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| District 26 |
Raz Mason (Democratic Party, Independent Party) |
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Primary
Oregon State Senate Primary 2022 |
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| Office | Other | ||
| District 3 |
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| District 4 |
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| District 6 |
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| District 7 |
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| District 8 |
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| District 10 |
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| District 11 |
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| District 13 |
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| District 15 |
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| District 16 |
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| District 17 |
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| District 19 |
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| District 20 |
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| District 24 |
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| District 26 |
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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
Incumbents defeated in general elections
One incumbent lost in the Nov. 8 general election.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Kennemer | Senate District 20 |
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
No incumbents lost in primaries.
Retiring incumbents
Four incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[1] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Beyer | Senate District 6 | Retired | |
| Peter Courtney | Senate District 11 | Retired | |
| Rachel Armitage | Senate District 16 | Retired | |
| Chuck Thomsen | Senate District 26 | Retired |
Primary election competitiveness
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.
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
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Oregon State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[2]
| Open Seats in Oregon State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2022 | 15 | 4 (27%) | 11 (73%) |
| 2020 | 16 | 4 (25%) | 11 (75%) |
| 2018 | 17 | 1 (6%) | 16 (94%) |
| 2016 | 16 | 4 (25%) | 12 (75%) |
| 2014 | 15 | 1 (7%) | 14 (93%) |
| 2012 | 14 | 3 (21%) | 11 (79%) |
| 2010 | 16 | 2 (13%) | 14 (87%) |
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, one incumbent filed to run for re-election in a new district different from the one they represented before the election. That incumbent was:
| Incumbents running in new districts | ||||||
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| Name | Party | Originally represented ... | Filed in 2022 in ... | New district open? | ||
| Kim Thatcher | Senate District 13 | Senate District 11 | Yes | |||
Process to become a candidate
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:[3][4][5]
| 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:[6]
| Petition signature requirements for major party candidates in Oregon | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | Required signatures |
| United States Representative |
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| Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General, United States Senator |
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| State Senator & State Representative |
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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.[7]
Nomination by assembly of electors
See statutes: Chapter 249, Section 735 of the Oregon Revised Statutes
The process for nomination by assembly of electors is described below:[8][9]
- File Preliminary Certificate: Submit a draft certificate (minus signatures) to the Secretary of State, including a statement on paid circulators.
- Announce Assembly: Not later than 10 days before a single‑day, 12‑hour meeting, publish notice once in three local newspapers; include date/time, office(s), and 25 or more petitioning electors.[10]
- Hold Assembly: Convene at the published time and place with the statutory minimum voters (250 for local/state legislative; 500 for U.S. House; 1,000 for statewide/U.S. Senate), record each elector’s name/address and votes in the minutes.
- Finalize Nomination: File the certified minutes and publication affidavit with the Secretary of State (or county clerk); signatures in the minutes are then verified and the nomination is accepted.[11][12]
Signature requirements for nomination by an assembly of electors are described in the table below.
| Signature requirements for nomination by an assembly of electors in Oregon | |
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| 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 |
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 acceptance form.[13] To accept the nomination or office, the candidate must complete, sign, and return the form to the election official.
Qualifications
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 served on 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
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.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | S | S | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Presidential politics in Oregon
2020 Presidential election results
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
56.5
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1,340,383 | 7 |
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| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
40.4
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958,448 | 0 | |
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| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.8
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41,582 | 0 | |
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| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.5
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11,831 | 0 | |
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| Dario David Hunter/Dawn Neptune Adams (Progressive Party) |
0.2
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4,988 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.7
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17,089 | 0 | ||
| Total votes: 2,374,321 |
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 Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Oregon State Senate Districts
until January 8, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Oregon State Senate Districts
starting January 9, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
See also
| Oregon | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 249, Section 020," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 249, Section 035," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 249, Section 056," accessed January 10, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 249, Section 068," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 249, Section 740," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 249, Section 735," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "2020 State Candidate Manual," April 24, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 249, Section 737," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 249, Section 720," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 249, Section 008," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing - Write-in Acceptance Form (SEL 141)," accessed April 24, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Oregon Constitution, "Article IV, Section 4," accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑ Oregon State Legislature, "SB 882 Enrolled," accessed September 28, 2021
