2026 Midterms State GuideOregon
Hold on to your Douglas firs and Tillamook.
- PrimaryStatewideMay 19This date has passed.
- Election DayGeneralNov. 3
Updated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you, the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your Douglas firs and Tillamook, and let’s get into it.
Oregon at a glance
Oregon votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, U.S. Senate and all 6 U.S. House seats.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 13: Voter registration deadline
- Governor
- 3 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 2 candidates
- U.S. House
- 6 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- None
Your to-do list
0 of 3 doneImportant dates
- May 19Primaries This date has passed.
- Oct. 5Ballots mailed to voters whose Oregon mailing address is out of state (but not military or overseas)
- Oct. 13Voter registration deadline
- Oct. 14Ballots mailed to all registered Oregon voters
- Nov. 3Election Day. Ballots must be postmarked by this date if returned by mail, or deposited in an official drop box by 8:00 p.m.
What’s at stake
For the first time since 1978, Oregon is seeing a gubernatorial rematch; four years ago, Tina Kotek (D) beat Christine Drazan (R) by ~3.4 points. While forecasters lean in favor of Kotek winning again, it’s looking unlikely to be a sweep. A 2026 DHM poll found that Oregonians’ priorities have shifted in recent years. While 33% still believe homelessness tops the chart for the biggest issues facing the region, that number has gone down from 48%. 19% rank poor leadership/government mismanagement as the biggest issue facing the region (up from 15% in previous years), and 11% rank taxes as the biggest issue (up from 3% in previous years).
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
Oregon is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 3 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 3 picked
Tina KotekDemocratincumbent seeking her second four-year term
Top priorities- Lowering cost of living by tackling corporate price gouging and reducing housing costs.
- Improving education by funding literacy programs, introducing new student performance targets, and strengthening oversight of educational spending.
- Reducing homelessness by developing affordable housing units and establishing statewide shelter programs.
Christine DrazanRepublicancurrent state senator, 26th district
Top priorities- Lowering cost of living by reducing taxes on working families, tips, and overtime; repealing regulations that drive up prices; eliminating the Climate Executive Order; and more.
- Supporting businesses and the economy by firing anti-business bureaucrats, freezing new rules and regulations, clearing barriers to trade, and more.
- Reducing homelessness by declaring an Emergency on Addiction and Mental Health crises; auditing homeless and addiction spending; prioritizing addiction recovery, long-term sobriety, and mental health treatment; and more.
- Top priorities
Brett SmithPacific Green Party of Oregon- Ending government corruption.
- Make Oregon more affordable by shifting costs from taxpayers to large employers, funding public programs through employers accountability, and directing new revenue to the programs low wages strain.
- Putting a permanent moratorium on data centers.
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s big picture
Oregon will elect six candidates to represent them in the U.S. House. Democrats are expected to hold five of those seats.
- Open seats
None
- Competitive districts
No Oregon district is considered competitive (OR-2 solidly Republican, the rest solidly Democrat). Candidates in both parties filed to run in all six districts, so no district is guaranteed to either party. OR-5 has changed party hands twice in the last two cycles, but is considered solidly Democratic for 2026 midterms. OR-6 was added after the 2020 census, and no other district has changed party hands since 1996.
Also on the ballot
Other races Oregon voters will decide.
- Labor commissioner
- State Senate
- State House
- State Supreme Court
- Intermediate appellate courts
- Municipal government
- Recalls
- Local ballot measures
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
Know someone voting in Oregon?
Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
A prayer for Oregon
God who removes and sets up kings, You are our confidence in election season, and Your sovereignty is our peace in a tottering world.
While we wait for Your soon-coming kingdom, appoint for Oregon a leader who will seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. Stabilize Oregonians in the midst of uncertainty; raise up qualified, upright candidates; protect them and the voting process from violence and fraud. May voters receive accurate, helpful information, and may their government earn their trust and work for their good.
King of Every Nation, though these candidates seek positions of power, their strength pales against Yours. Though officials seek to make things better, You are making all things new. Oregon’s leaders may fumble and fight and fade, but You, my King, are immovable, unconquerable, and everlasting. So strengthen Oregonians with forbearance to submit to imperfect leadership until all the world comes together under Your perfect rule.
Amen.