Rep. Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, speaks to the Oregon Capital Chronicle on July 24, 2024 in Pacific City. (Mia Maldonado / Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Rep. Cyrus Javadi of Tillamook announced on Friday that he will run as a Democrat in the 2026 election, leaving behind the Oregon Republican Party.
Javadi has been the odd one out in his party several times throughout his term — voting alongside Democrats on bills related to LGBTQ+ rights, criticizing federal cuts to Medicaid in Substack posts and being the only House Republican to vote in favor of a transportation bill lawmakers are undertaking in a special session to raise $4.3 billion over the next 10 years.
His stances have confused some of the Democrats living in his district and angered some of his Republican constituents — so much that one of his Republican constituents is leading an effort to recall him. Recall supporters have until Sept. 24 to gather 5,400 signatures and force Javadi to either resign or stand for a special election.
But being an elected official has never been about party loyalty, Javadi said in a statement. He said lawmaking is about supporting his constituents and constitutional rights such as freedom of speech, the rule of law and treating people fairly and with respect.
“Too many extreme politicians in today’s Republican Party have abandoned these values, which is why I made the decision to join the Democratic Party,” Javadi said in a statement. “I’m not leaving my principles, just aligning with people who still share them, still show up to govern, and are more interested in bipartisan solutions than obstruction. My loyalty is first and foremost to the people of my district and I won’t waver from my values in order to fit into a partisan mold.”
This is far from the first time an Oregon elected official has switched parties.
Former Oregon State Treasurer Ben Westlund, who died in 2010, started his career in the Oregon Legislature as a Republican and switched to become an independent, then a Democrat. The late U.S. Sen. Wayne Morse, known for holding the third-longest filibuster in U.S. history, served as a Republican and twice as a Democrat representing Oregon in the U.S. Congress. And before running for governor against Gov. Tina Kotek in 2022, nonaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson was a registered Republican and Democrat. Even within the current Legislature, state Rep. Kevin Mannix, R-Salem, served in the House as a Democrat from 1989 to 1996 before switching parties.
A purple district
The dentist and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 2022. He served during the 2025 session as vice chair on the House Committee on Health Care, though his committee posts could change now that he’s caucusing with Democrats. House committees typically have two vice chairs, one from each party.
Democrats hold a voter registration edge in Javadi’s district, where more than half of registered voters come from Democratic-leaning Clatsop County. The portions of his district in Tillamook and Columbia counties lean Republican, according to analysis from John Horvick, senior vice president of Portland-based polling firm DHM Research..
Javadi has prided himself on offering the Republican caucus a unique perspective from the diversity of his constituents. But after the 2025 legislative session, he said every priority for the north coast — including protecting Medicaid, funding rural schools, expanding housing and taxing tourists to help pay for infrastructure support — ran into opposition from his own party.
After the session ended in June, he said he finally came to terms that he doesn’t agree with the direction the Republican party is headed under the leadership of President Donald Trump.
Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, who represented a part of Javadi’s district before the 2021 redistricting, was the only coastal Democrat in the 2025 legislative session. Gomberg said he and Javadi’s districts aren’t red or blue, but they’re “purple Oregon.”
Gomberg said Javadi’s switch is a courageous move, and realistic given the district he represents.
“We certainly care about the quality of our schools, the cost and availability of health care, the cost and availability of housing and the quality of our roads,” Gomberg told the Capital Chronicle.
The Evergreen PAC, the campaign arm of the House Republican caucus, said House Republicans remain committed to lowering taxes, making homeownership affordable, ending homelessness and improving student outcomes.
“That mission is not affected by today’s announcement,” the statement read. “Instead it strengthens our work, and our caucus, to advance those ideals by giving the north coast the opportunity to support a new leader who will put the needs of their communities above themselves.”
House Speaker Julie Fahey on social media welcomed Javadi to the Democratic party.
“I’ve watched him put aside partisan differences and take principled stands in service of addressing the big issues his constituents and the people of Oregon are facing,” she tweeted. “Rep. Javadi’s commitment to problem solving has served his district well, and I’m excited to see what he’ll accomplish as a member of the House Democratic Caucus.”
‘I want to listen’: Javadi talks policy over politics
While Javadi has voted alongside Democrats on some issues, he also has taken stances that aren’t supported by Democrats, such as sponsoring an unsuccessful bill in 2024 to restrict abortion access after a 15-week gestational period with exceptions for rape, incest or an urgent health need.
However, Javadi told the Capital Chronicle that he’s never been a “full ban kind of guy” and that he’ll support women’s decisions whether they decide to have an abortion, go through with the pregnancy or put a child up for adoption.
“I will look at each policy and make sure that the rights of women are considered and that we don’t make it any more difficult for women to have an abortion,” he said. “They should have whatever choice makes the most sense for them when they need it.”
Throughout his track record, whether it’s LGBTQ+ rights, free speech or transportation funding, Javadi said he is thoughtful about his votes and how to best represent his constituents.
“I don’t come to a bill with a preconceived idea of what I’m going to do,” he told the Capital Chronicle. “I want to listen and make sure that I can understand the nuances that are in there.”
Ketzel Levine, a Nehelem resident, worked hard to oppose him in the 2024 election because of his involvement with the bill to restrict abortion. Throughout the legislative session, she often teased him in emails, criticizing him with a sense of humor.
Now, she said she’s pleased he switched parties.
“I’m ready to throw him a coming out party,” she told the Capital Chronicle. “And I’m willing to fight as hard to get him elected as I was to get him defeated.”
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