Rachel Armitage, a candidate for Oregon's 16th Senate District, is pictured. (Courtesy of Armitage campaign)
A former Oregon legislative staffer and Democratic state senator from the North Coast wants to return to the Capitol to take the place of an Oregon Republican barred from seeking reelection.
Former state Sen. Rachel Armitage of St. Helens announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination in Oregon’s 16th Senate district last week on social media. Before her 2022 appointment to serve one session in the chamber, she was a legislative staffer for Rep. Susan McLain, D-Forest Grove and former Rep. Carla Piluso, D-Gresham.
The 16th Senate District spans all of Clatsop and Columbia and Tillamook counties, as well as portions of Multnomah, Washington and Yamhill counties. Local county commissioners had appointed Armitage in 2022 to finish out the term of former state Sen. Betsy Johnson after the conservative Democrat resigned from her position to run as a nonaffiliated candidate for governor.
The district could be competitive for Democrats in this election cycle despite its current seatholder, Sen. Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook, winning her seat by more than 13 percentage points nearly four years ago. Because Weber participated in a legislative walkout alongside her Senate Republican colleagues in 2023, she was prevented from running for reelection under Oregon’s Measure 113, which prevents legislators from seeking their office again after racking up 10 or more unexcused absences.
The district is also home to slightly more registered Democrats than Republicans, and the upcoming midterm elections are expected to challenge Republicans across the country given the unpopularity of President Donald Trump and the GOP’s current control of Congress.
Armitage told the Capital Chronicle that she began her work as a legislator as a “newbie,” acclimating to her role as a senator rather than a staffer. However, she said she realized that many in her caucus lacked an understanding of rural Oregonians’ needs because they represented more suburban or urban communities.
She went on to work for the philanthropic Oregon Community Foundation as a program officer representing the North Coast and said she has had more time to consider her community’s needs. Her priorities as a lawmaker would be attracting health care workers to ensure facilities remain running, stemming the housing shortage and strengthening the state’s infrastructure.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve gotten a lot of new funding, and I really want to go back and see what works. I’m somebody who really likes to say, ‘Hey, what is the data showing us about the programs that we already have in place?’” Armitage said. “I don’t necessarily know that we need new programs, new initiatives. Right now, when we have such a revenue shortage, I want to make sure we are going back to the fundamentals.”
Armitage is pitching herself as a more moderate Democrat who is willing to split with her party when necessary.
“It doesn’t mean walking out. It doesn’t mean just being a standing ‘no’ vote all of the time,” she said. “It means finding ways to compromise and finding ways to make things work, and being the one who is responsible for painting the picture clearly about what’s happening on the coast so that other legislators can understand it and then help us get what we need.”
For instance, she opposes the move by Oregon Democratic lawmakers to shift the controversial gas and transportation tax referendum to the May primary election ballot from November’s general election. Late last year, Republican lawmakers led a successful campaign to gather signatures for a November referendum asking voters to end the tax hikes passed by Democrats in fall’s special legislative session to fund the state’s imperiled Department of Transportation.
Political observers say both parties stand to gain from shifting the election date: Republicans could benefit from headwinds the ballot measure poses for Gov. Tina Kotek’s reelection campaign as well as Democratic legislators, and Democrats could avoid that potential backlash if they reschedule the ballot measure to May.
Although Armitage acknowledged Democrats’ argument surrounding the need for an immediate answer from voters, she said it was important for the measure to be on the ballot when most Oregon voters will participate, rather than in primary elections where voter turnout has historically been lower. She also questioned how such a move would come across at a time when Democrats are stressing the importance of election access and protecting democracy.
“Even if Oregonians make a decision that we don’t agree with, we’re here to represent, we’re not here to override,” she said. “While I understand the practicality of why this is happening, I think it really has a potential to violate voter trust.”
As of Friday, campaign finance records show Armitage’s campaign has spent nearly $1,000 more than she has raised. Candidates have 30 days after a transaction to report contributions or spending, and that window narrows to seven days close to an election.
The other Democrats running to represent the party in the race include Aaron Dickie, a travel nurse and air force veteran from Manzanita, and Jordan Gutierrez, a tax consultant and investor from Portland.
For the Republican nomination, Weber has already endorsed Clatsop County Commissioner Courtney Bangs. Business owner Tripp Dietrich of Rockaway Beach and Frank Mansfield, a retired aerospace engineer from Astoria, are also running for the GOP nomination.
Non-incumbents have until March 10 to file to run in the May 19 primary.
Commented