Change is Coming….A Preview of the 2024 Oregon Election and What it Means for Heart Advocacy

Every two years in Oregon, all 60 House seats and 15 of the 30 Senate seats are up for election. This year there are also three executive positions on the ballot — Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Attorney General, all of which do not have an incumbent running and are very popular seats for sitting legislators to make the jump to.

Six of the 10 Senators (five Republicans and an Independent) who racked up 10 or more unexcused absences in the 2023 walkout won’t be allowed to run for their seats in 2024. However, two will be on the primary ballot for executive office after filing at the deadline on Tuesday Marsh 12th.  When we zoom out to Congress, all six U.S. House of Representative seats are also up for election, as well as several district attorneys and judges. 

All told, 328 candidates filed to appear on the primary ballot, including 126 for the Oregon House and 33 for Oregon Senate.

The upcoming election has already had an effect on the 2025 legislative session. With Rep. Rayfield running for state office (Attorney general) he vacated his seat as Speaker before the end of the 2024 legislative session and the body elected Rep. Julie Fahey as the next Speaker. Making for yet another leadership change in a relatively short amount of time after nearly a decade of consistency.

So, what does this mean for our heart health advocacy? As a non-profit, we do not engage in elections for candidates. After the election we will have a lot of work to do in engaging existing champions in our priorities and meeting with future champions for heart health policies. The Oregon Primary is May 21st, so make sure your voter registration is up to date! You can check your voter registration status here.

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