4 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
4 candidates · ballot order · Jeff Merkley currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Filibuster reform, a long-running personal cause.
Medicare for All.
Appropriations work directing federal funding to Oregon.
Opposition to the current administration's agenda, which he gave as his reason for seeking another term.
Labour and progressive priorities, from which his main endorsements come.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Senator from Oregon since January 2009.
Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives before his election to the Senate.
Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Missed 101 of 6,169 roll call votes from January 2009 to August 2026, a 1.6% rate, better than the Senate median of 2.8%.
Has won past re-elections with more than 55% of the vote.
Won the May 19 2026 Democratic primary with 93.2%, about 457,006 votes.
Backed by labour unions and progressive organisations.
Arguments in favor
He has one of the best voting attendance records in the Senate, missing only 1.6% of roll calls over seventeen years, and sits on Appropriations where Oregon's federal funding is decided.
— GovTrack.us voting records
He is running again because of the magnitude of the darkness and danger he sees in the current administration, and has been one of the Senate's more consistent voices against it.
— Sen. Jeff Merkley, as reported by Willamette Week
He has the backing of Oregon's labour unions and progressive organisations, and took over 93% of his own primary vote.
— Labour unions and progressive organisations that endorsed him, as reported by Ballotpedia
Arguments against
Oregon needs a senator who puts Oregon first — on affordable living, safer communities, good-paying jobs and responsible government — rather than national ideological fights.
— State Sen. David Brock Smith, his Republican opponent
He is seeking a fourth term after eighteen years in the Senate, in a race no one expects to be competitive, which his opponent argues leaves Oregon without real accountability.
— State Sen. David Brock Smith's campaign framing, as reported by OPB
What we couldn’t verify
Whether this would be his final term.
His campaign fundraising totals.
Specific fourth-term legislative priorities beyond opposition to the administration.
Only two arguments against him are recorded. A third — that his positions on filibuster reform and Medicare for All are polarising — appeared in race coverage but could not be tied to a named critic, so it was removed rather than attributed vaguely. A reviewer should look for a named source making that case.
Protecting hunting, recreational shooting, trapping and fishing, through the bipartisan Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Oregon State Senator for District 1 since January 2023, representing Curry County and parts of Coos, Douglas and Jackson counties.
Previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives, as a Curry County commissioner and on a city council.
45 years in his family's restaurant business.
Member of the bipartisan Oregon Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus and the bipartisan Coastal Caucus.
Won the May 19 2026 Republican primary with 29.5%, about 107,953 votes, in a field of seven.
Raised approximately $24,000 for the primary campaign.
Arguments in favor
His campaign is about putting Oregon first — affordable living, safer communities, good-paying jobs, responsible government — rather than national ideological fights.
— State Sen. David Brock Smith
He was the only elected official in the Republican field, with a record spanning city council, county commission and both chambers of the legislature.
— OPB reporting on the Republican primary
He has a reputation in Salem for working across the aisle, sitting in both the bipartisan Sportsmen's Caucus and the bipartisan Coastal Caucus.
— OPB reporting on his legislative record
Arguments against
He won the nomination with under 30% of the vote in a seven-way field, meaning more than 70% of Republican primary voters chose someone else.
— Primary results as reported by OPB and Ballotpedia
He raised roughly $24,000 for his primary campaign, a fraction of what a statewide Senate race in Oregon requires.
— Campaign finance figures reported by Ballotpedia
What we couldn’t verify
His positions on abortion, immigration and federal spending could not be established from sources located.
Whether he has President Trump's endorsement or any national Republican support.
No attack material from the Merkley campaign or Oregon Democrats could be located, so arguments against him here come from the public record rather than from an opposing campaign, and are fewer than for his opponent.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Roster established from OPB, KLCC, NBC News, the Oregon Capital Chronicle and Ballotpedia, cross-checked. Democratic incumbent Jeff Merkley won the May 19 2026 primary with 93.2% over retired electrical engineer Paul D. Wells. State Sen. David Brock Smith won a fragmented Republican primary with 29.5%, ahead of former Linn County Republican chair and two-time Senate nominee Jo Rae Perkins (27.1%), commercial real estate broker Brent Barker (23.3%) and others; his was the last significant Oregon race to be called. Gary Lyndon Dye is the Libertarian nominee and Brett Smith the Pacific Green nominee — note that two candidates on this ballot are named Smith and they are unrelated to one another.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Oregon ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.