The 2026 United States Senate election in Oregon will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Oregon. Democratic incumbent Jeff Merkley is seeking a fourth term.[1] He is being challenged by Republican state senator David Brock Smith.[2]

In the Democratic primary, Merkley was nominated with 93.2% of the vote against minimal opposition. Smith won the Republican nomination with 29.5% of the vote over former Linn County party chair Jo Rae Perkins and real estate broker Brent Barker. Republicans have not won a Senate election in Oregon since 2002.

Background

Oregon is generally considered to be a strongly blue state at the federal and state levels, having not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate (or any Republican statewide since 2016).[citation needed] Democrats control both U.S. Senate seats, all statewide offices, all but one seat in Oregon's U.S. House congressional delegation, and, since January 2025, hold supermajorities in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly.[3] Merkley was first elected in 2008 defeating then-incumbent Gordon Smith, and was re-elected twice, in 2014 and 2020.[4]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • Paul D. Wells, retired electrical engineer[6][5]

Declined

Endorsements

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Jeff Merkley (D) $7,150,950 $4,376,333 $6,580,178
Source: Federal Election Commission[19]

Results

Results by county
  Merkley
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
  •   90–100%
Democratic primary results[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jeff Merkley (incumbent) 457,006 93.2
Democratic Paul D. Wells 30,544 6.2
Democratic Write-in 2,907 0.6
Total votes 490,457 100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Did Not File

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
David Smith (R) $24,083 $288 $23,795
Jo Rae Perkins (R) $5,185 $7,328 $1,056
Source: Federal Election Commission[19]

Results

Results by county
  Smith
  •   20–30%
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   60–70%
  Perkins
  •   20–30%
  •   30–40%
  Barker
  •   20–30%
Republican primary results[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican David Brock Smith 107,953 29.5
Republican Jo Rae Perkins 99,278 27.1
Republican Brent Barker 85,229 23.3
Republican Russ McAlmond 42,136 11.5
Republican Deborah C. Brown 14,021 3.8
Republican David Burch 8,704 2.4
Republican Tim Skelton 5,626 1.5
Republican Write-in 3,254 0.9
Total votes 366,201 100.0

General election

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Inside Elections[26] Solid D April 23, 2026
Race To The WH[27] Safe D May 22, 2026
RealClearPolitics[28] Solid D May 19, 2026
Sabato's Crystal Ball[29] Safe D March 4, 2026
The Cook Political Report[30] Solid D April 13, 2026
The Economist[31][a] Safe D May 22, 2026

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of May 25, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Jeff Merkley (D) $7,297,473 $4,617,386 $6,485,649
David Brock Smith (R) $48,166 $16,108 $32,058
Source: Federal Election Commission[32]

Notes

  1. ↑ The Economist's prediction model uses unconventional terminology. For the purpose of equivalency, their "Very Likely" ratings are formatted as a "Likely" rating while "Likely" ratings are formatted as a "Lean" rating.

References

  1. ↑ VanderHart, Dirk (July 11, 2025). "Oregon's Jeff Merkley will seek a 4th term in US Senate, ending speculation". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  2. ↑ Rush, Claire (May 22, 2026). "David Brock Smith wins GOP primary for US Senate in Oregon, will face Democratic incumbent Merkley". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 23, 2026. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  3. ↑ Shumway, Julia (November 27, 2024). "Democrats win supermajority in Oregon House, Senate, with narrow win in Woodburn • Oregon Capital Chronicle". Oregon Capital Chronicle. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  4. ↑ https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/10/jeff-merkley-seeking-4th-term/
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Report Criteria: Election Year: 2026, Election: 2026 Primary Election, Office: US Senator". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jacoby, Jayson (November 19, 2025). "Baker City man seeking Republican nomination in 2026 for Democrat Jeff Merkley's U.S. Senate seat". Baker City Herald. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  7. ↑ Fuentes, Carlos; Edge, Sami (May 30, 2025). "Jeff Merkley hasn't said he'll step down from the U.S. Senate. But some top Oregon Democrats have registered websites just in case". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  8. ↑ "2026 Oregon Labor Federation Voter Guide". Oregon AFL-CIO. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  9. ↑ "A Winning Agenda for 2026". End Citizens United. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Jeff Merkley". JStreetPAC. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Candidates". Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs.
  12. ↑ "2025-2026 Endorsements". League of Conservation Voters. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Jeff Merkley for re-election U.S. Senate". EOur Revolution. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Meet Our 2026 Candidates". Peace Action. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  15. ↑ "2026 Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorsed Candidates". www.plannedparenthoodaction.org. Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  16. ↑ "2026 Endorsements". Population Connection Action Fund. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Our Endorsed Candidates". Track AIPAC.
  18. ↑ "WW's May 2026 Endorsements: Congress". Willamette Week. April 29, 2026. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  19. 1 2 "2026 Election United States Senate - Oregon". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  20. 1 2 "May 19 Primary Election | Federal Office". Secretary of State of Oregon. May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  21. ↑ Merison, Kelsey (March 3, 2026). "Oregon State Senator David Brock Smith announces Senate campaign". KTVZ. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  22. ↑ Nanguneri, Shaanath (March 3, 2026). "Coastal Oregon conservative announces run for U.S. Senate". Oregon Capitol Chronicle. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  23. ↑ "SKELTON, TIMOTHY WILLIAM - Candidate overview". FEC.gov. January 1, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Who's running for office in the May 2026 primary election?". The Banks Post. March 6, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Report Criteria: Election Year: 2026, Election: 2026 Primary Election, Office: US Senator". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  27. ↑ "2026 Senate Forecast". Race to the WH. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Battle for the Senate 2026". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  29. ↑ "2026 Senate ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  30. ↑ "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  31. ↑ "2026 Senate Forecast". The Economist. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  32. ↑ "2026 Election United States Senate - Oregon". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved May 25, 2026.

Official campaign websites

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_election_in_Oregon