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Oregon State Senate District 16
Oregon State Senate District 16 is represented by Suzanne Weber (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Oregon state senators represented an average of 141,383 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 128,287 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the Oregon State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Oregon legislators assume office the second Monday in January.[1] Each district of the Oregon State Senate is made up of two districts of the Oregon House of Representatives.
Qualifications
According to Article IV, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution, candidates for the Oregon State Legislature must meet the following qualifications:[2]
- Be a citizen of the United States,
- Be at least 21 years of age,
- Be an inhabitant of the district from which the Senator or Representative may be chosen for at least one year preceding the election (or from January 1 if a reapportionment year),
- Not be convicted of a felony (unless the conviction happened prior to winning the election and the sentence received for the conviction is completed prior to the date that person would take office if elected.)
In 2022, Oregon voters approved Measure 113, which disqualifies legislators from seeking re-election if they accumulate more than 10 unexcused absences in a single legislative session.
Candidates must also be registered to vote.[3]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $35,052/year | $157/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Oregon State Legislature, the board of county commissioners representing the vacant seat must select a replacement. This can only be done when the Legislature is in session or when the vacancy happens more than 61 days before the next scheduled general election.[5] The board must select a person from the political party that last held the vacant seat. The board must consider three to five candidates, nominated by the local county party that last controlled the seat. A replacement must be selected within 30 days of the vacancy. Persons selected to fill vacancies serve until the second Monday in January following the general election.[6]
See sources: Oregon Rev. Stat. §171.051
2016 pivot county
This district was one of 710 state legislative districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.
The 206 Pivot Counties were located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. At that time, the partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.[7]
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed new state legislative maps into law on September 27, 2021. The maps were approved by the Oregon House of Representatives, 31-18, and approved in the Oregon State Senate 18-11.[8] These maps took effect for Oregon’s 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Oregon work? In Oregon, congressional and state legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature. District lines are subject to veto by the governor.[9]
If the legislature fails to establish a redistricting plan for state legislative districts, it falls to the secretary of state to draw the boundaries.[9]
State law requires that congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[9]
- Districts must be contiguous.
- Districts must "utilize existing geographic or political boundaries."
- Districts should not "divide communities of common interest."
- Districts should "be connected by transportation links."
- Districts "must not be drawn for the purpose of favoring a political party, incumbent or other person."
Oregon State Senate District 16
until January 8, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Oregon State Senate District 16
starting January 9, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2022
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Oregon State Senate District 16
Suzanne Weber defeated Melissa Busch in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 16 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Suzanne Weber (R) | 56.5 | 41,144 |
 | Melissa Busch (D / Independent Party)  | 43.4 | 31,585 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 74 | ||
| Total votes: 72,803 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 16
Melissa Busch advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 16 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Melissa Busch | 97.8 | 12,496 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.2 | 279 | ||
| Total votes: 12,775 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 16
Suzanne Weber advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 16 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Suzanne Weber | 98.5 | 11,744 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.5 | 176 | ||
| Total votes: 11,920 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Oregon State Senate District 16
Incumbent Betsy Johnson defeated Ray Biggs in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 16 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Betsy Johnson (D) | 82.0 | 50,398 |
| Ray Biggs (Constitution Party) | 17.3 | 10,637 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 400 | ||
| Total votes: 61,435 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 16
Incumbent Betsy Johnson advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 16 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Betsy Johnson | 100.0 | 12,337 |
| Total votes: 12,337 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Oregon State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 11, 2014. Incumbent Betsy Johnson was unopposed in the Democratic primary. She also ran as a write-in candidate on the Republican party ticket. Robert Ekstrom ran as a Constitution Party candidate and Perry Roll ran as a Libertarian candidate. Andrew Kaza also ran as an Independent and Working Families Party candidate. Johnson defeated Ekstrom, Roll and Kaza in the general election.[10][11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Betsy Johnson Incumbent |
70% | 34,324 | |
| Independent | Andrew Kaza (Independent & Working Families) | 13.5% | 6,603 | |
| Constitution | Robert Ekstrom | 12.2% | 5,985 | |
| Libertarian | Perry Roll | 3.9% | 1,901 | |
| None | Miscellaneous | 0.4% | 193 | |
| Total Votes | 49,006 | |||
2010
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of Oregon State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 18 and a general election on November 2, 2010. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 9, 2010. Incumbent Betsy Johnson (D) defeated Bob Horning (R) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in their primary.[13][14]
| Oregon State Senate, District 16, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Betsy Johnson Incumbent |
54.5% | 27,182 | |
| Republican | Bob Horning | 45.5% | 22,657 | |
| Total Votes | 49,839 | |||
Campaign contributions
- Note: Oregon senate incumbents may receive contributions in off-election years.
From 2010 to 2022, candidates for Oregon State Senate District 16 raised a total of $2,307,896. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $209,809 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Oregon State Senate District 16 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $797,607 | 2 | $398,803 |
| 2018 | $676,350 | 2 | $338,175 |
| 2014 | $456,795 | 4 | $114,199 |
| 2012 | $85,787 | 1 | $85,787 |
| 2010 | $291,357 | 2 | $145,679 |
| Total | $2,307,896 | 11 | $209,809 |
See also
- Oregon State Legislature
- Oregon State Senate
- Oregon House of Representatives
- Oregon state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Oregon Constitution, "Article IV, Section 4," accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑ Oregon State Legislature, "The Legislative Body," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "2020 State Candidate Manual," accessed May 29, 2025 (page 4)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ OregonLaws, "Oregon Revised Laws," accessed February 15, 2021 (Statute 171.051, (1) (a)-(c))
- ↑ OregonLaws, "Oregon Revised Laws," accessed February 15, 2021 (Statute 171.051, (2)-(6))
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ Oregon State Legislature, "SB 882 Enrolled," accessed September 28, 2021
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 All About Redistricting, "Oregon," accessed April 28, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Official Results - May 20, 2014 Primary Election," accessed July 8, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing," accessed March 15, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Official general election results for 2014," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ "2010 Official Election Results," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ "Oregon 2010 Primary Election Results," accessed October 30, 2013
