Oregon State Senate District 21
Oregon State Senate District 21 is represented by Kathleen Taylor (D).
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
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.[7] 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.[8]
If the legislature fails to establish a redistricting plan for state legislative districts, it falls to the secretary of state to draw the boundaries.[8]
State law requires that congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[8]
- 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 21
until January 8, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Oregon State Senate District 21
starting January 9, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Oregon State Senate District 21
Incumbent Kathleen Taylor won election in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 21 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kathleen Taylor (D / R) | 98.0 | 58,422 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.0 | 1,174 | ||
| Total votes: 59,596 | |||
 = 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 21
Incumbent Kathleen Taylor advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 21 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathleen Taylor | 99.2 | 20,867 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 174 | ||
| Total votes: 21,041 | |||
| = 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 21
Incumbent Kathleen Taylor advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 21 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathleen Taylor (Write-in) | 13.7 | 29 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 86.3 | 182 | ||
| Total votes: 211 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2020
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Oregon State Senate District 21
Incumbent Kathleen Taylor won election in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 21 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathleen Taylor (D / Working Families Party) | 97.6 | 71,543 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.4 | 1,769 | ||
| Total votes: 73,312 | |||
| = 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 21
Incumbent Kathleen Taylor advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 21 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathleen Taylor | 99.4 | 29,791 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 174 | ||
| Total votes: 29,965 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Oregon State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 17, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 8, 2016. Incumbent Diane Rosenbaum (D) did not seek re-election.
Kathleen Taylor defeated James Ofsink and Josh Howard in the Oregon State Senate District 21 general election.[9][10]
| Oregon State Senate, District 21 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Kathleen Taylor |
77.05% | 54,520 | |
| Progressive | James Ofsink | 14.68% | 10,390 | |
| Libertarian | Josh Howard | 8.27% | 5,852 | |
| Total Votes | 70,762 | |||
| Source: Oregon Secretary of State | ||||
Kathleen Taylor defeated John Sweeney in the Oregon State Senate District 21 Democratic primary.[11][12]
| Oregon State Senate, District 21 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kathleen Taylor |
89.41% | 27,686 | |
| Democratic | John Sweeney | 10.59% | 3,278 | |
| Total Votes | 30,964 | |||
2012
- See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Oregon State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 15, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 6, 2012. Incumbent Diane Rosenbaum (D) defeated Cliff Hutchison (R) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in their primary.[13][14]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Diane Rosenbaum Incumbent |
84.6% | 55,734 | |
| Republican | Cliff Hutchison | 15.4% | 10,143 | |
| Total Votes | 65,877 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2012 to 2024, candidates for Oregon State Senate District 21 raised a total of $1,079,286. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $134,911 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Oregon State Senate District 21 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $561,802 | 1 | $561,802 |
| 2020 | $194,090 | 1 | $194,090 |
| 2016 | $126,065 | 4 | $31,516 |
| 2012 | $197,329 | 2 | $98,665 |
| Total | $1,079,286 | 8 | $134,911 |
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))
- ↑ Oregon State Legislature, "SB 882 Enrolled," accessed September 28, 2021
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 All About Redistricting, "Oregon," accessed April 28, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election official results," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed March 9, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "May 17, 2016 Primary Election Abstract of Votes President," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "2012 official general election results," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "2012 Official Results - May 15, 2012 Primary Election - State Senator," accessed October 30, 2013
