Shemia Fagan

Shemia Fagan

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Oregon House of Representatives District 51

Successor: Janelle Bynum

Predecessor: Patrick Sheehan

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Oregon State Senate District 24

Successor: Kayse Jama

Predecessor: Rod Monroe

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Oregon Secretary of State

Successor: Cheryl Myers

Predecessor: Bev Clarno

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Education

High school

The Dalles Wahtonka High School

Bachelor's

Northwest Nazarene University, 2003

Law

Lewis & Clark School of Law, 2009

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Shemia Fagan (Democratic Party) was the Oregon Secretary of State. She assumed office on January 4, 2021. She left office on May 8, 2023.

Fagan (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) ran for election for Oregon Secretary of State. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020. She advanced from the Democratic primary on May 19, 2020.

On May 2, 2023, Fagan announced that she was resigning as secretary of state, effective on May 8, 2023. Deputy Secretary of State Cheryl Myers (D) assumed office as acting secretary on May 8, 2023. To learn more about Fagan's resignation as secretary of state, click here.

Fagan is a former Democratic member of the Oregon State Senate, representing District 24 from 2019 to 2021. Fagan is also a former Democratic member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 51 from 2013 to 2017.

Biography

Shemia Fagan earned a B.A. in philosophy and religion from Northwest Nazarene University in 2003 and a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2009. Fagan's career experience includes working as an attorney and as managing partner of HKM Employment Attorneys LLP.

Career

• 2021-2023: Oregon Secretary of State
• 2019-2021: Member, Oregon State Senate, District 24
• 2013-2017: Member, Oregon House of Representatives District 51

Elections

2020

See also: Oregon Secretary of State election, 2020

Oregon Secretary of State election, 2020 (May 19 Democratic primary)

Oregon Secretary of State election, 2020 (May 19 Republican primary)

General election

General election for Oregon Secretary of State

Shemia Fagan defeated Kim Thatcher, Nathalie Paravicini, and Kyle Markley in the general election for Oregon Secretary of State on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shemia Fagan (D / Working Families Party)	50.3	1,146,370
		Kim Thatcher (R / Independent)	43.2	984,597
		Nathalie Paravicini (Pacific Green Party / Progressive Party)	3.6	82,211
		Kyle Markley (L)	2.8	62,985
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2,340

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,278,503
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Oregon Secretary of State

Shemia Fagan defeated Mark Hass and Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the Democratic primary for Oregon Secretary of State on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shemia Fagan	36.2	209,682
		Mark Hass	35.5	205,230
		Jamie McLeod-Skinner	27.5	159,430
		Other/Write-in votes	0.8	4,395

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 578,737
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jennifer Williamson (D)
• Cameron Smith (D)
• Ryan Wruck (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Oregon Secretary of State

Kim Thatcher defeated Dave Stauffer in the Republican primary for Oregon Secretary of State on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Thatcher	85.6	312,296
		Dave Stauffer	13.4	48,839
		Other/Write-in votes	1.0	3,625

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 364,760
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Oregon Secretary of State

Kyle Markley advanced from the Libertarian convention for Oregon Secretary of State on July 6, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Kyle Markley (L)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Pacific Green Party convention

Pacific Green Party convention for Oregon Secretary of State

Nathalie Paravicini advanced from the Pacific Green Party convention for Oregon Secretary of State on June 6, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Nathalie Paravicini (Pacific Green Party)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2018

In addition to running as a Democratic Party candidate, Fagan cross-filed to also run as a Working Families Party candidate and as an independent write-in candidate in 2018.

General election

General election for Oregon State Senate District 24

Shemia Fagan won election in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 24 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shemia Fagan (D)	95.1	30,887
		Other/Write-in votes	4.9	1,606

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,493
= 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 24

Shemia Fagan defeated incumbent Rod Monroe and Kayse Jama in the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 24 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shemia Fagan	62.0	6,628
		Rod Monroe	20.1	2,151
		Kayse Jama	17.8	1,906

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 10,685
= 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.
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2016

See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Oregon House of Representatives 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 Shemia Fagan (D) did not seek re-election.

Janelle Bynum defeated Lori Chavez-DeRemer in the Oregon House of Representatives District 51 general election.

Oregon House of Representatives, District 51 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Janelle Bynum	51.01%	14,310
	Republican	Lori Chavez-DeRemer	48.99%	13,746
Total Votes				28,056
Source: Oregon Secretary of State

Janelle Bynum defeated Randy Shannon in the Oregon House of Representatives District 51 Democratic primary.

Oregon House of Representatives, District 51 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Janelle Bynum	69.78%	4,218
	Democratic	Randy Shannon	30.22%	1,827
Total Votes				6,045

Lori Chavez-DeRemer ran unopposed in the Oregon House of Representatives District 51 Republican primary.

Oregon House of Representatives, District 51 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Lori Chavez-DeRemer  (unopposed)

This district was included in the Republican State Leadership Committee's list of "16 in '16: Races to Watch." Read more »
This district was included in the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's list of "2016 Essential Races." Read more »

2014

See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Oregon House of Representatives 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 Shemia Fagan was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Jodi Bailey defeated Brandon Miles in the Republican primary. Bailey ran on the Libertarian party and Independent tickets and Fagan ran on the Working Families Party ticket. Fagan defeated Bailey in the general election.

Oregon House of Representatives District 51, General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Shemia Fagan Incumbent	52.4%	10,518
	Republican	Jodi Bailey	47.1%	9,450
	None	Miscellaneous	0.5%	96
Total Votes				20,064

Oregon House of Representatives, District 51 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jodi Bailey	67.4%	1,827
Brandon Miles	32.6%	884
Total Votes		2,711

2012

See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2012

Fagan won election in the 2012 election for Oregon House District 51. Fagan was unopposed in the May 15 Democratic primary and defeated incumbent Patrick Sheehan (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.

Oregon House of Representatives, District 51, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Shemia Fagan	52.9%	12,584
	Republican	Patrick Sheehan Incumbent	47.1%	11,199
Total Votes				23,783

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Shemia Fagan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Fagan’s campaign website stated the following:

“	EASTERN OREGON ROOTS Senator Shemia Fagan is a working mom and a proud lifelong Oregonian who grew up in and out of poverty in Dufur and The Dalles. She struggled early on both at home and at school. But Shemia’s elementary school teacher saw she needed help. He invited her to join the school’s chess team, giving her something to be excited about in the classroom. Shemia went on to become the first girl in Oregon’s to win the statewide chess championship – and the world opened for her. After putting herself through college and law school, Shemia dedicated her life to public service. She knew firsthand the power of a public school teacher to change lives. She started serving on the David Douglas School Board. Later as an Oregon State Representative and Senator, Shemia has worked to lower barriers to success for working Oregonians. She’s helped increase funding for our public schools, pass paid family and medical leave, and ensure equal pay for equal work. Shemia has made it easier for every Oregonian to exercise their fundamental right to vote by eliminating barriers and increasing access to the ballot. Oregon’s proud tradition of voting by mail is under attack from Donald Trump. Shemia is running for Secretary of State because she knows it’s never been more important to protect and expand our fundamental right to vote in Oregon. And with the state reeling from the effects of the COVID crisis, Shemia will use the power of the audits department to ensure that struggling families quickly get the unemployment assistance they deserve. She’ll ensure our state’s tax dollars go to where they’re supposed to: helping Oregonians in our schools, our health care system, our small businesses and our environment. Today Shemia is a civil rights attorney, state senator and most importantly, a mom to Alton and Imogene. FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS Shemia worked her way through college and law school to become a civil rights attorney. She was driven by the need to stand up for those who don’t have an advocate. It’s the same reason she first decided to run for public office a decade ago. She ran for a seat on the David Douglas School District and unseated a 25-year incumbent. Shemia went on to run for the Oregon State House, defeating an incumbent Republican to win back a Democratic majority in the Oregon House — just two months after having her first baby and was re-elected to the House seat. Most recently, just months after giving birth to her second child, Shemia unseated an entrenched, three-term incumbent in the State Senate. She never runs from a fight, but steps up to ensure that everyone has a voice. FIGHTING FOR OREGONIANS Shemia has spent her career fighting for working Oregonians, holding big corporations accountable, and speaking truth to power. She’s been on the forefront of fights for rent control, expanding health care access, transgender rights, and much more. She’s dedicated her career to ensuring that children growing up without much – like she did – still have the opportunity to get ahead and to dream of more. It’s why she’s running for Secretary of State – to bring progress within reach for all.	”
—Shemia Fagan’s campaign website (2020)

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Shemia Fagan campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2018	Oregon State Senate District 24	Won general	$455,375	N/A**
2014	Oregon House of Representatives, District 51	Won	$802,902	N/A**
Grand total			$1,258,277	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Endorsements

2014

In 2014, Fagan's endorsements included the following:

• Oregon Education Association
• American Federation of Teachers-Oregon
• Oregon School Employees Association
• Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts
• Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton

• Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill
• Oregon End Violence Against Women PAC
• Oregon State Police Officers Association
• Oregon State Fire Fighters Council
• Clackamas County Fire Fighters, Local 1159

Noteworthy events

Veriede Holdings consulting contract and resignation (2023)

On April 27, 2023, Willamette Week reported that Fagan had accepted a consulting contract with Veriede Holdings LLC, an affiliate of cannabis dispensary chain La Mota in February 2023.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) called an ethics investigation by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to determine whether or not Fagan had violated state law. Kotek also called for an investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice regarding the state’s recent audit of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission.

On May 1, 2023, Fagan announced during a press conference that she ended her contract with Veriede Holdings and apologized, and on May 2, 2023, her office released a press release announcing her resignation, effective May 8, 2023.

In the press release, Fagan said “While I am confident that the ethics investigation will show that I followed the state’s legal and ethical guidelines in trying to make ends meet for my family, it is clear that my actions have become a distraction from the important and critical work of the Secretary of State’s office.”

State legislative tenure

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Oregon

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Oregon scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2020

In 2020, the Oregon State Legislature was in session from February 3 to March 5. Special sessions were convened from June 24 to June 26 and on August 10.

• Humane Oregon: Senate and House

Legislators are scored on bills related to animal issues.

• National Federation of Independent Business

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

• Stand for Children Oregon

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.

• The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Oregon State Legislature was in session from January 22 through June 30. Humane Oregon House and Senate Legislators are scored on bills related to animal issues. Oregon League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored based on their voting record for bills relating to conservation. Oregon State Public Interest Research Group Legislators are scored on their votes related to issues important to the organization. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Committee assignments

2019-2020

Fagan was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Housing Committee, Chair
• Senate Health Care Committee
• Human Services, Mental Health and Recovery Committee
• Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation Committee
• Capitol Culture Committee

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Fagan served on the following committees:

Oregon committee assignments, 2015
• Business and Labor
• Consumer Protection and Government Effectiveness, Chair

2013-2014

In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Fagan served on the following committees:

Oregon committee assignments, 2013
• Business and Labor
• Education
• Veterans and Emergency Preparedness, Vice Chair

See also

2020 Elections

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Candidate

Oregon Secretary of State

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Bev Clarno (R)	Oregon Secretary of State 2021-2023	Succeeded by LaVonne Griffin-Valade (D)
Preceded by Bev Clarno (R)	Oregon Secretary of State 2021-2023	Succeeded by Cheryl Myers (D)
Preceded by Rod Monroe (D)	Oregon State Senate District 24 2019-2021	Succeeded by Kayse Jama (D)
Preceded by Patrick Sheehan (R)	Oregon House of Representatives District 51 2013-2017	Succeeded by Janelle Bynum (D)

[show]

Current members of the Oregon State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Rob Wagner

Majority Leader:Kayse Jama

Minority Leader:Daniel Bonham

Senators

District 1

David Smith (R)

District 2

Noah Robinson (R)

District 3

Jeff Golden (D)

District 4

Floyd Prozanski (D)

District 5

Dick Anderson (R)

District 6

Cedric Hayden (R)

District 7

James Manning (D)

District 8

Sara Gelser Blouin (D)

District 9

Fred Girod (R)

District 10

Deb Patterson (D)

District 11

Kim Thatcher (R)

District 12

Bruce Starr (R)

District 13

Courtney Neron (D)

District 14

Kate Lieber (D)

District 15

Janeen Sollman (D)

District 16

Suzanne Weber (R)

District 17

Lisa Reynolds (D)

District 18

WInsvey Campos (D)

District 19

Rob Wagner (D)

District 20

Mark Meek (D)

District 21

Kathleen Taylor (D)

District 22

Lew Frederick (D)

District 23

Khanh Pham (D)

District 24

Kayse Jama (D)

District 25

Chris Gorsek (D)

District 26

Daniel Bonham (R)

District 27

Anthony Broadman (D)

District 28

Diane Linthicum (R)

District 29

Todd Nash (R)

District 30

Mike McLane (R)

Democratic Party (18)

Republican Party (12)