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Oregon State Senate District 3
Oregon State Senate District 3 is represented by Jeff Golden (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 3
until January 8, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Oregon State Senate District 3
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 3
Incumbent Jeff Golden defeated Randy Sparacino in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 3 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jeff Golden (D / Independent Party / Progressive Party / Working Families Party) | 51.9 | 33,468 |
| Randy Sparacino (R) | 48.0 | 30,980 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 51 | ||
| Total votes: 64,499 | |||
 = 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 3
Incumbent Jeff Golden advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 3 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Golden | 98.7 | 13,453 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 184 | ||
| Total votes: 13,637 | |||
| = 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 3
Randy Sparacino defeated Kevin Christman in the Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 3 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Randy Sparacino | 73.7 | 8,876 | |
 | Kevin Christman | 25.8 | 3,111 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 52 | ||
| Total votes: 12,039 | |||
| = 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 3
Jeff Golden defeated Jessica Gomez in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 3 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Golden (D) | 55.2 | 35,834 |
 | Jessica Gomez (R) | 44.7 | 29,065 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 75 | ||
| Total votes: 64,974 | |||
| = 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 3
Jeff Golden defeated Athena Goldberg, Julian Bell, and Kevin Stine in the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 3 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Golden | 51.5 | 8,385 |
| Athena Goldberg | 36.5 | 5,946 | ||
 | Julian Bell | 6.4 | 1,048 | |
 | Kevin Stine | 5.6 | 910 | |
| Total votes: 16,289 | |||
| = 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 3
Jessica Gomez defeated Curt Ankerberg in the Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 3 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jessica Gomez | 52.3 | 5,626 |
| Curt Ankerberg | 47.7 | 5,125 | ||
| Total votes: 10,751 | |||
| = 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. A special election was held on November 8, 2016, for state Senate District 3 after the death of Alan Bates (D). Candidates were nominated by their parties rather than through primaries. Kevin Talbert (D) was named as Bates' interim replacement.
Alan DeBoer defeated Tonia Moro in the Oregon State Senate District 3 general election.[9][10]
| Oregon State Senate, District 3 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Alan DeBoer |
50.30% | 32,980 | |
| Democratic | Tonia Moro | 49.70% | 32,585 | |
| Total Votes | 65,565 | |||
| Source: Oregon Secretary of State | ||||
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 Alan Bates was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Dave Dotterrer was unopposed in the Republican primary. Dotterrer also ran on the Libertarian party and Independent tickets and Bates also ran on the Working Families Party ticket. Art H. Krueger ran as a Pacific Green Party candidate. Bates defeated Dotterrer and Krueger in the general election.[11][12][13]
The Oregon State Senate was a battleground chamber that Ballotpedia identified as having the opportunity to switch partisan control in 2014. The Oregon Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of two seats, which amounts to 13.3 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. District 3 in the Senate was identified by Ballotpedia and The Oregonian as a battleground district that could determine control of the Oregon State Senate. Incumbent Alan Bates (D) won the Senate seat in District 3 by only 275 votes in 2010 in a recount against Dave Dotterrer (R). That victory by Bates helped the Democratic Party achieve a slim majority (16-14) in the State Senate (the chamber would have been evenly divided had Dotterrer defeated Bates).[14]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alan Bates Incumbent |
51.9% | 27,678 | |
| Republican | Dave Dotterrer | 44.4% | 23,700 | |
| Green | Art H. Krueger | 3.6% | 1,917 | |
| None | Miscellaneous | 0.1% | 69 | |
| Total Votes | 53,364 | |||
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 Alan Bates (D) defeated Dave Dotterrer (R) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in their primary.[15][16]
| Oregon State Senate, District 3, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Alan Bates Incumbent |
50.3% | 24,557 | |
| Republican | Dave Dotterrer | 49.7% | 24,275 | |
| Total Votes | 48,832 | |||
Campaign contributions
- Note: Oregon senate incumbents may receive contributions in off-election years.
From 2010 to 2022, candidates for Oregon State Senate District 3 raised a total of $4,837,554. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $322,504 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Oregon State Senate District 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $1,449,667 | 3 | $483,222 |
| 2018 | $914,287 | 6 | $152,381 |
| 2014 | $1,525,172 | 3 | $508,391 |
| 2012 | $151,250 | 1 | $151,250 |
| 2010 | $797,178 | 2 | $398,589 |
| Total | $4,837,554 | 15 | $322,504 |
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, "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
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Sen. Alan Bates gets repeat challenge from Republican Dave Dotterrer in Jackson County," September 6, 2013
- ↑ "2010 Official Election Results," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ "Oregon 2010 Primary Election Results," accessed October 30, 2013
