Oregon House Race Hits $2 Million as Lawmaker Defends Party Switch

Cyrus Javadi is running for a third term in Oregon House District 32, but this time he is asking voters to support him as a Democrat. He previously won the seat twice as a Republican. The party switch has turned the contest into a high-cost battle over trust and transportation funding.

Javadi changed his party registration last year after providing the decisive vote to pass Governor Tina Kotek's transportation tax package. That measure included a 6-cent gas tax increase that many residents disliked. He argued that without new revenue, the state could not fix the wind- and rain-damaged roads in his district. The district covers the coastline from Astoria to Neskowin.

Max Sherman, a 69-year-old farmer and retired high school teacher from Hebo, is challenging Javadi. Sherman describes agriculture, fishing, and forestry as the North Coast's economic engines. His campaign pairs standard Republican themes, such as cutting regulation and ending DEI initiatives, with direct criticism of Javadi's shifting stances. Sherman said, "A lot of people here have lost trust in him." He also identifies as an anti-tax candidate while agreeing that funding the Oregon Department of Transportation is a priority.

The district has roughly 55,800 registered voters. About 2,000 more are registered Democrats than Republicans, but nonaffiliated voters outnumber both parties. That middle group could decide the election. Javadi has spent the campaign canvassing neighborhoods to reach these independent voters directly.

Local party leaders are divided over Javadi's move. Lisa Lamping, chair of the Clatsop County Republicans, called him an opportunist. She noted that he once opposed taxes and abortion but now has an endorsement from Planned Parenthood. Reactions among local Republicans range from anger to relief. Betsy Johnson, a former Democratic legislator who represented the area for 20 years, has endorsed Sherman in television advertisements.

Both candidates have raised more than $1 million, making this potentially the most expensive state House race this year. The funding has allowed them to purchase ads in the Portland market, which reaches the district. Sherman called the contest a total toss-up that could be a nail-biter.

Javadi frames his political evolution as a strength. He grew up in a conservative Mormon family in Utah and said he found his former colleagues' arguments unconvincing over time. Last year, he supported a Democratic bill making it harder for school districts to ban books, citing his gay son. He also helped argue for a measure using taxes on healthcare providers to raise federal Medicaid funding. He was the only Republican to back Kotek's $4.3 billion transportation plan, saying the long-term benefits outweighed the short-term costs.

Voters rejected that tax package in May by a wide margin. Javadi says the vote showed that residents want roads and bridges fixed without a gas tax increase. He claims the issue rarely comes up when he meets 30 or 40 people a day on the doorstep. His campaign promotes the message that he stands by his values, a stance welcomed by some Democrats, including a Tillamook resident who described herself as a big-time liberal. Javadi plans to keep knocking on doors until Election Day.