Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, the longest serving Democrat currently in the Oregon House of Representatives, is stepping down this month after 21 years in office.
When Holvey arrived in Salem in 2004, the Oregon legislature looked very different than it does today. The number of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate was tied, and the GOP controlled the House.
Holvey said he’s the last House Democrat who was there when his party was in the minority.
“You had very little power and very little say-so, and the rules were pretty stringent against the minority back then," he said. "Things have changed substantially, actually, in terms of making sure that the minority has the voice that they should have under principles of democracy, and really trying to treat people civilly.”
Holvey was appointed to the House when his predecessor, Floyd Prozanzski, moved on to the Oregon Senate. Holvey retained his seat in future elections by wide margins.
After Democrats took control of the House in 2007, Holvey led work on several of the bills he said he’s most proud of today. This includes a law requiring more use of solar power in renovated public buildings, which he said is still helping to promote more sustainable energy.
Holvey was also one of the chief sponsors of a 2009 bill that limited field burning in parts of the Willamette Valley.
“That was a big deal," he said. "Back then, a lot of people were getting ill every year from the inundation of smoke.”
Meanwhile, Holvey would climb the ranks of House leadership, chairing committees starting in 2007. Ten years later, he became the speaker pro tempore, meaning he’d preside over the chamber when the Speaker was unavailable.
For much of his time in Salem, Holvey said he felt the sense of cooperation across the aisle was improving. But he said there’s been a backslide in civility in recent years, as Republican lawmakers began staging regular walkouts from legislative sessions.
“One party being in the majority for so many years, the minority becomes very frustrated," said Holvey, "and started doing things that most of the rest of us saw as a degradation of the process.”
The recall
In 2023, Holvey became the subject of his own public battle, as the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555 led a recall effort against him.
The move followed Holvey’s votes on several bills, including one which would have expanded unionization rights for marijuana businesses—but in a way that Holvey believed could be preempted by federal law.
The representative’s campaign spent about $300,000 to fend off the challenge, while receiving widespread support from Democratic lawmakers and multiple large unions. Ultimately, Holvey retained his seat by a historic margin, receiving 90% of the vote.
“I think that’s significant in the way that people should think twice about the impact of trying to recall legislators while they're in session for something as minimal as ‘we disagree with them and we don't like them,'" said Holvey. "Voters made that perfectly clear—that was not a pathway that they thought was reasonable for a recall.”
Retirement
Holvey announced his retirement a few months later. But he said he didn’t choose to leave office because of the recall.
Instead, the 70-year-old says he needs to catch up on his personal life. He said retirement will give him more time to visit his out-of-state grandchildren.
“Twenty-one years is a long time in the legislature. It was exhausting. I put everything I had into it," said Holvey. "I feel very good about what I was able to accomplish, and I'm ready to take care of some other things.”
Holvey said while he does leave some unfinished work behind, he doesn’t feel like it was wasted effort.
“What we do is introduce things for conversations that people think are important and that we pursue, and that does change things in the future," said Holvey. "I certainly have some bills around holding the insurance companies accountable, that's never passed, and some bills around wage theft that still have not passed—and pieces that didn't make it, and I think someday they will.”
As for civility in the House, Holvey believes he is seeing signs of progress and more bipartisanship once again.
“I think people now have started working together more. Maybe it's just sort of a cycle that I've been around long enough to see things come and go," said Holvey. "And I'm hopeful for the future.”
Holvey’s seat will be filled by Democrat Lisa Fragala. Oregon’s next legislative session begins Jan. 13 when new and returning lawmakers take the oath of office.
