This story originally appeared in the Oregon Capital Chronicle and is used with permission.
State Rep. Boomer Wright, a Republican from Reedsport who has represented Oregon’s southern coast since 2020, will not run for a fourth term.
Wright announced Thursday that he would retire at the end of his term on Dec. 31, 2026, and endorsed Oregon House Republicans’ legislative director, Claire Lynn, to replace him as representative of the 9th House District.
“Claire has significant legislative experience in Oregon and Washington, D.C., was raised on the coast, understands Oregon politics and is an incredibly hard worker with coastal common sense and a positive attitude,” Wright said in a statement.
The district runs south along the coast from Florence to Coos Bay. It has roughly 21,000 nonaffiliated voters, close to 16,000 Republicans and nearly 14,000 Democrats, and Wright won his two reelection bids with more than 60% of the vote.
Shortly after Wright announced his retirement, Lynn announced her candidacy, though she has not yet registered with the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office ahead of the May 19 Republican Primary. She has until March 10 to file.
“Representative Wright has been a steadfast leader for the Oregon Coast,” Lynn said in a statement. “I have deeply appreciated working with him in the State Capitol and have seen him hold the line and live up to his name – Boomer. He is a strong voice for his constituents. I am grateful for his years of dedicated service, and I am honored to have his endorsement.”
She would face Republican challenger Troy Cribbins, a Coos Bay city councilor and an administrator at a home health and hospice company. John Scheirman, a school bus driver from North Bend, is running for the Democratic nomination.
Prior to Wright’s time in the Legislature, he spent more than 30 years as a teacher and principal in the Siuslaw School District and superintendent in the Mapleton School District.
In the Legislature, Wright worked in a bipartisan manner on a number of big education bills meant to boost Oregon students’ literacy rates, school funding and state oversight and accountability of schools. And he championed most recently a $100 million state investment in a potential shipping port in Coos Bay.
Wright during the last year also backed an effort meant to get the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the Oregon Health Authority over its protection of gender affirming care for minors and sponsored a bill that would have required the state’s K-12 schools and colleges separate all sports teams by biological sex, effectively banning transgender students from participating on sports teams that align with their gender.
The bill did not pass.
In his retirement statement, Wright thanked constituents, colleagues, supporters and friends for the “support, friendship, advice and opportunities” since he took office.
“I have truly enjoyed my time working as your state representative and it has been an honor to represent District #9 and all Oregonians in Salem,” he said. “Over the next year I will do everything I can to complete current projects through 2026 and work to support those who will take over my duties in 2027.”
