Oregon State Sen. Cedric Hayden, a Republican from Fall Creek, has been barred from seeking reelection after joining a legislative walkout two years ago.
On May 19, Republican voters in Senate District 6 will choose their nominee to replace him. Three candidates are on the ballot: Jami Cate, Jack Tibbetts, and Nicole De Graff.
Whoever wins this primary is favored in the general election this November.
There is a Democrat who’s filed to run: Sweet Home dietician Sierrah Williams. But the previous Democratic nominee lost to Hayden by more than 30 points.
District 6 covers eastern Lane County and most of Linn County, except Albany.
Jami Cate
Jami Cate is a Lebanon-area farmer and a current State representative for House District 11.
She’s running on her experience getting work done as a Republican in a legislature dominated by Democrats.
Cate said she’s frustrated with high taxes and what she describes as ineffective spending in sectors like homelessness and transportation. She wants to dig into the state’s budget and make changes.
“We could be spending our dollars wiser, instead of just constantly coming back to taxpayers and saying, ‘we need more money,’” said Cate. “The state revenue has more than doubled in just a few years, and Oregonians are feeling it.”
However, Cate said the reality is that Republicans can’t get bills passed without drawing Democratic votes. She said that means building relationships and getting the ears of committee chairs.
Cate said she’s proud of two bills she cosponsored in 2024 that granted tax exemptions to wildfire victims. Both passed with bipartisan support.
“People who want to just be the megaphone, I get it, they want to wait until voters hand them a majority. I think they're going to still be waiting,” said Cate. “I want to go out there and work hard and chase the things that matter.”
Cate has the endorsement of former Oregon Senate Republican leader Fred Girod and several prominent Linn County officials and mayors.
She also has the backing of the Oregon Coalition of Police and Sheriffs and the Oregon Business and Industry PAC.
She’s raised more than $72,000 this cycle, as of April 30, including $10,000 from the PNW PhRMA PAC.
The Oregon Right to Life PAC has endorsed both Cate and one of her opponents, Jack Tibbetts.
Jack Tibbetts
Tibbetts is a farmer and rancher from Cottage Grove who’s on the Lane County Planning Commission.
He previously served as a City Councilor in Santa Rosa, California, and the Director of that county’s St. Vincent de Paul.
Tibbetts said he’s running because Oregon residents are struggling to make ends meet. He wants to cap property taxes on seniors and make changes to the Corporate Activity Tax.
He’s proposed allowing RVs on exclusive farmland for cheaper housing options and using some affordable housing funds to offer loans to new homeowners.
He also wants to scale back an Oregon law which limits cities’ ability to restrict where homeless people can sleep. He said he hopes to spark bipartisan discussion on the issue.
“The idea that we're letting people just sleep and exist in these camps is really harmful,” said Tibbets. “I don't see that as compassion. I see that as cruelty.”
This candidacy represents a political shift for Tibbetts, who was once a Democrat who advocated for a tax on oil companies and a housing-first approach to homelessness.
Earlier this year, The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa spoke with some of Tibbett’s former colleagues who said they were surprised by some of his current positions on social issues.
Tibbetts said his views evolved as he grew older and became a father and farmer. He also cited frustrations over vaccine mandates and a legal battle between Santa Rosa police and left-wing protesters.
“For anybody listening, if they do choose to send me to Salem to represent them, they're not going to find more hard-working, values-driven conservative out there,” he said.
Tibbetts has the backing of state Reps. Ed Diehl and Darin Harbick.
He’s raised more than $58,000 this election cycle, including $10,000 from the Oregon Firearms Education Foundation.
Nicole De Graff
De Graff is a Marcola resident and a Springfield School Board member.
If she was in office, she said she’d hold frequent town halls and listen to all the stakeholders around important issues.
“I know what it feels like as a constituent to feel unheard and maybe ignored when I'm sending a letter or making a phone call to the Capitol,” said De Graff. “I would remember that and try to be as accessible as possible.”
De Graff said the state needs to reevaluate whether the Corporate Activity Tax and Oregon’s Student Success Act are actually accomplishing their stated goals.
She said one-size doesn’t fit all when it comes to education, and she hopes to bridge the urban-rural divide.
“I do think the quality education model is still off,” said De Graff. “If I was in the Senate, I would definitely want to be on the Education Committee.”
De Graff supports creating incentives for accessory dwelling units in small towns, expanding workforce training and offering work-linked transitional housing.
At the same time, she’s said the state needs to live within its means in terms of funding. She told KLCC the state may have to put a hiring and spending freeze in some sectors.
De Graff was one of the targets of a recent unsuccessful recall campaign after the Springfield School Board approved mid-year layoffs.
She defended her vote in an interview with KLCC, saying she feels for the teachers and students affected, but the district is facing a $7.9 million deficit.
De Graff hasn’t received high-profile endorsements and says she’s focused on running a lean and fiscally responsible campaign. She’s raised around $900 this election cycle.
Candidates on walking out
Speaking to KLCC, none of the candidates ruled out the possibility that they would join a Republican-led walkout over the right issue.
Tibbetts described it as a tool, along with building relationships in the legislature and pushing issues to the ballot.
Cate said it should be used in extreme circumstances where Republicans are standing up for the majority of Oregonians. But she said walkouts aren’t the “magic wand” some Republicans want them to be.
De Graff said she’d choose whether to walk out without considering whether it would bar her from running for reelection.
Under Oregon law, a state legislator can’t run for reelection if they accumulate 10 or more unexcused absences in a legislative session.
