Springfield’s long-serving State House Rep., John Lively, a Democrat, is retiring after 14 years. This November, voters in the 7th District will choose his successor.
The race pits the next Democratic nominee, Kori Rodley, against the Republican and Libertarian choice, Adam Wilson.
Lively beat his previous Republican opponent in the district in 2024 by nearly 12 points. But both candidates in this contest describe Springfield as purple.
Kori Rodley
Rodley currently represents Ward 3 on the Springfield City Council. She’s on the ballot for HD 7 after winning a three-way Democratic primary this May.
“A big part of my work for the City of Springfield is just trying to advocate for getting the resources poured back into the community,” Rodley said. “I know that it feels like it's all going to Portland or to somebody's favorite project.”
Rodley describes herself as a progressive who will push for universal healthcare and co-locating childcare programs in public schools.
At the same time, she said her years with the city have taught her about the challenges of cumbersome state regulations.
Rodley said a constant succession of new, state building requirements have made it harder for Springfield to finish important projects.
“New things come down and say, ‘well, now you have to rezone,’” Rodley said. “That takes staff time away from other things that people want to work on, and it also sometimes doesn't fit the city.”
Rodley said she isn’t a fan of supersiting laws, which allow some projects to avoid local zoning requirements, because they take control away from a city’s process and its stakeholders.
A state law that allows supersiting for some healthcare facilities is now at the center of an ongoing annexation discussion in Springfield, which Rodley said she couldn’t comment on.
Rodley said she also supports a pause or moratorium on data centers. And she favors clarifying the language in HB 3115, a law which limits local government’s ability to govern where homeless people sleep, so cities can better understand what their tools are.
She has endorsements from Lively, both of Oregon’s U.S. Senators, and several major unions and trade organizations.
She’s raised more than $283,000 since she first announced her primary campaign. Her biggest contributors include political action committees for Democrats in legislative races, the Oregon Education Association, and the Oregon Health Care Association.
Adam Wilson
Adam Wilson is a Wealth Advisor with LPL Financial, and he ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Wilson said he sees himself as a contrast to career politicians whose only skills are navigating the political system.
“What we see now, it's a great opportunity to break the cycle of supermajority in Salem with Springfield flipping red,” said Wilson. “And it gives the minority party a seat at the table and some negotiating power.”
Wilson promised to only stay in office for a maximum of two terms if he wins, and said he won’t compromise on his principles, even if his seat is threatened.
“I don't want this job,” said Wilson. “I'm looking forward to getting elected, doing what I can, and then stepping down.”
Wilson said he wants to help Oregonians become first time homebuyers by waiving capital gains taxes on homes sold to some local residents.
And, he said he’ll pursue legislation to stop out-of-state corporations from buying up Springfield houses.
“Okay, a company has over a billion dollars in assets,” said Wilson. “There's no reason for them to be owning single-family homes in our state.”
Wilson said he supports local control for data centers and making sure developers provide their own power and prepaid tax revenue. But he said Oregon shouldn’t be afraid of these projects.
Instead, he said the state needs leaders who can outsmart the investors behind the data center boom. He said that means ensuring that local communities can retrofit these facilities for other purposes, like recreation centers, if the data center industry collapses.
Wilson also supports repealing HB 3115, the camping law, saying cities should have the choice on how they police themselves.
His endorsements include current Republican State Rep. Darin Harbick, former Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken, and the Oregon School Board Association.
He’s raised more than $88,000 so far, with a $25,000 donation from the Evergreen PAC, which supports Republicans in state legislative races.
