The Oregon State Senate seat that represents eastern Lane County and most of Linn County is on the ballot this November.
But District 6’s current senator, Republican Cedric Hayden, can’t run again after participating in a lengthy legislative walkout three years ago.
Now, three candidates are competing to replace him: Republican Jack Tibbetts, Democrat Sierrah Williams, and Libertarian Caleb Ticer.
The seat has been reliably red in recent cycles, with Hayden beating his previous opponent by more than 30 points in 2022.
This year’s candidates share a common theme: they have all called for more transparency about where state dollars are being spent.
Jack Tibbetts (R)
Tibbetts secured the Republican nomination this May by defeating current State Rep. Jami Cate, who was seeking a promotion from her seat in the Oregon House.
A farmer and rancher from Cottage Grove, Tibbetts owns Saginaw Vineyard and serves on the Lane County Planning Commission.
Before that, he was a city councilor in Santa Rosa, California, and the director of that county’s St. Vincent de Paul.
If he’s elected senator, Tibbetts said he’ll work to make Oregon more business and development friendly.
“You cannot deny that it seems like every week some news outlet is reporting on some company or business that's leaving the area,” he said.
Tibbetts said he wants to create a pro-business index which rewards cities that have fast permitting processes.
And he also wants to expand timber harvesting on state lands to bring more funding to schools.
“I like to say that Nebraska grows corn, Oregon grows Doug fir," said Tibbetts.
Tibbetts said he hopes to attract bipartisan support in reforming HB 3115, a 2021 state law which limits cities’ ability to restrict where homeless people can sleep.
He said small cities, as well as municipalities that are actively providing homeless services, should be exempt.
On data centers, Tibbetts said he supports local control. But he said he’s unlikely to vote to extend a moratorium past next July, because that should be enough time for the legislature to thoroughly understand the issue.
His campaign has raised more than $131,000 so far, and about $53,000 since winning the Republican nomination in May.
His biggest contribution is $14,000 from the Barbara R. Banke Revocable Trust, which is based in California. Banke is the chairman of Jackson Family Wines in Santa Rosa, which owns several wineries in Oregon.
Tibbetts has also received $10,000 from the Oregon Firearms Education Foundation.
Sierrah Williams (D)
Williams is a dietician from Sweet Home who works with the Women, Infants and Children program.
She said she was inspired to dive more into politics after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of federal agents, and decided to run for office after learning there was no other Democratic candidate in the district.
“I felt it was important that we have an actual race where people have to make an actual decision,” Williams said, “so we don't feel like there's a free ticket, or that we don't have to listen.”
Williams said when urban Democrats and rural Republicans don’t communicate, rural Oregonians are left behind. She said if she’s elected, she would provide a distinct and independent voice.
Williams said she supports a universal healthcare plan, and she would fight to ensure that rural residents have access to adequate medical care.
She said she's worried about the performance of Oregon students, and the state should look into the strategies used by other states that are able to achieve better student outcomes with less money.
And she said she’s been frustrated by Oregon’s management of transportation funds, because the proposed tax increase that was soundly rejected by voters in May would have been hardest on rural residents who commute long distances.
“We need to make sure that we are auditing or reviewing our programs before they run out of money, and more frequently,“ Williams said.
Williams said she supports housing-first approaches to homelessness. She said moving unhoused people around doesn’t make them go away.
She said she’s opposed to data centers, supports local control, and would consider an extended moratorium.
She’s raised more than $6,500 so far, with mostly small donations and $2,500 from a PAC run by the Senate Majority Leader.
She’s been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Oregon, SEIU Oregon, and the Oregon School Employees Association.
Caleb Ticer (L)
Ticer is a retail manager from Dexter. He said he’s seeking his office as his community is being left behind and struggling with a lack of rural jobs.
“I don't want somebody in there who's been doing this forever and knows how to play the game,” Ticer said. “I want somebody who's going to go in there, be loud, cause problems, and then let me know why that was a problem, which is what I love to do.”
Ticer said he wants the state to do more to recruit homeless residents for jobs. And he’s called for a new program that will give returning veterans work in crisis management.
Asked about data centers, he said he believes the Democrats and Republicans will end up passing policies that benefit developers regardless of who wins this election.
He said he’s frustrated by the incentives the state has provided for these facilities, as he’s concerned about their environmental impact. He thinks there are other development opportunities that would do far more for the local economy.
“The data centers that already exist don't employ many people,” Ticer said. “But you look at domestic food manufacturing, which would lower our grocery prices–it would also put more money in the pockets of more Oregonians.”
Ticer said he’s new to the Libertarian Party after originally considering a run as a non-affiliated candidate.
He said he has sought no endorsements and accepted no donations, aside from the Libertarian Party providing money for an entry in the voters' pamphlet. He said that will mean he can remain authentic.
