Candidate · November 3, 2026

Jeff Merkley

On the ballot for U.S. Senate · Oregon

Democrat, Working FamiliesIncumbent
raised through Oct 14, 2026
$5.4M
cash on hand
$6.6M
issues with public statements
13

§1On the ballot

Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.

OfficeU.S. Senate · Oregon1,2,3
Party on the ballotDemocrat, Working Families1,2,3
StatusIncumbent — Currently serves as a U.S. senator from Oregon.4
Also on the ballot

§2Who they are

Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Jeff Merkley was born in Myrtle Creek, Oregon, grew up in Roseburg and East Multnomah County, and was the first in his family to graduate from college.5,6 His voters' pamphlet statement lists a bachelor's degree in international affairs and a master's degree in public policy, and past work as a national security analyst and with Habitat for Humanity, where his official biography says he was executive director of Portland Area Habitat.7,8 He was elected to the Oregon House in 1998 and became its speaker in 2007, and was elected to the U.S. Senate the following year.8 His official biography lists his Senate committees as Appropriations, Environment and Public Works, Budget, Rules, and Foreign Relations.8

Why they say they're running

His voters' pamphlet statement says he is running to fight back against what it calls a strong-man state under President Trump and the outsized influence of the very wealthy, toward a vision in which families thrive and the rich pay their fair share.7

Service in Congress since 2023

  • 2021–nowU.S. Senator, OR4

Websites and accounts

§3What they've said on the issues

Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.

Elections and Government Reform

Campaign finance rules

His campaign website calls for overturning Citizens United and shutting down dark money in elections.7,10

  1. Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
  2. Keep spending unlimited but require groups to name their major donors
  3. Keep current rules
  4. Raise or remove limits on donations to candidates and parties
Marked: the option their statement matches.
Drawing district lines (redistricting)

His campaign website calls for ending gerrymandering.7,10

Voting by mail

His campaign website supports required early voting periods, vote-by-mail and same-day registration, and his voters' pamphlet statement calls for expanding vote-by-mail and requiring paper ballots.7,10

Stock trading by members of Congress

His voters' pamphlet statement calls for ending stock trading as part of ending political corruption.7

Courts, Rights and Civil Liberties

Voting Rights Act protections

His campaign website calls for reinstating and strengthening the Voting Rights Act to stop voter suppression and intimidation.10

  1. Restore and widen protections by law, such as federal approval of voting changes in places with a history of discrimination (for example, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act)
  2. Keep current law, as the Supreme Court read it in 2026, without the federal approval requirement
  3. Stop applying the law to how district maps are drawn
Marked: the option their statement matches.
Ethics rules for Supreme Court justices

His voters' pamphlet statement says the Supreme Court needs reform and a binding code of ethics.7

  1. Pass a law setting a binding ethics code, with outside review of complaints and recusal decisions
  2. Keep ethics rules in the court's hands, but have it add its own way to enforce them
  3. Keep the court's current code
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Health Care

Health insurance system

His campaign website says every American should have the opportunity to take part in Medicare for All.10

Drug prices compared with other countries

His campaign website calls for banning drug companies from charging more for a drug in the United States than they charge in Canada, Europe and Japan.10

  1. Leave US prices to the market and to negotiation
  2. Seek prices like other wealthy countries pay through deals with drug makers, without a law requiring it
  3. Require that Medicare and Medicaid pay no more than other wealthy countries do
  4. Require that all US buyers pay no more than other wealthy countries do
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Immigration

Immigration enforcement inside the country

His voters' pamphlet statement calls for ending ICE operations at schools and warrantless home raids, and for full accountability for civil rights violations.7

Housing

Large investors buying single-family homes

His voters' pamphlet statement calls for banning hedge funds from buying single-family homes.7

Education

Tuition-free college

His campaign website says every young person who wants to should have the chance to go to college debt-free, and his voters' pamphlet statement calls for debt-free paths to trade school and college.7,10

Family and Social Policy

Child care costs

His campaign website says housing and child care should be affordable for every family, and his voters' pamphlet statement calls for creating affordable day care.7,10

Technology, Privacy and AI

High-speed internet access

His campaign website calls for putting high-speed broadband in every rural community in America.10

§4Popular bills that never got a vote

Why this matters: Many bills with wide support from both parties never reach a vote, so no member of Congress is ever on record for or against them. Signing on as a sponsor or cosponsor is the only public record of support.

While Jeff Merkley served, these bills had broad support from both parties but never reached a floor vote. No officeholder ever had to vote on them. Jeff Merkley sponsored or cosponsored 32 of the 50. How bills die without a vote.

See all 50

§5Money

Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.

Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.61

Raised$5,376,935
Spent$3,022,684
Cash on hand$6,621,250

Where the money came from

Individual donors$4.1M · 77%
PACs and other political committees$578K · 11%
Transfers from the candidate's other committees$239K · 4%
Other receipts (other loans, refunds, interest)$433K · 8%

§6Financial disclosures

Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.

Senate candidates and senators file with the Senate's own disclosure system, which asks each visitor to agree to its terms before searching, so we can't link straight to a filing. You can search for Jeff Merkley at efdsearch.senate.gov62.