CANDIDATE PROFILES
Thanks to all who voted and all who ran!
Follow along with us as we track election results on the Oregon Secretary of State website.
> View Multnomah County ballot results for the May 2026 primary here.
This page covers the May 19 Democratic primary races in Multnomah County. We only list candidates who are registered Democrats or running on the Democratic ticket. Judicial and other nonpartisan races are included because they appear on every Multnomah County ballot. We verified party affiliation for all candidates presented here.
If no photo or statement appears by a candidate's name, it means they have not submitted a profile to us yet.
Frequently Asked Question
Q: Why aren't the City Council and Multnomah County Commission races on this list?
A: They'll be on the November ballot! This is new for us in Multnomah County. Those races will be decided by Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in November!
For Candidates:
Are you a candidate on the May 2026 primary ballot? Our initial submission deadline has passed, but we will publish late submissions as volunteer time permits.
Use this menu to jump to the sections below:
Jump to: Federal · State · Legislature · Metro · Courts
Hear from May Primary Judicial Candidates
The Multnomah County Democrats hosted a judicial candidates forum on Tuesday, May 12. The recent Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act makes one thing crystal clear: who sits on the bench matters enormously. These races matter. Hear from the candidates yourself on the YouTube Livestream.
May 2026 Democratic Primary Winners
If the candidate submitted a profile it will be linked from their name in this list
Federal
US Senate
US Senator: Jeff Merkley (Incumbent)
Labor Commissioner (BOLI)
Legislative Elections (by district)
State Senate
SD 16: Rachel Armitage (Incumbent)
SD 17: Lisa Reynolds (Incumbent)
SD 24: Kayse M. Jama (Incumbent)
SD 26: Nicole Bassett
State House
HD 16: Sarah Finger McDonald (Incumbent)
HD 28: Dacia Grayber (Incumbent)
HD 31: Tom L. Forest
HD 33: Shannon Jones Isadore (Incumbent)
HD 34: Mari R. Watanabe (Incumbent)
HD 38: Daniel Loc Nguyen (Incumbent)
HD 41: Mark Gamba (Incumbent)
HD 42: Rob Nosse (Incumbent)
HD 43: Tawna Sanchez (Incumbent)
HD 44: Travis Nelson (Incumbent)
HD 45: Thuy Tran (Incumbent)
HD 46: Willy Chotzen (Incumbent)
HD 47: Andrea Valderrama (Incumbent)
HD 48: Lamar Wise (Incumbent)
HD 49: Zach Hudson (Incumbent)
HD 50: Ricki Ruiz (Incumbent)
HD 51: Darla Meade
HD 52: Hank Sanders
Local and Regional Representation
Metro Council
(These are non-partisan races, we highlight only the Democrats)
Metro Council President: Juan Carlos Gonzalez
Metro Auditor: Brian C. Evans
Metro Council - District 1: Ashton Simpson
Metro Council - District 2: Christine Lewis
Judicial Races
Multnomah County Circuit Court
The 4th District Circuit Court falls in Multnomah County. As is often the case, most judges run unopposed. The May 2026 Primary Election holds a few surprises for voters, however. Positions 2, 5, 12 and 14 are competitive races. Any candidate who wins more than 50% of the vote will win outright. These are non-partisan races, however more than ever, political and world views matter. We help you cut through the mystery of the judges running for office by identifying those who are registered as Democrats and publishing candidate profiles from those who submit them.
Circuit Court - Position 2: Two candidates going to a runoff election in November, Diane S. Sykes and Laura Maurer Rowan
Circuit Court - Position 5: Jo Perini-Abbott
Circuit Court - Position 11: Angela Franco Lucero
Circuit Court - Position 12: Peter Klym
Circuit Court - Position 13: Morgan W Long
Circuit Court - Position 14: Two candidates going to a runoff election in November, Elizabeth Savage and Joseph Hagedorn
Oregon Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals - Position 9: Jacqueline Kamins (Incumbent)
Court of Appeals - Position 12: Erin C. Lagesen (Incumbent)
Court of Appeals - Position 13: Douglas L. Tookey (Incumbent)
Oregon Supreme Court
Supreme Court - Position 4: Chris Garrett (Incumbent)