Twelve candidates running for seven Salem-area legislative seats will face voters at a forum hosted by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Sept. 3.
The event, billed as a Business Advocacy Meeting, covers two Oregon Senate districts and five House districts that represent Salem, Keizer, Woodburn and surrounding communities. It lands about nine weeks before the Nov. 3 general election.
Candidates listed on the Chamber's announcement include:
- Senate District 10: Sen. Deb Patterson (D) and Angela Plowhead (R)
- Senate District 11: Tracy Cramer (R)
- House District 17: Dan Farrington (R) and David Nelson (D)
- House District 19: Rep. Tom Andersen (D) and Anna Munson (R)
- House District 20: Rep. Paul Evans (D) and Andrew Fudge (R)
- House District 21: Rep. Kevin Mannix (R)
- House District 22: Noemi Legaspi (R)
Three races list only one participant. The Chamber announcement does not indicate whether opponents declined to attend or whether those seats are uncontested.
The forum gives residents an early look at candidates' platforms before ballots arrive. Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read has directed county clerks to mail ballots to military and overseas voters by Sept. 19 and to all other registered voters beginning Oct. 14, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle.
Chamber CEO Tom Hoffert has positioned the organization as a venue for policy dialogue.
At an Aug. 6 meeting on a separate topic, Hoffert described the Chamber as "the premier convener of leaders and influencers" in the Salem business community and said the organization encourages city leadership to evaluate economic development opportunities based on facts and community impact.
Several candidates on the Sept. 3 slate bring deep local ties. Patterson, the SD 10 incumbent, has served in the state Senate. Cramer, a former state representative from Woodburn, lost her November 2024 race by 161 votes.
Legaspi, the HD 22 candidate, owns Anabel's House Children and Family Services, a bilingual counseling practice in Woodburn, and has served nearly seven years on the Woodburn School Board. Mannix, the HD 21 incumbent, is based in Keizer.
The Chamber has not published a venue address or start time. RSVPs are available through the Chamber's event registration page ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
