Former Gervais lawmaker announces campaign for Oregon Senate

A former Republican state representative who narrowly lost the closest state House race in 2024 plans to run for the Oregon Senate. 

Tracy Cramer announced Monday that she’s running for the 11th Senate District, which includes northeast Salem, Keizer, Woodburn and other rural parts of Marion County.

The life-long Gervais resident worked as a dental assistant before being elected in 2022 to serve in the Oregon House of Representatives for two years. She lost the November 2024 general election to Rep. Lesly Muñoz, D-Woodburn, by just 161 votes. 

“A full quarter of our families rely on government assistance to put food on the table and far more than average can’t afford medical insurance,” Cramer said. “Yet Portland politicians drive through my district every day only to pass more taxes on the very people who live and work here: from farmworkers to small shop owners, service workers to public employees.”

She’s running to replace Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, who is barred from running for reelection because of a voter-approved constitutional amendment that blocks lawmakers with 10 or more unexcused absences from seeking another term. Thatcher, one of 10 Republican senators who walked out for six weeks in 2023 to protest Democratic bills on abortion, transgender health care and guns, endorsed Cramer. 

“From when I first met her, I have never doubted Tracy’s unwavering commitment to her constituents and core principles while still finding ways to work effectively with colleagues across the aisle,” Thatcher said. “Her deep roots in our community, combined with her legislative experience and dedication to public service, make her uniquely qualified to be our next state senator.”

The 11th Senate District is one of only a handful of truly competitive districts in the state. Nonaffiliated voters make up 44% of the district, followed by Democrats at 27% and Republicans at 22%. Thatcher defeated former Keizer City Councilor Rich Walsh by 6 percentage points in 2022, and political analysts expect the 2026 midterm environment to favor Democrats because President Donald Trump is unpopular with Oregon voters. 

Cramer switched her state campaign finance filing to reflect a potential run for Senate in July. She has just over $1,000 in her campaign bank account now, though she took in more than $1.1 million and spent more than $1.2 million in her 2024 campaign. 

Candidates can’t officially file to run for office until September, but several legislative candidates have already declared their campaigns or started raising money. Along with Cramer, state Reps. Jami Cate, R-Lebanon, and Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River, have announced Senate campaigns.