Politics of Oregon

Like many other U.S. states, the politics of Oregon largely concerns regional issues.^[1] Oregon leans Democratic as a state, with both U.S. senators from the Democratic party,^[2] as well as four out of Oregon's six U.S. Representatives.^[3] The Democratic candidate for president has won in Oregon in every election since 1988.^[4] Both houses of Oregon's legislative assembly have been under Democratic control since the 2012 elections.^[5]

For most of its existence, Oregon was the most consistently Republican west coast state.^[6] Between 1860 and 1984, the state voted Democratic just six times, in 1868, 1912, 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1964.

In 1954, the upset of incumbent Republican Senator Guy Cordon by Democrat Richard L. Neuberger, along with Democratic wins in the U.S. House and statewide races and pickups of fourteen and two seats in the state House and Senate, respectively, signaled the beginning of a shift towards the Democratic Party.^[6] The last Republican governor of Oregon was Victor G. Atiyeh, who served from 1979 to 1987.^[7][8] Since 1988, Oregon voters have consistently favored Democratic candidates for most major elected positions, including the U.S. presidency.