Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley is running for reelection in 2026, his team announced Thursday. Read online: <a href="

That agency head, Ben Edtl, is a Tualatin-based political consultant who is also the chief petitioner for a 2026 ballot initiative that would end Oregon’s pioneering vote-by-mail system. Edtl, 47, is a rising player in the MAGA wing of the Oregon Republican Party.

Oregon, announced Thursday that he will seek re-election to a fourth term in 2026, "pledging to continue to fight for working families and stand firm against growing threats to democracy, freedom, and economic justice,

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) confirmed he will run for a fourth term in office next year despite some speculation that he may retire. The progressive senator who has served since 2009

The challenge comes as more Oregonians than ever are excluded from primary contests that decide many general elections.

After technical and clerical errors in Oregon’s automatic voter registration system led to a number of people being registered to vote — despite not showing proof of U.S. citizenship

Merkley, 68, announced his decision in a video Thursday morning. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008 and is currently serving his third term.

Oregon’s program that automatically registers eligible citizens to vote is generally safe and effective, but remains susceptible to potential errors or faulty data handling, according to an external audit released this week.

In 2017, he spoke for more than 15 hours in opposition to Trump’s Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch — a nomination he deemed “theft” after Republicans blocked President Barack Obama’s attempt to fill the vacancy the year before. The speech is among the longest in Senate history.

From the late 1960s until the mid-1990s, two Republicans, Mark Hatfield (1967-1997) and Bob Packwood (1969-1995), represented Oregon in the Senate. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) replaced Packwood in 1996 and Merkley defeated Smith 12 years later.

The challenge comes as more Oregonians than ever are excluded from primary contests that decide many general elections.