Oregon Legislature · November 3, 2026

Portland City Council, House · District 26

3
Candidates: 1
Seats: Vote for one
Method: Nov 3
Due 8 p.m.

Sherwood, Wilsonville, King City and Bull Mountain, with the rural Washington and Yamhill County land between them and Newberg.Sherwood, Wilsonville, King City and Bull Mountain, with the rural Washington and Yamhill County land between them and Newberg.Not yours? Senate · District 13

Our readingDraft

One candidate leads with public services and rights protections, another with business conditions and performance budgeting, and a third with a dignity-centered critique of shareholder-first capitalism that carries less policy detail.

3 candidates, A–Z. Tap any position to read the sentence, how they would deliver it, and the source.

8 more choices, below8 more choices

Where each candidate stands on four issues, in our short reading of their statements. Each position is a button; activate it to read the sentence, how they would deliver it, and the source. Candidates appear alphabetically.
Candidate	2 of 3 documented	1 of 3 documented	3 of 3 documented	3 of 3 documented
Steph TerrioCandidate for House District 26	Homes	Safety	Money	Roads
Stephanie CarkinBusiness co-owner	Homes	Safety	Money	Roads
Sue R Rieke SmithIncumbent representative; former superintendent	Homes	Safety	Money	Roads

What this office decides right now

What’s at stake

House District 26 covers Sherwood, Wilsonville, King City and Bull Mountain, with rural Washington and Yamhill County land toward Newberg. A state representative is one of 60 votes on the two-year budget, on any tax increase (three-fifths) and on holding back a kicker (two-thirds). The 2027 session opens in January with a budget gap, no durable road-funding source and shelter money that runs out in June 2027.

Each of this office’s 8 live choices is a board below, with every candidate’s stated position or the gap.

2027–29 budget gap
Federal H.R. 1 is projected to open a gap between the cost of current programs and revenue, so the Chief Financial Office told agencies on February 10, 2026 that 2027–29 requests must be revenue-neutral. September’s forecast shows a $400 million 2025–27 ending balance, $3.46 billion in reserves (9.7% of the general fund) and no kicker due on 2028 returns.
Road funding
Voters repealed HB 3991’s gas-tax and fee increases in May 2026, and the 2026 session redirected existing money to close ODOT’s $297 million gap through June 2027. ODOT now projects a $200 million gap for 2027–29 and nearly 200 maintenance-job cuts; the governor’s workgroup owes recommendations for a 2027 package by year’s end.
Boone Bridge money
To avoid layoffs in February 2026, ODOT proposed redirecting $30 million designated for the Rose Quarter, Abernethy Bridge and I-5 Boone Bridge projects toward maintenance, along with $194 million for bridge and seismic work and $15 million for Safe Routes to School.
West Linn-Wilsonville schools
The West Linn-Wilsonville board voted December 18, 2025 to close Bolton and Stafford primary schools to help fill a $10 million gap as enrollment falls, two weeks after voters passed a $190 million bond. State school money follows enrollment per pupil, and the 2027–29 State School Fund sets the base.
Shelter money cliff
The statewide shelter program has $204.9 million for 2025–27, $102.5 million of it one-time money that ends June 30, 2027, and the homelessness emergency runs through January 10, 2027. The state counts 6,286 shelter beds added or kept, 5,539 people rehoused and 25,942 households kept housed since January 2023.
Data centers
About 144 data centers get roughly $450 million a year in property-tax breaks, a figure the Legislative Revenue Office called “pretty close” on September 8, 2026. Data-center deals on state land are paused through July 1, 2027, and the governor’s advisory committee owes recommendations for a 2027 bill by the end of 2026.
Deflection funding
HB 4002’s county deflection programs, run by 28 counties and six tribes in the first cycle, have $40 million for 2025–27; through August 4, 2025 the state logged 2,096 deflection events, 1,308 program entries and 277 completions. The 2027–29 budget decides whether the grants continue.

Where they stand · eight more choices

Eight choices the 2027 Legislature faces

One question at a time: every candidate’s answer, A–Z, with its source. Open all to see who has said nothing about what.

2027 road packageVote for a 2027 transportation package that raises the gas tax and vehicle fees again?2 of 3 on recordNot found: Steph Terrio

HB 3991, passed in a September 2025 special session, raised the gas tax and vehicle fees; voters repealed those increases as Measure 120 on May 19, 2026, 83% to 17%. The 2026 session redirected existing funds to close ODOT's $297 million gap through June 2027, and ODOT says it faces a $200 million gap and nearly 200 maintenance-job cuts in 2027–29.

Steph TerrioCandidate for House District 26
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Stephanie CarkinBusiness co-owner
Families paying enough
Said: What they said
Her statement welcomes the defeat of the transportation tax referendum, which she notes her opponent voted for, because families are already paying enough; she would spend existing dollars on essential infrastructure.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Sue R Rieke SmithIncumbent representative; former superintendent
Voted for HB 3991
What they did
Voted yes on HB 3991 in the House on September 1, 2025 and filed a vote explanation; voters later repealed the package’s gas-tax and fee increases.
A recorded action; our summary of the official record.

Kicker refundLet the state keep part of a future kicker refund for wildfire or other one-time needs?0 of 3 on recordNot found: Steph Terrio, Stephanie Carkin, Sue R Rieke Smith

The 2026 kicker returned about $1.4 billion; holding any of it back takes a two-thirds vote of each chamber. The September 2026 forecast puts 2025–27 personal income taxes $526 million under the kicker threshold, so no refund is due on 2028 returns; a 2026 bill to change how the kicker is calculated (HB 4125) had a hearing February 2 and died in committee.

Steph TerrioCandidate for House District 26
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Stephanie CarkinBusiness co-owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Sue R Rieke SmithIncumbent representative; former superintendent
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Budget gap: taxes?Close the 2027–29 budget gap with new revenue, or with cuts alone?3 of 3 on record

The state's Chief Financial Office told agencies on February 10, 2026 that federal H.R. 1 opens a gap between current programs and revenue, and that 2027–29 requests must be revenue-neutral. In February 2026 the Legislature passed SB 1507, disconnecting from H.R. 1 business tax breaks to raise about $314 million for 2027–29 while enlarging the Earned Income Tax Credit; reserves stand at $3.46 billion.

Steph TerrioCandidate for House District 26
Corporate tax increase
Said: What they said
Backs a 1.5% corporate tax increase and drug-price negotiation to fund coverage for uninsured and lower-income people; she frames it as Medicare reform and does not address the state’s 2027–29 gap.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Stephanie CarkinBusiness co-owner
Audit before taxing
Said: What they said
Before asking taxpayers for more, government should show it uses existing money well: audits of underperforming programs, performance-based budgeting and a bigger tax base from a business-friendly Oregon.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
Sue R Rieke SmithIncumbent representative; former superintendent
Voted to disconnect
What they did
Voted yes on SB 1507 on February 25, 2026; her statement describes it as standing up to Trump’s tax loopholes for the ultra wealthy and cutting taxes for over 200,000 working families.
A recorded action; our summary of the official record.

Data-center limitsMake data centers pay their own way: separate power rates, an end to tax breaks, or a pause on new ones?2 of 3 on recordNot found: Stephanie Carkin

Oregon has about 144 data centers and roughly $450 million a year in property-tax breaks, a figure the Legislative Revenue Office called “pretty close” on September 8, 2026. The 2025 POWER Act (HB 3546) put them in their own electricity rate class; the governor paused data-center deals on state land through July 1, 2027 and will bring the 2027 session a statewide framework.

Steph TerrioCandidate for House District 26
Regulate AI now
Said: What they said
Wants AI regulated immediately, citing data centers’ fresh-water use and unchecked surveillance; she does not address tax breaks, rates or a pause.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Stephanie CarkinBusiness co-owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Sue R Rieke SmithIncumbent representative; former superintendent
Regulate data centers
Said: What they said
Opposes the unchecked growth of AI data centers that use up water and raise utility costs; she was not yet in the House for the POWER Act votes.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.

Shelter fundingKeep paying for state-funded shelter beds and the homelessness emergency after June 2027?1 of 3 on recordNot found: Steph Terrio, Stephanie Carkin

The statewide shelter program created by HB 3644 (2025) has $204.9 million for 2025–27, half of it one-time money that expires June 30, 2027; Executive Order 26-01 extends the homelessness emergency through January 10, 2027. The state counts 6,286 shelter beds added or kept and 5,539 people rehoused from January 2023 through September 2025.

Steph TerrioCandidate for House District 26
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Stephanie CarkinBusiness co-owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Sue R Rieke SmithIncumbent representative; former superintendent
Voted for shelter bill
What they did
Voted yes on HB 3644 on June 23, 2025, two weeks after taking office; her plan would partner with cities and nonprofits on root causes like mental illness and addiction.
A recorded action; our summary of the official record.

Drugs: deflectionKeep the 2024 approach of recriminalized possession plus county deflection programs, and fund them in 2027–29?1 of 3 on recordNot found: Steph Terrio, Stephanie Carkin

HB 4002 (2024) made drug possession a misdemeanor again on September 1, 2024 and created county deflection programs, run by 28 counties and six tribes in the first cycle and funded with $40 million for 2025–27. Through August 4, 2025 the state logged 2,096 deflection events: 1,308 people entered a program, 277 completed one and 630 did not.

Steph TerrioCandidate for House District 26
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Stephanie CarkinBusiness co-owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Sue R Rieke SmithIncumbent representative; former superintendent
Integrate treatment
Said: What they said
Would fully integrate mental-health and addiction treatment into the healthcare system; she was not in office for HB 4002 and does not address deflection funding.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

Wildfire moneySpend more state money on wildfire prevention and firefighting?1 of 3 on recordNot found: Steph Terrio, Stephanie Carkin

Fires burned a record 2.5 million acres in Oregon in summer 2026. HB 3940 (2025) taxes oral nicotine and moves 20% of Rainy Day Fund interest into two wildfire funds, which the Legislative Revenue Office put at about $43 million for 2025–27 and $63 million for 2027–29, and raises the timber harvest tax; SB 83 (2025) repealed the statewide wildfire hazard map.

Steph TerrioCandidate for House District 26
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Stephanie CarkinBusiness co-owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Sue R Rieke SmithIncumbent representative; former superintendent
Voted for HB 3940
What they did
Voted yes on HB 3940 on June 23, 2025, the bill that taxes oral nicotine, raises the timber harvest tax and moves Rainy Day Fund interest to wildfire funds.
A recorded action; our summary of the official record.

Sanctuary lawKeep adding state limits on federal immigration enforcement, on top of Oregon's sanctuary law?1 of 3 on recordNot found: Steph Terrio, Stephanie Carkin

Oregon's 1987 sanctuary law and the 2021 Sanctuary Promise Act bar public resources for immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. The 2026 session passed eight more bills, signed April 9, 2026, including HB 4138, which requires officers to identify themselves and limits masks (House 36–19, Senate 18–10), and SB 1570, which requires hospitals to set policies for law-enforcement visits.

Steph TerrioCandidate for House District 26
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Stephanie CarkinBusiness co-owner
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Sue R Rieke SmithIncumbent representative; former superintendent
Voted for HB 4138
What they did
Voted yes on HB 4138 on February 24 and March 6, 2026, the bill requiring officers to identify themselves and limiting masks.
A recorded action; our summary of the official record.

About this race

How to vote

You vote for one candidate. How it works

Ballots mail Oct 14 · return by 8 p.m. Nov 3

What this office can do

The Legislature adopts state laws, taxes and budgets, including school funding, healthcare, housing rules and transportation. Most legislation needs both chambers and the governor, or a veto override. An individual legislator cannot order a local agency to act.

How this list was made

Same questions for everyone, A–Z. Each chip is our short reading of a sourced statement; we do not endorse, rank or score.

Reviewed September 18, 2026 · lines 2026-09-19.1 · AI-assisted, human review pending

Terms explained

Amendment: A proposed change to a measure before the final vote. Voting for an amendment is not the same as voting for the whole measure.
Supplemental budget: A mid-year change to the city budget after the main budget is adopted.
Appropriation: Permission to spend money on something. It does not mean the money has been spent or the result achieved.
PCEF: The Portland Clean Energy Fund: a tax on large retailers that pays for climate projects. Council has debated using its interest for other services.
Term sheet: Starting terms for a negotiation. Approving one is not a final contract.
Social housing: Housing owned by the public or a nonprofit and rented at controlled prices.
CEI Hub: The fuel-storage area along the Willamette in Northwest Portland, where Zenith Energy operates.
Ranked choice: You rank candidates in order. If your first choice is eliminated or already elected, your vote counts toward your next choice.