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Rachel Armitage

Senate · District 16 candidate · Oregon Legislature · November 3, 2026

Rachel Armitage

Former appointed state senator.

Campaign website (opens in a new tab)
Photo: Campaign photo · senatedistrict16.com ↗

Reach the campaign

As published in their campaign site.

In their words

Said: Rachel grew up helping her single mom raise her three siblings. She understands the struggles rural working families like ours face, and she’s tired of Salem politicians who talk a big game but don’t deliver.

Voters’ pamphlet

Candidate statement · Filed for the November 2026 state voters’ pamphlet; extracted September 21, 2026

Oregon Secretary of State · filed candidate statement · PDF page 74 ↗

First two sentences of the filed statement (the first is under 12 words); the heading “RACHEL GETS RESULTS” is skipped.

The verbatim opening of their voters’ pamphlet statement, the same rule for every candidate. We chose nothing.

What they say they would do

Our summary of their platform, in our words

In an April interview, described household prosperity, lower fees and taxes, economic development and expanded housing access as priorities.

  • Reduce costs borne by constituents.
  • Support North Coast economic development and housing access.

Our reading

Our interpretation, not their words
  • Lower fees
  • Rules review

Her April interview promises lower costs through reviewing old rules and programs, more housing through faster permitting, and roads funded by the gas taxes rural drivers already pay; it is a direction, not a costed plan.

Tillamook Headlight Herald · Armitage interview ↗Armitage · campaign site ↗Oregon Secretary of State · filed candidate statement · PDF page 74 ↗

Where they stand

Housing and homelessness

Permits and water lines
What
Said: More housing to support north-coast growth: review permitting to cut wait times for builders, fund water and wastewater upgrades, and prepare for the expected land-use debate.
How
Said: Evaluate permitting processes for efficiency and shorter waits for developers; fight for funding for water and wastewater infrastructure across the district.
Measured by
Not in their sources

Crime, drugs and who responds

Not foundNot found in the sources we reviewed. That is a research gap, not a position.

Taxes, the kicker and the budget

Review rules, hold fees
What
Said: Cut costs for taxpayers: generally opposes the gas-tax and DMV-fee increases, and wants a legislative system to review whether passed bills and pandemic-era programs still work.
How
Said: Build a legislative system to review the outcomes of passed bills, focused first on programs started during the pandemic, and streamline rules that no longer make sense.
Measured by
Not in their sources

Roads, transit and climate

ODOT scrutiny, rural roads
What
Said: More oversight and spending transparency at ODOT, with rural gas-tax dollars maintaining the roads rural commuters drive, since they lack the metro area’s alternatives to cars.
How
Said: Increase oversight and accountability at ODOT and advocate for systems that make its spending more transparent.
Measured by
Not in their sources

The choices this office faces

Every candidate in this race is asked the same 8 questions. Rachel Armitage is on record on 2, with 6 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

No answer we could find

  • Let the state keep part of a future kicker refund for wildfire or other one-time needs?

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

  • Make data centers pay their own way: separate power rates, an end to tax breaks, or a pause on new ones?

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

  • Keep paying for state-funded shelter beds and the homelessness emergency after June 2027?

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

  • Keep the 2024 approach of recriminalized possession plus county deflection programs, and fund them in 2027–29?

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

  • Spend more state money on wildfire prevention and firefighting?

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

  • Keep adding state limits on federal immigration enforcement, on top of Oregon's sanctuary law?

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

On record

  • Vote for a 2027 transportation package that raises the gas tax and vehicle fees again?

    Said: Told the Headlight Herald in April 2026 she is generally opposed to raising the gas tax and DMV fees, and wants rural gas-tax dollars kept on rural roads with more ODOT oversight.

  • Close the 2027–29 budget gap with new revenue, or with cuts alone?

    Said: Told the Headlight Herald that now is not the time for the state to talk about increasing costs, and that she would review whether old bills and pandemic-era programs still work.

Compare every candidate

A question the evidence leaves open

Which fees, taxes and housing rules would you change first?

Sources (4)

  1. Tillamook Headlight Herald · Armitage interviewReporting · April 21, 2026Primary-season interview; later campaign commitments require additional review.
  2. 2026 qualified filing · DemocratElection authority · Checked September 18, 2026
  3. Armitage · campaign siteCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified. The site carries a biography and contact details but no policy text.
  4. Oregon Secretary of State · filed candidate statement · PDF page 74Candidate statement · Filed for the November 2026 state voters’ pamphlet; PDF printed September 9, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign for the state voters’ pamphlet, which is not published until September 29, 2026.