Senate · District 19 candidate · Oregon Legislature · November 3, 2026
Mary Dirksen
Former state senior policy analyst with budget-committee and volunteer experience.
Reach the campaign
As published in their campaign site.
In their words
Said: Oregon families deserve better. As a mother who adopted children from foster care, protecting kids and strengthening families is personal.
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 82 ↗First two sentences of the filed statement (the first is under 12 words); header fields 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 wordsProposes tax relief and closer spending oversight alongside stronger public-safety and education standards.
- Support law enforcement and stronger consequences for repeat offending.
- Reduce wasteful spending and pursue tax relief.
- Increase curriculum transparency, parental involvement and foundational learning.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsShe promises tax relief and spending scrutiny alongside stronger consequences for repeat offenders and parental involvement in schools; the site does not name the tax changes or program cuts that would balance the budget.
Where they stand
Housing and homelessness
Not foundNot found in the sources we reviewed. That is a research gap, not a position.
Crime, drugs and who responds
Punish repeat offenders- What
- Said: Support law enforcement, strengthen consequences for repeat offenders and put victims first, with accountability for crime, addiction and hazards on the streets.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Taxes, the kicker and the budget
Tax relief, less waste- What
- Said: Rein in wasteful spending, demand transparency for every tax dollar and pursue meaningful tax relief.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Roads, transit and climate
Not foundNot found in the sources we reviewed. That is a research gap, not a position.
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 8 questions. Mary Dirksen is on record on 1, with 7 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
No answer we could findVote for a 2027 transportation package that raises the gas tax and vehicle fees again?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
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.
Close the 2027–29 budget gap with new revenue, or with cuts alone?
Said: Would rein in wasteful spending, demand transparency for every tax dollar and pursue meaningful tax relief; her statement says taxes and the cost of living have soared under current Senate leadership.
A question the evidence leaves open
Which taxes and expenditures would change, and what services would you protect?
Sources (5)
- Dirksen · prioritiesCandidate statement · Undated campaign page; reviewed September 18, 2026
- 2026 qualified filing · RepublicanElection authority · Checked September 18, 2026
- Dirksen · prioritiesCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
- Dirksen · aboutCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
- Oregon Secretary of State · filed candidate statement · PDF page 82Candidate 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.