Senate · District 26 candidate · Oregon Legislature · November 3, 2026
Jeff Helfrich
State representative, former law-enforcement officer and Air Force veteran.
Reach the campaign
In their words
Said: Salem has lost focus on the basics. Too many political experiments have made life harder and more expensive for Oregon families.
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 92 ↗First two sentences of the filed statement (the first is under 12 words); the heading “GETTING OREGON BACK TO BASICS” 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 wordsSupports limited government, tax relief, stronger police funding and conservative positions on abortion and gun rights.
- Balance the budget and provide tax relief.
- Fund and support law enforcement.
- Protect gun rights, oppose abortion and attract employers.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsBroad commitments to tax relief, a balanced budget and police funding, with conservative positions on abortion and guns; the site does not specify which taxes, services or abortion laws would change.
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
Fund law enforcement- What
- Said: Properly fund and support law enforcement so officers can serve and protect communities.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Taxes, the kicker and the budget
Balance budget, tax relief- What
- Said: Balance the state budget and provide tax relief for families; government should live within a budget as families do.
- 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. Jeff Helfrich is on record on 7, with 1 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
No answer we could findLet 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.
Vote for a 2027 transportation package that raises the gas tax and vehicle fees again?
Said: Says he opposed major tax increases including the gas tax and fought policies that raise costs for working families; he was excused for the House vote on HB 3991.
Close the 2027–29 budget gap with new revenue, or with cuts alone?
Said: Voted no on SB 1507 in the House on February 25, 2026; his statement says government should live within a budget as families do.
Make data centers pay their own way: separate power rates, an end to tax breaks, or a pause on new ones?
Said: Voted no on HB 3546 on April 22 and June 5, 2025; his statement calls for balanced energy policies that lower costs and provide the power Oregon needs to grow.
Keep paying for state-funded shelter beds and the homelessness emergency after June 2027?
Said: Voted no on HB 3644 in the House on June 23, 2025, the bill creating the statewide shelter program.
Keep the 2024 approach of recriminalized possession plus county deflection programs, and fund them in 2027–29?
Said: Voted yes on HB 4002 on February 29, 2024; his statement says he helped lead the bipartisan effort to recriminalize hard drugs and restore accountability.
Spend more state money on wildfire prevention and firefighting?
Said: Voted no on HB 3940 in the House on June 23, 2025, the bill that taxes oral nicotine, raises the timber harvest tax and moves Rainy Day Fund interest to wildfire funds.
Keep adding state limits on federal immigration enforcement, on top of Oregon's sanctuary law?
Said: Voted no on HB 4138 on February 24 and March 6, 2026, the bill requiring officers to identify themselves and limiting masks.
A question the evidence leaves open
Which taxes and services would change, and what abortion legislation would you support?
Sources (4)
- Helfrich · prioritiesCandidate statement · Undated campaign page; reviewed September 18, 2026
- 2026 qualified filing · RepublicanElection authority · Checked September 18, 2026
- Helfrich · Meet JeffCandidate 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 92Candidate 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.