One candidate leads with rural services, land-use protection and clean-energy investment; the other with tax relief, policing and conservative positions on abortion and firearms. Both name jobs and local opportunity as priorities.
Draft; human review pending.
Key
Said
A campaign statement, in our summary or their words.
Voted
A recorded Council roll call.
— Not found
Not in the sources we reviewed. A research gap, not a position.
Connects rural economic opportunity with land-use protections, healthcare, affordable housing and climate resilience.
Wants housing working people can afford within existing farm and forest protections.
—not found in the sources we reviewed
Wants lower rent, grocery and prescription costs and a tax system funding schools.
Supports wildfire prevention, home hardening, watershed protection and a clean energy grid.
Summaries are our one-line readings of what each candidate says. Issue lines are short forms of the positions in each brief, AI-drafted and awaiting human review; “—” means not found in the sources we reviewed.
Four votes that split this Council
No candidate in this race sits on Council today.
— Not foundNo featured votes are selected for this race yet.
Candidate briefs, A–Z
Senate · District 26 candidate · Oregon Legislature · November 3, 2026
Jeff Helfrich
State representative, former law-enforcement officer and Air Force veteran.
Photo: Campaign photo · helfrichfororegon.com
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
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 words
Supports 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 words
Limited government
Police funding
Broad 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.
— 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 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.
On record
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.
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.
Senate · District 26 candidate · Oregon Legislature · November 3, 2026
Nicole Bassett
Business founder with experience in sustainable manufacturing and reuse.
Photo: Campaign photo · bassettfororegon.com
In their words
Said: Families, workers, and small businesses are being crushed by rising prices, tariffs, and taxes.
Voters’ pamphlet
Candidate statement · Filed for the November 2026 state voters’ pamphlet; extracted September 21, 2026
First sentence of the filed statement; 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 words
Connects rural economic opportunity with land-use protections, healthcare, affordable housing and climate resilience.
Expand vocational training and local jobs; protect rural hospitals.
Uphold farm and forest protections while addressing housing and energy needs.
Invest in wildfire prevention, home protection and a cleaner energy grid.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their words
Rural livability
Clean-energy economy
She treats land-use protection and economic development as one project; the test is how the housing and energy growth she wants fits inside the farm and forest protections she would uphold.
Said: Fight for housing working people can afford while upholding the land-use laws that preserve farms and forests, even as housing and energy demand grow.
How
— Not in their sources
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
Lower everyday costs
What
Said: Address the rent, grocery and prescription costs stretching families, and prioritize a tax system that funds schools.
How
— Not in their sources
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Roads, transit and climate
Wildfire, clean grid
What
Said: Invest in wildfire prevention, home hardening and emergency preparedness, protect watersheds, and build a clean energy grid with local manufacturing, recycling and reuse jobs.
How
— Not in their sources
Measured by
— Not in their sources
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 8 questions. Nicole Bassett 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 find
Vote 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.
Close the 2027–29 budget gap with new revenue, or with cuts alone?
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.
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
Spend more state money on wildfire prevention and firefighting?
Said: Would prioritize wildfire prevention, support first responders and invest in proven solutions that keep people, land and homes safe.
Bassett · 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 90Candidate 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.
