Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley announces reelection bid in 2026

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley is running for reelection in 2026, his team announced Thursday.

The announcement comes as the congressman approaches the end of his third term. 

When asked whether he planned to run for reelection in an interview with KOIN 6 News last month, the 68-year-old senator said he and his wife make that decision every six years.

Merkley shared the following statement in an email that made the announcement public:

"I grew up in a blue-collar family in Oregon, first in the small town of Myrtle Creek, then Roseburg, and, ultimately, East Multnomah County — towns where families worked hard and looked out for each other. My dad worked as a union millwright at the local timber mill, and, thanks to union wages and public schools, I became the first in my family to graduate from college.

"My story is supposed to be the American story: that with hard work and community support, every child has a chance to succeed.

"But today, far too many families are working harder than ever and falling further behind — not because they've changed but because America has.

"Billionaires and giant corporations have rigged the rules to benefit themselves, dodging taxes and driving up costs while working families struggle to keep up. And Donald Trump? He's making it worse: more tax breaks for billionaires, handouts to corporate polluters, and dangerous authoritarian policies that undermine our "We the People" republic.

"It doesn't have to be this way. We can build an America where families thrive and billionaires finally pay their fair share, where opportunity is real, and the future doesn't just belong to those at the top.

"We've got a LOT of work to do to get there, and I'm ready to keep up the fight.

"That's why I'm running for re-election to the U.S. Senate."

As for 76-year-old Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a spokesperson told KOIN 6 News, “Senator Wyden fully intends to run for re-election in 2028.”