Trying to add a payment method? You can do this on the 
Republican state Rep. Jami Cate, a farmer from Linn County, announced July 16 that she plans to run for the state Senate district that also includes a large swath of eastern Lane County.
Cate, R-Lebanon, seeks to fill the 6th Senate District seat now held by Sen. Cedric Hayden, R-Fall Creek. Hayden is one of four Republican senators barred from running for reelection in 2026 because of their participation in the longest quorum-denying walkout in state history, a 2023 Republican protest over Democratic bills on abortion, transgender health care and guns.
The largely rural district includes the towns of Oakridge, Cottage Grove and Marcola.
“Rural Oregon deserves a voice that fights for our farms, forests and freedoms,” Cate said in a statement. “As your state representative, I’ve stood firm against over-regulation and Portland-driven agendas, advocating for wildfire recovery, agriculture and accountable governance.”
Cate, 38, is a lifelong Lebanon resident, Oregon State University graduate and fifth-generation seed farmer. Voters first elected her to the House in 2020.
Nonaffiliated voters are the largest group in the Senate district, as they are in Oregon, with more than 39,000 nonaffiliated voters. It also has nearly 38,000 registered Republicans and just more than 25,000 Democrats. Hayden cruised to victory with 65% of the vote in the 2022 election.
Candidates can’t officially file to run for legislative races until September, but they can announce their campaigns and start raising money earlier. Cate now has a campaign balance of about $29,000.
