QuickTake:

In the Republican primary two years ago, voters defeated Charlie Conrad, after he voted for a bill that supported abortion access and gender-affirming care.

A former Republican legislator is hoping to reclaim his state House seat in the 2026 election as an Independent Party of Oregon candidate.

Former state Rep. Charlie Conrad announced Friday he’s running for the Oregon House District 12 seat after being nominated by the Independent Party of Oregon. Conrad’s move marks the start of a new era in his political career after he won the seat in 2022 as a Republican.

Conrad set himself apart during his first and only term representing the eastern Lane County district as a Republican lawmaker.

He broke with his party and was the only Republican to vote in the 2023 session for House Bill 2002, which would have allowed youth 15 and older access to gender-affirming care without their parent’s knowledge and allowed youth of any age to access abortions and other reproductive health care without their parents’ knowledge.

In the 2024 primary election, Lane County Republicans and anti-abortion groups supported Darin Harbick, who defeated Conrad. The Republican Harbick went on to win the House seat in the general election and has filed for reelection in the 2026 race.

Conrad, 53, lives in Dexter. He said Oregon’s most critical challenges are worsening amid partisanship and party politics in the statehouse.

“Oregon is not working for the people who call this state home,” Conrad said in a statement. “Unaffordable housing has pushed us to the fourth-highest homelessness rate in the nation. Our schools rank near the bottom for literacy. Wildfires continue to destroy homes and livelihoods.”

In an interview, Conrad said his conservative values haven’t changed — and that the Independent Party of Oregon is “more of a natural home for who I am and what I believe in.”

The Independent Party of Oregon should not be confused with voters who are unaffiliated — that is, voters who have not lined up with any political party. The Independent Party became a minor party and qualified for the Oregon ballot in 2007. 

House District 12 includes 3,073 voters who are affiliated with the Independent Party, according to data from the Oregon Secretary of State. Republicans, with 17,169 registered voters, make up the largest bloc in the district. The district has 15,109 Democratic voters. The remainder of the 56,309 registered voters in the district are unaffiliated or belong to smaller parties.

The district covers most of eastern Lane County, including Junction City, Cottage Grove, Blue River and Oakridge.

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.