Fahey running for reelection to House seat, where she also wields the speaker’s gavel 

State Rep. Julie Fahey is running for reelection to her House seat against a Republican and lifelong Oregonian who is seeking a legislative office for the first time. 

The race offers two candidates with varying levels of legislative experience and differing priorities. Fahey, D-Eugene, is also the House speaker and was first elected in 2016. Burton is a private school teacher running on the Republican ticket. 

House District 14 includes western Eugene, Veneta and portions of unincorporated Lane County. 

The district is strongly Democratic: Nearly 35% of voters are registered Democrats, with almost 20% of voters registered as Republican, according to data from the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. The remaining voters are unaffiliated or in third parties.

In the 2024 election, Fahey ran unopposed.

Lookout Eugene-Springfield interviewed both candidates. Here’s what they had to say:

Julie Fahey 

Before her election to office, Fahey worked as a business consultant and co-founded a human resources consulting firm. Fahey said her priorities for the 2027 session include the addressing the cost of living and protecting Oregon’s social safety net as much as possible as federal cuts to Medicaid and Medicare loom.

“It is very clear that the cost of living and affordability is the top priority of workers, and so that is something that we are putting front and center of the 2027 legislative agenda,” Fahey said. 

Fahey said affordable housing and healthcare are also priorities, and are necessary to “put more money back into folks’ pockets.”

In the last six to eight years, the Legislature has been reviewing the regulatory burden for housing, including permitting timelines, and passed bills to aid better development. Still, the state has continued to fall short of Gov. Tina Kotek’s 2023 goal of 36,000 new housing units annually, according to an Oregon Journalism Project analysis. 

“I know there’s still more work to do,” Fahey said. 

On the healthcare front, the Trump administration’s planned cuts come after years of Oregon expanding its Medicaid program. One goal, she said, is to maintain coverage for Oregon residents. About 97% of Oregonians have some form of insurance, whether through Medicaid or other carriers. 

About 1 in 3 Oregonians rely on the Oregon Health Plan, which is the state-run Medicaid program. 

“We’re going to respond to that, trying to keep coverage and affordability front and center next year, and we know we’re going to lose billions of dollars of federal funding over the coming years,” Fahey said. “So that will be a big challenge for the Legislature of how to balance those needs.”

Fahey reported $436,421 in campaign contributions in 2026, with $240,833 cash on hand as of Friday, Oct. 16. 

Kevin Burton 

Kevin Burton said he’s looking for ways to reduce taxes and costs for the government. 

“Our tax situation here in Oregon has pretty much gotten completely out of control,” Burton said. “We’ve got taxes for everything now.”

Burton is a science teacher at Nature Discovery Christian Academy, a private school in Lane County. Burton said his background lends itself to common-sense solutions. 

“I’m a science teacher, so I’ll use logic,” he said. “I’m not going to sit there and go, well, this issue is political,” he said. “There’s really no political issues. They’re common-sense issues.”

Burton said his experience working with students who previously attended public schools shows how poorly the state’s public education system prepares young people. 

He said he’ll listen to ideas, even when he initially disagrees, saying he’s open to changing his mind after hearing opinions and new information. 

“I might sit there and go, ‘Oh, that’s not a great idea. It’s going to hinder this and this and this and this. And I’ll try to explain why I think it’s a bad idea,” he said. “And I’ll let you try to explain why it’s a good idea, and I’ll listen to you. And maybe it’s something I didn’t think of.”

Burton said he’s running a campaign with limited resources, and he casts that as an advantage.

“I’m not one of these people who has thousands and thousands of dollars at my disposal,” he said. “I’m like anyone else out on the street. I’m not a career politician.”

Burton reported no contributions or expenditures for 2026. 

Julie Fahey

Age: 48
Residence: Eugene
Education: Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, University of Notre Dame, 2000

Party: Democratic
Occupation: Oregon House speaker and state legislator
Prior elected experience: State legislator, first elected in 2016
Family status: Married

Kevin Burton

Age: 61
Residence: Eugene
Education: Associate degree, oceanography, Southwestern Oregon Community Community College, 1987. Additional coursework in marine biology, University of Oregon. 

Party: Republican
Occupation: Private middle/high school teacher at Nature Discovery Christian Academy
Prior elected experience: Eugene Republican precinct committee person since 1992.
Family status: Married with three sons, four grandchildren