Oregon House Candidate Cyrus Javadi Switches Parties Before Coast Race

Cyrus Javadi is seeking a third term in the Oregon House of Representatives, but he is running as a Democrat after winning his coastal district twice as a Republican. The 49-year-old legislator changed his party registration last year, a move that has made his reelection bid a focal point in state politics. He now asks voters in House District 32 to send him back to Salem under his new banner.

Javadi altered his standing with the Republican Party through two specific actions. He cast the deciding vote to pass Gov. Tina Kotek’s transportation tax package, which included a 6-cent gas tax increase. He then switched his registration to Democrat. Javadi explained that he believed new money was necessary to help the wind- and rain-battered roads in his district.

The district stretches from Astoria south to Neskowin and contains roughly 55,800 voters. While there are about 2,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, that margin has not determined the winner in recent elections. Republicans took the seat in 2020 after Democrats held it for 16 years. Nonaffiliated voters outnumber both major parties, and their choices could decide the race. Javadi is canvassing neighborhoods along the coast to reach these undecided voters.

His opponent is Max Sherman, a 69-year-old farmer and retired high school teacher from Hebo. Sherman argues that agriculture, fishing, and forestry are the economic engines of the North Coast. His campaign mixes standard Republican themes, such as cutting regulation and opposing DEI initiatives, with criticism of Javadi’s shifting positions. Sherman said, “A lot of people here have lost trust in him.” He positions himself as an anti-tax candidate who still supports funding the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Local political figures have reacted sharply to the change. Lisa Lamping, chair of the Clatsop County Republicans, called Javadi an opportunist. She noted that he once opposed taxes and abortion but is now endorsed by Planned Parenthood. Former Democratic legislator Betsy Johnson, who represented the area for two decades, has endorsed Sherman in television ads. Both candidates have raised more than $1 million, which may make this the state’s most expensive House race this year.

Javadi frames his switch as a strength, citing his upbringing in a conservative Mormon family in Utah. He said he found his former colleagues’ arguments unconvincing and supported a Democratic bill making it harder for school districts to ban books. He was the only Republican to back Kotek’s $4.3 billion transportation tax plan. Voters rejected that package by a landslide in May, but Javadi maintains the state needs more road money. He plans to continue knocking on doors until Election Day.