Jeff Merkley

After nearly 18 years in the U.S. Senate and almost three decades in elected office, Jeff Merkley and his wife had largely decided he would not seek a fourth term in 2026.

But the 69-year-old said he changed his mind because he couldn’t urge others to fight for democracy while stepping away himself.

Merkley’s main challenger in November’s election is Republican state Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, who said he decided to run last fall during the longest federal government shutdown, frustrated by what he sees as a lack of bipartisan cooperation from U.S. senators, including Merkley.

“I think we have opportunities to get things done to mitigate catastrophic wildfires, create jobs and lower insurance premiums that are driving people out of our rural communities,” he told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Also on the ballot are Gary Lyndon Dye of the Libertarian Party and Chris Henry of the Pacific Green and Progressive parties.

But most election forecasters, including the Cook Political Report, predict an easy win for Merkley. Republicans have not won an Oregon U.S. Senate race since 2002, when voters reelected Gordon Smith.

Merkley’s campaign has raised about $4.5 million this election cycle through June 30 and reported roughly $6.8 million cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission records. The campaign has spent nearly $2 million this cycle. That’s in contrast to Smith’s campaign, which has raised $121,000 and spent approximately $92,000 in the same time period.

The fundraising edge reflects Merkley’s high national profile. And he’s not shy about challenging the administration, whether by delivering a 22-hour, 37-minute speech on the Senate floor to protest “Trump’s authoritarianism” or daring a Coast Guard commandant to spend 15 minutes in Oregon’s frigid coastal waters to protect a rescue helicopter’s site. (The gambit worked).

He still remembers what it’s like to be a kid from rural Oregon, the son of a millwright and the first in his family to attend college.

One achievement he’s proud of is not a headline-grabbing bill or a congressional fight.

When the Senate adjourns on Thursday evenings, he’s usually on a plane home to Oregon. Merkley, who lives in Southeast Portland with his wife, nurse Mary Sorteberg, says he “would not survive” otherwise.

In this conversation, Merkley reflected on nearly three terms in the Senate, why he decided to run again and what gives him hope (spoiler: It’s not Congress.)

This interview was condensed for clarity and brevity.

For months last year, rumors swirled you might not run again. What changed?

My wife and I had spent a year talking about it. We’d pretty much reached the decision that I would not run for office again. But then Trump started shredding the Constitution and I started to ring the alarm bells. And I realized I couldn’t say to folks, ‘This is an extreme moment of risk to our republic, unmatched since the Civil War.’ and then say, ‘And good luck. I’m bailing.’

At your recent town hall in east Portland, people felt deeply frustrated about the lack of accountability for President Donald Trump. What can be done?

First, we can ring the alarm bells and that’s what I’ve been doing. Second, American citizens can change things. One way is through protests, to say this is unacceptable. That’s extremely important because if there are no protests then people think, ‘Well, it must be OK. Nobody seems to be upset.’ The second major mechanism is the next election. Because if the country is going to say that an authoritarian president violating the Constitution is unacceptable then his team has to be rejected in the next election.

Trump has said that he would give $5,000 to every American adult if they retain control of the U.S. House and Senate in the November election. Will it work?

It’s a straight violation of the law. Buying votes is not allowed. And the law is written to say even offering an inducement is a violation. Had any other president done this, there would have been a million people crying foul from both sides of the aisle. But when there’s a new unacceptable item done every single day — there’s a term for it called ‘flood the zone’ — people stop paying attention.

Beyond Trump, is there anything else that’s a risk to American democracy today?

A lot of members of Congress have stock portfolios. Often, they come from wealthy backgrounds — not too many had mechanics for fathers like I had. And if you have a portfolio, you should never be thinking about your pocketbook and your portfolio. You should be thinking about the public interest. This president himself has done a form of corrupt stock trading where he has bought stock in companies right before a major government contract was awarded, such as with Dell Computers. I have argued members of Congress should not hold or trade individual stocks. The interest in that issue has grown. And we’re going to get it done.

What about dark money in politics?

In 2004, billionaires contributed an estimated 0.3% to the money in federal elections [according to a recent New York Times analysis]. Twenty years later, they accounted for 19% of all reported federal campaign contributions. That’s almost $1 out of every $5 coming from a billionaire or their immediate family. And they don’t want housing and healthcare for ordinary people. They don’t want lower drug prices. They want to make as much money as they possibly can, and that means the tax code being rigged for the wealthy. We need to change that.

Tell us about your work to keep a rescue helicopter on the Oregon coast.

In 2014, when it was to be taken away, I led the fight to say, hell no. I called up the commandant of the Coast Guard and told him people’s lives will be lost. And he said, ‘Well, I think there’ll be enough time for a boat to get out there and save people.’ I said, ‘Here’s the deal. You come out and get on a Coast Guard vessel with me. We will go out in the ocean. You will jump in for 15 minutes into the ocean and we will pull you out 15 minutes later and let’s see if you’re still alive.’ And he respectfully declined my invitation. But we got the helicopter back.

[In 2016, Merkley helped secure a provision in federal law requiring the Coast Guard to provide notice and justification before relocating rescue helicopter operations. But the Trump administration moved Newport’s rescue helicopter again last fall. It was returned in December under pressure and a court order.]

What part of your job do you find most rewarding?

One of the very first bills that I got passed originated when I launched my campaign for the U.S. Senate. I led the fight to create a new world for breastfeeding mothers. Their companies would have to provide a place with privacy and power so they could pump breast milk. It was my very first amendment.

There was a senator from Oklahoma, Thomas Coburn, he was a doctor and he was beating up every Democratic amendment fiercely. I was timidly presenting my amendment, saying it’s important to the health of our children, it’s good for employers and we had done this in Oregon, where it worked really well. And Sen. Coburn starts pounding the table, and I’m like, ‘OK, here it comes.’ And he says, ‘Sen. Merkley, hasn’t begun!’ And I’m thinking, hasn’t begun to tell you all the problems with this bill. And he says, ‘Hasn’t begun to tell you there are also a lot of advantages for the mother’s health from breastfeeding!’ We passed it unanimously.

You have to celebrate the moments when you’re actually making a difference because there’s so many other moments when you’re absolutely frustrated.

What is the main thing you want people to know right now?

The mission of the moment for every citizen is to save our republic. We have a choice as citizens right now. For people who feel like there’s a dark cloud, or who are feeling cynical or disengaged, you have a choice to lay on the couch with a pillow over your head or to find an affinity group. Whatever your set of values are, whatever your interests are, find an affinity group and get involved. That is a pathway to being energized and effective.