Javadi Spends $1 Million on Third Term After Party Flip

State House District 32 is set to become one of Oregon's costliest legislative contests this year. Both candidates in the race have raised more than $1 million for their campaigns.

Cyrus Javadi, 49, has represented the district twice as a Republican. He is now seeking a third term as a Democrat. The district covers the North Coast, stretching from Astoria to Neskowin. Javadi changed his party registration last year after providing the deciding vote for Governor Tina Kotek's transportation tax package. That package included a 6-cent gas tax increase. Javadi said he needed new funding to fix the wind and rain-damaged roads in the area.

The district contains roughly 55,800 voters. Nonaffiliated voters outnumber both registered Democrats and Republicans. Javadi is canvassing neighborhoods to reach these independent voters. His opponent is Max Sherman, a 69-year-old farmer and retired teacher from Hebo. Sherman runs as a Republican who supports cutting regulation and dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He argues that agriculture, fishing, and forestry are the economic engines of the North Coast.

Local political figures have reacted to Javadi's shift. Lisa Lamping, chair of the Clatsop County Republicans, called him an opportunist. She noted that Javadi opposed taxes and abortion in the past but is now endorsed by Planned Parenthood. Betsy Johnson, a former legislator, has also backed Sherman in television advertisements. Sherman said many voters have lost trust in Javadi due to his shifting positions.

Javadi frames his change as a personal evolution. He grew up in a conservative Mormon family in Utah. He said he found his Republican colleagues' arguments unconvincing over time. He supported a Democratic bill making it harder for school districts to ban books and helped argue for a measure using healthcare taxes to raise Medicaid funding. He was the only Republican to support the $4.3 billion transportation plan. Voters rejected that package in May, but Javadi maintains that the state needs more money for roads. He says the gas tax vote rarely comes up during his door-knocking visits.

Sherman described the race as a total toss-up that could be a nail-biter. The candidates have used their funding to buy ads in the Portland market. Javadi plans to continue knocking on doors until Election Day. He uses artificial intelligence to edit and organize his lengthy Substack posts where he explains his changes of position.