Oregon — Today (2/2/2026), a day before the filing deadline, Jo Rae Perkins updated her filing to run for US Senate in the Oregon Republican Primary instead of Congressional District 5. This will be Perkins’ third run for US Senate. At the time of publication her campaign site and social media still reflect candidacy for CD5.
She ran for Congressional District 4 in 2016 and 2018, US senate in 2020 and 2022, and for local positions in previous years. Most recently she served as the Secretary for the Oregon Republican Party (2023-2025). While she has successfully won previous primary races she has never won a general election. In 2022 she edged out Darin Harbick in the primary by 8,000 votes to then lose to incumbent Ron Wyden (D) 55.8% to 40.9% a gap of nearly 15%. In 2020 Perkins lost to Oregon’s other longtime senator Jeff Merkley 56.9% to 39.3% a gap of almost 18%. FEC data shows that in the most recent contest for senate in 2022 Perkins raised $125,792 a sharp contrast to Wyden’s $14 million.
Perkins’ campaign site currently shows platforms addressing health insurance, state sovereignty, and Medicare.
About the Author
