Jeff Merkley

Biography

Overview

Jeff Merkley is a Democrat and the junior United States senator from Oregon, serving since 2009. First elected to the Senate in 2008, he defeated two-term Republican incumbent Gordon Smith by three percentage points. Before his Senate career, Merkley served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009, including two years as Speaker. He is known for his progressive legislative record and advocacy on financial reform, environmental policy, and immigration issues.

Career

Merkley championed the Volcker Rule (with Carl Levin) in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, banning high-risk trading at commercial banks. He authored a breastfeeding accommodation amendment included in the Affordable Care Act. He led efforts to reform the Senate filibuster, held the Senate floor for 22 hours and 36 minutes in October 2025 opposing what he called "authoritarianism," setting the fourth-longest filibuster in Senate history. He attempted to visit child detention facilities during the 2018 family separation crisis. He was the only Senate Democrat to endorse Bernie Sanders in 2016.

Prior political experience

Merkley was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, narrowly winning the Democratic primary against activist Steve Novick and four others. In the general election, he defeated two-term Republican incumbent Gordon Smith by three percentage points (49% to 46%), becoming the first person to unseat an incumbent Oregon senator since 1968. He was reelected in 2014 and 2020, defeating Republican nominees Monica Wehby and Jo Rae Perkins respectively.

Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ideology

Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)

Liberal

Conservative

119th Congress-0.453

Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)

−1

+1

-0.719

Source: Voteview DW-NOMINATE · 670 scored votes

Campaigns targeting Jeff Merkley

No active campaigns target Jeff Merkley right now.

Start a campaign targeting Jeff Merkley

Officeholding history

Term	Seat	Term dates	Termination	Predecessor	Successor
3rd	U.S. Senate OR Class 2	2021–present	In progress	Jeff Merkley	—
2nd	U.S. Senate OR Class 2	2015–2021	Term ended	Jeff Merkley	Jeff Merkley
1st	U.S. Senate OR Class 2	2009–2015	Term ended	—	Jeff Merkley

Committee assignments

Senate Committee on the Budget
SenateRanking Member· 2021–present
Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
SenateRanking Member· 2021–present
Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight
SenateRanking Member· 2021–present
Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues
Senate· 2021–present
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Senate· 2021–present
Transportation and Infrastructure
Senate· 2021–present
Joint Committee on Printing
joint· 2021–present
East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy
Senate· 2021–present
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Senate· 2021–present
Energy and Water Development
Senate· 2021–present
Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety
Senate· 2021–present
Africa and Global Health Policy
Senate· 2021–present
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Senate· 2021–present
Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
Senate· 2021–present
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Senate· 2021–present
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Senate· 2021–present
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
Senate· 2021–present
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Senate· 2021–present

Current term legislation

Bills sponsored this term10

Bills cosponsored this term10

Elections

Year	Seat	Result	Vote share	Field
—	—	Pending	—	—