Javadi canvasses coast neighborhoods to court 55,800 independent voters

Cyrus Javadi is asking voters to send him to Salem as a Democrat after two terms as a Republican.

The House District 32 race, stretching from Astoria to Neskowin, has become a high-stakes test of voter trust following Javadi's recent party switch. The 49-year-old legislator provided the deciding vote for Gov. Tina Kotek's transportation tax package, which included a 6-cent gas tax increase, before changing his registration to Democrat. He argues that new money was necessary to fix the wind- and rain-battered roads in his district.

The district contains roughly 55,800 voters, with nonaffiliated registrants outnumbering both major parties. Javadi has been canvassing neighborhoods along the coast to court these independent voters. His opponent, Max Sherman, is a 69-year-old farmer and retired high school teacher from Hebo. Sherman emphasizes his background in agriculture, fishing, and forestry, describing them as the North Coast's economic engines. He positions himself as an anti-tax candidate while acknowledging the need to fund the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Local reaction to Javadi's switch has been divided. Lisa Lamping, chair of the Clatsop County Republicans, called Javadi an opportunist who previously opposed taxes and abortion. She noted that reactions among local Republicans range from anger to relief. Former Democratic legislator Betsy Johnson, who represented the area for two decades, has endorsed Sherman in television ads. Sherman stated that many residents have lost trust in Javadi due to his shifting positions.

Both candidates have raised more than $1 million, making this potentially the state's most expensive House race this year. The funding has allowed them to purchase ads in the Portland market. Sherman described the contest as a total toss-up that could be a nail-biter. Javadi frames his evolution as a strength, noting he was raised in a conservative Mormon family in Utah. He cited supporting a Democratic bill to protect school books, partly due to his gay son, as a turning point in his political views.

Voters rejected Kotek's $4.3 billion transportation tax plan by a landslide in May. Javadi believes the state still needs more money for roads but says the vote indicated a preference for repairs without the gas tax increase. He reports that the issue rarely comes up during his door-to-door canvassing, even when he meets 30 or 40 people in a day. Javadi plans to continue knocking on doors until Election Day, using artificial intelligence to edit his Substack posts while writing the majority of the text himself.