Farmer, retiree vie for Oregon House District 23

Redistricting has shifted district boundaries across the state. In state House District 23, it means one candidate will represent parts of Polk and Yamhill counties instead of Marion, Polk, Yamhill and Benton counties.

Since 2002 that seat has been represented by a Republican. Republican Rep. Anna Scharf, who was appointed in 2021 and is running for the seat, is hopeful that will not change.

Retiree Kriss Wright is looking to become the first Democrat elected to represent the district in the state Legislature in two decades.

Scharf aims to 'bring back a balance in Salem'

Scharf runs a fourth-generation farm just outside of Salem. She started working there in 2011 because it was important for her to stay home and be able to raise her kids, she said.

Scharf was a policy analyst for the district prior to being appointed representative in July 2021 after Rep. Mike Nearman was expelled from the Legislature for letting rioters into the closed state Capitol building during a special legislative session in December 2020.

“Basically, I just kept getting involved involved involved, which led me back into advocating for a lot of those things that were related to my community involvement, which then led me back to the building and getting back into politics,” Scharf said.

Scharf worked as a lobbyist during the 1991 legislative session. She returned to politics, she said, because of the decisions she saw being made in Salem.

“We were going down the road of losing good businesses and losing people in this state,” she said. “It was difficult to sit back and watch that happening. I’m not a person to sit on the sidelines.”

She received a Master of Business Administration degree in international business from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern Oregon University. She has also worked for Hewlett-Packard, GK Machine and other international companies in supply chain and business relations.

She serves on multiple boards including PNW Canola Association and the US Canola Association. Scharf previously served on the Perrydale School Board, Polk County Farm Bureau and served as president of the Willamette Valley Oilseed Producers Association and was on the board for Oregon 4-H.

She believes constituents are primarily concerned with public safety, homelessness and education.

“I don’t think that House District 23’s issues and concerns are any different than the concerns and issues that we are hearing throughout the entire state,” she said.

She said she felt the disconnect between the two parties within the legislature directly after being sworn in. "For two years as the policy analyst for House District 23 I had seen the disconnect between the two parties on the floor firsthand. I had never felt it,” she said.

Scharf is optimistic things could change with the upcoming election. It’s why she says she decided to run, adding, she wants to “bring back a balance in Salem.”

She said voters should recognize her experience. “I know how to get the job done. And I think that gives me an advantage in the fact that this is not about me," Scharf said. "This is about being able to represent people's needs.”

According to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, Scharf's campaign had raised just over $44,000 this year as of Tuesday and spent $34,676. It has a balance of $23,340, with some money on hand carrying over from the previous year.

Democratic candidate ready for challenge

Wright has experience reaching out to representatives for help. Now, she’s hoping to become one of them.

Years ago while working as a technician at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Portland she was involved in an elevator accident that resulted in a yearslong battle for compensation. She turned to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, for help. With his assistance, Wright was able to win her case. She said the experience motivated her to run for state representative.

Wright recognizes a Democrat has not won in the district in 20 years. It means people have quickly dismissed her campaign, she said, but she's used to the challenge.

She is passionate about issues like homelessness, the environment, mental health, equity and affordable housing.

Wright is “adamant” about bringing broadband infrastructure to remote areas. She said the gaps in access hurt the community.

She is also focused on climate recovery. “Clean air and water, I believe, is a right,” she said. “And we need farm and forest health and healthy soils to promote our food sustainability.”

Wright grew up in the Newberg area, Sherwood and Tigard. She said her family has been connected to Dayton for decades. Summers were spent with her grandparents on their Idaho farm raising cattle and helping on the property.

Wright serves on the Newberg Planning Commission. Before retiring she worked for the VA as well as a child care provider, farmworker, advocate, research scientist, land use consultant and grant writer. She graduated from Portland State University with a bachelor’s degree and earned a certificate for geospatial industry.

With many people tied to the agriculture and forestry industry, she said sustainability is an important issue for the district. Wright was a supporter of the farmworker overtime bill that was signed into law earlier this year.

Her own experience with post-traumatic stress disorder and working at the VA has made her a strong supporter for additional funding for mental health issues.

“Mental health is going to be one of our worst things here in the future. And I think the state should increase the budget for mental health service providers and multidisciplinary community partners,” Wright said.

Access to mental health care services needs to be expanded along with incentives for mental health providers, she added.

According to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, Wright's campaign had raised $5,025 this year as of Tuesday and spent $678.73. It has a balance of $4,346.

Dianne Lugo covers equity and social justice issues for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at dlugo@gannett.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Farmer, retiree vie for Oregon House District 23