Javadi banks $1 million to court 55,800 unaffiliated voters in coast race

Cyrus Javadi is seeking a third term in Oregon’s House District 32, but this year he runs as a Democrat after serving two previous terms as a Republican. The campaign has become a focal point for state political observers due to the high cost of the election and the unusual nature of the incumbent's party change. Both Javadi and his opponent, Republican Max Sherman, have raised more than $1 million each. This funding level potentially makes the race the most expensive House contest in the state this year.

Javadi, 49, represents a district stretching from Astoria south to Neskowin. He changed his party registration to Democrat last year following a specific sequence of legislative actions. He provided the deciding vote to pass Governor Tina Kotek’s transportation tax and fee package. This package included a 6-cent increase in the gas tax, a measure that drew widespread opposition. Javadi stated that he switched parties because he concluded that without new revenue, the wind-battered and rain-soaked roads in his district would not receive necessary repairs.

The district contains roughly 55,800 voters. Nonaffiliated voters outnumber both registered Democrats and Republicans in the area. Registered Democrats hold a lead of approximately 2,000 over Republicans, a margin that has not determined the outcome in recent elections. Republicans took the seat in 2020 after Democrats held it for 16 years. Javadi has been canvassing coastal neighborhoods to engage these unaffiliated voters, who may hold the deciding votes.

Max Sherman, a 69-year-old farmer and retired high school teacher from Hebo, is running as the Republican candidate. He highlights his background in agriculture, fishing, and forestry, which he identifies as the economic drivers of the North Coast. His campaign platform includes standard Republican positions on cutting regulation and ending DEI initiatives. He also criticizes Javadi’s shifting political stance. Sherman said, “A lot of people here have lost trust in him.” While he agrees that funding the Oregon Department of Transportation is a priority, he positions himself as an anti-tax candidate.

Local party leaders have reacted sharply to Javadi’s switch. Lisa Lamping, chair of the Clatsop County Republicans, helped elect Javadi in 2022 and 2024. She described him as an opportunist who previously opposed taxes and abortion but is now endorsed by Planned Parenthood. Lamping noted that local Republican reactions range from anger to “good riddance.” Betsy Johnson, a former Democratic legislator and 2022 nonaffiliated gubernatorial candidate, has endorsed Sherman in television advertisements.

Javadi frames his political evolution as a strength. He grew up in a conservative Mormon family in Utah and said he increasingly found his former Republican colleagues' arguments unconvincing. Last year, he supported a Democratic bill making it harder for school districts to ban books, citing his gay son. He also supported a measure using taxes on healthcare providers to raise federal Medicaid funding. He was the only Republican to back Kotek’s $4.3 billion transportation tax plan, stating that the reward for doing the right thing was worth the potential political costs.

Voters rejected the transportation tax package by a landslide in May. Javadi maintains that the state needs more money for roads but argues the vote showed voters want infrastructure repairs without a 6-cent gas tax increase. He reported meeting 30 or 40 people a day and said the tax vote rarely comes up during those conversations. His campaign promotes the message that he stands by his values. A Tillamook woman who described herself as a “big-time liberal” welcomed his switch.

Javadi writes lengthy Substack posts explaining his changes of position. He said he uses artificial intelligence mainly as an editor and organizer while writing most of the content himself. The campaign allows both candidates to buy advertisements in the Portland market, which reaches the district. Sherman described the race as “a total toss-up” that “could be a nail-biter.” Javadi plans to continue knocking on doors until Election Day.