Bend City Councilor Anthony Broadman announced that he will run for the Oregon Senate District 27 seat on Sept. 5.
Broadman has served on the Bend City Council since 2020 and served as mayor Pro Tem in 2022. He is also the Chief Judge of the Warm Springs Court of Appeals and an attorney for tribal governments and small businesses.
On his candidate website, Broadman said he plans to prioritize economic opportunity, affordable housing and safe communities in the Oregon Senate.
"We show up for work in Central Oregon. We stand up for our neighbors, we stand up for justice," Broadman told the Source Weekly. "We want a community that works for working families, not special interests. We expect our cities to be safe, and we want to keep rural Oregon rural, not covered with sprawl, and that's the spirit of Central Oregon that I want to represent in Salem."
The district 27 seat is currently held by Sen. Tim Knopp (R-Bend), one of the conservative senators who participated in a six-week walkout in 2023 to block votes on abortion rights and gun safety, giving him 10 days of absences. Because of his absences, Knopp may not be eligible for re-election.
Measure 113, approved by Oregon voters in 2022, disqualifies legislators from re-election following the end of their terms if they are absent from 10 legislative floor sessions without permission or excuse. Republican state senators, including Knopp, filed a lawsuit against Oregon Secretary of State, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, on Aug. 25, challenging the wording of Measure 113.
The plaintiffs, according to an article from OPB, argue that the wording of the measure was unclear, and the way it was presented to voters allows them to run for re-election in 2024, since elections take place in November and legislative terms don't end until the following January.
