Javadi courts 55,800 independents after party switch

Cyrus Javadi won House District 32 twice as a Republican. This year, he is running as a Democrat. The party switch puts him in a high-cost race against Max Sherman, with both candidates having raised more than $1 million.

Javadi, 49, changed his registration after casting the decisive vote for Gov. Tina Kotek’s transportation tax package in 2025. That package included a 6-cent gas tax increase. Javadi said he switched because he believed new money was needed to fix the district’s damaged roads. He is now seeking a third term in Salem.

His opponent, Max Sherman, is a 69-year-old farmer and retired teacher from Hebo. Sherman argues that Javadi has lost the trust of local voters. “A lot of people here have lost trust in him,” Sherman said. He positions himself as an anti-tax candidate who will prioritize the state Department of Transportation while cutting regulation and ending DEI initiatives.

The district stretches from Astoria to Neskowin and contains roughly 55,800 registered voters. While there are about 2,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, nonaffiliated voters outnumber both parties. That group could determine the winner. Javadi has been canvassing neighborhoods to reach these independent voters.

Local party leaders are reacting to Javadi’s move. Lisa Lamping, chair of the Clatsop County Republicans, called him an opportunist. She noted that Javadi previously opposed taxes and abortion but now has an endorsement from Planned Parenthood. Betsy Johnson, a former Democratic legislator, is backing Sherman in television ads.

Javadi frames his switch as a logical step. He grew up in a conservative Mormon family in Utah and said he found his former party’s arguments unconvincing. He supported a bill protecting books in schools and a measure to raise Medicaid funding. He remains the only Republican who backed Kotek’s $4.3 billion transportation plan.

Voters rejected the tax package by a wide margin in May 2026. Javadi says the vote showed people want road repairs without the specific gas tax. He plans to continue door-knocking until Election Day, using a mix of manual outreach and AI-assisted writing for his campaign updates.