Oregon state Rep. Annessa Hartman, who said voting against her party’s massive transportation hike was the “most intimidating” vote she’s ever taken, will not seek reelection next year.

Hartman was the only Democrat in the House to vote against the transportation package championed by Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek. Numerous members of her own party warned her, she said, it would end her career.

“I don’t take lightly to feeling bullied,” she said in an interview with OPB on Tuesday. “And if I’m being transparent, that was the nail in the coffin that I can’t be part of this system anymore.”

Hartman was clear from early on that she was a “no” vote.

When State Sen. Mark Meek, D-Gladstone, was removed in late June from a key legislative committee due to his lack of support for the transportation package during the session, Hartman took to social media, writing, “We are here to elevate the voices of our constituents, and we are saying no to insane tax increases.”

Hartman was never convinced. “There is missing money the Oregon Department of Transportation can’t account for,” she told OPB. “How can I go back to my district and say they have money they can’t account for and we need to raise your cost of living?”

The state lawmaker, who was only the third Indigenous lawmaker elected to the statehouse, is no stranger to maverick votes.

Last legislative session, she was a crucial “no” vote against Gov. Tina Kotek’s priority child welfare measure, which ultimately died. Hartman had only recently been appointed the chair of the House Committee on Human Services and Housing.

“It’s terrifying being a brand new chair and fighting basically against the executive branch,” Hartman said.

Another factor, Hartman said, is that she’s a working mom. Working in the state Legislature is technically a part-time job, but the hours can often be long and unpredictable. Hartman also works as a community development manager for a nonprofit. There have been several working moms in the state Legislature who have struggled with the intense workloads of having two outside jobs while also parenting.

Hartman, who represented Gladstone, Oregon City and unincorporated Clackamas County since 2023 in the Legislature, plans to stay in politics and run for the Clackamas County Commission.

While in the Legislature, Hartman was a vocal voice for a measure that ensured victims of child sex abuse would have unlimited time to sue their abusers.

The only other state lawmaker to buck his party on the transportation package was Rep. Cyrus Javadi, who as a Republican voted in favor of the package. He announced last week that he was switching parties and becoming a Democrat.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/09/oregon-democrat-rep-annessa-hartman-transportation-politics-gladstone/