The Oregon Senate on Monday passed a bill that would require Oregon’s governor to appoint a temporary replacement if a U.S. Senator retires or dies.

Only four states — Oregon included — leave a U.S. Senate seat empty when a Senator dies or retires until a special election can be held, according to state Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, who sponsored the bill.

“We know that this is not the time — not that there’s any time — to go for months without having that voice in the U.S. Senate,” Gelser Blouin said.

Senate Bill 952 passed through the chamber 16-13 and now heads to the Oregon House.

The bill would allow a governor to appoint an interim U.S. Senator within 30 days of the vacancy. A special election would still be held within 80 and 150 days of the vacancy.

Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, said it’s important that these seats are filled so there isn’t a gap in services for Oregonians.

“We cannot afford to not have that lifeline to the state department for our constituents who are travelling, that lifeline to social security or to veterans benefits, that lifeline when we have natural disasters,” said Gelser Blouin.

The measure would prohibit a governor from appointing themselves to the position. Whoever the governor appoints would have to be from the same party as the formerly elected senator.

The interim U.S. Senator would have to run for the seat in the special election. Gelser Blouin said, “We don’t want a place holder.”

“If we were to have someone to be there for a short period of time, their level of influence would be difficult,” said Gelser Blouin. “We would be disadvantaged as Oregonians when it comes to looking for natural resources declarations, assistance and oversight with federal agencies. We want someone that steps in to do the role that wants to be there, because it’s hard work.”

Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, opposed the measure, saying Oregonians should have a voice in determining who temporarily fills the seat. He argued the state has the ability to put forward a special election for a vacant seat in a timely manner, adding that it has done so in the past.

“We don’t need the governor to do this,” said Bonham. “The governor circumvents the will of the people, quite frankly, in this process.”

Bonham added that serving as an interim U.S. Senator would give a candidate an advantage over others vying for the seat later.

“If we had a Republican governor today, I believe I would be saying the same thing, that I think the will of the people should be paramount in every consideration that we put forward,” said Bonham. “Bypassing them, even in this minor way, I think is a mistake.”

Lawmakers considered a similar bill in 2022, but the legislation failed.

Oregon’s two Democratic U.S. Senators support the bill.

“The legislative process is not about waving a magic wand,” Sen. Jeff Merkley wrote in submitted testimony. “It takes months of laying groundwork, building coalitions, lining up support from agencies and stakeholders, then finding the right moment to push for a vote.”

Sen. Ron Wyden, who is 75, plans to run for reelection in 2028, a spokesman told OPB. A spokesperson for Merkley said: “As usual, Jeff and Mary will make a formal campaign announcement regarding 2026 sometime this quarter.”

Wyden was the last Oregonian to win a special election to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat, in 1995, after Republican Bob Packwood resigned following reports that he allegedly sexually harassed and abused multiple women. The scandal left the state with only one vote in the U.S. Senate for four months, a Monday press release said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/28/senate-passes-bill-to-allow-oregon-governor-to-fill-vacant-us-senate-seat/