Salem Statesman-Journal: Amanda Staehely and Roy Kaufmann vie for Oregon House District 18

Salem Statesman Journal

Oct. 13, 2026, 4:04 a.m. PT

This is part of a series of stories on the candidates running in the Nov. 3 election. Ballots will be mailed to voters Oct. 14.

Nursery owner Amanda Staehely is facing communications consultant Roy Kaufmann in the race for Oregon House District 18 in the Nov. 3 election.

Rep. Rick Lewis, R-Silverton, is retiring after four terms representing the district. He was first appointed to HD 18 in February 2017.

The district covers portions of Clackamas County and spans eastern Marion County, including the communities of Aurora, Hubbard, Silverton and Mt. Angel.

Staehely captured 42% of the vote for the Republican nomination in the May primary against retired educator Bryan Starr, Hubbard City Councilor Joseph Steininger, small-business owner and former policy analyst Ben Fisher and hazelnut farmer Matthew Lawson.The Statesman Journal spoke with the candidates ahead of the general election. A third candidate, Patrick Marnell with the Libertarian Party, could not be reached. Marnell did not submit a voters' pamphlet statement and has not reported any campaign contributions.

Nursery owner Amanda Staehely wants a seat at the table

Staehely, an Oregon native raised on a family farm and graduate of Canby High School, said she was "excited and humbled by the opportunity to represent" the district after winning the Republican nomination.

Her work history includes a four-year stint as a professional dancer with Oregon Ballet Theatre before she returned to agriculture. She now operates Columbia Nursery with her husband, Wayne, near Molalla where the couple raises three children.Staehely previously served as president of the Oregon Association of Nurseries and currently serves on the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Rules Advisory Committee.

Speaking with the Statesman Journal, Staehely said agriculture was a major catalyst for her decision to run for office.

"I felt like my voice wasn't being listened to and I was ready to have a seat at the table," Staehely said.She's hopeful she could have the opportunity to address issues she said increasingly burden family farms and small businesses, like the state's agricultural worker overtime requirements and the Corporate Activity Tax.

"Everywhere you turn there's been an attack on agriculture and farming, and I have not seen something come through that's actually been an assistance," she said.Staehely also called for more funding for Department of Agriculture projects like those aimed at controlling invasive Japanese beetles.

Staehely said she does not have a long list of legislation to lay out ahead of the election, but committed to bringing her district's concerns to the Legislature and working with lawmakers from both parties.

She listed other "key issues," including lowering taxes and making the state friendlier to businesses, bringing "local control back into education" through open enrollment, rolling back blanket curriculum requirements, expanding career and technical education and "government efficiency."

Staehely said she has the passion, energy, values and proven skills and advocacy necessary to represent the district. She pointed to her record of testifying before state leaders to advocate for the nursery industry. She's also lobbied in Washington, D.C., and testified before the Agricultural Committee on the Farm Bill in 2023.

She's previously described District 18 as being made up of "old, generational families who have been here forever," whom she'd be "honored to represent."She's been endorsed by several organizations and individuals, including AG-PAC, Rep. Darcey Edwards, R-Banks, the Clackamas County Farm Bureau, Marion County Farm Bureau, the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association, Oregon Business & Industry PAC, Oregon Nurseries PAC, Oregon Right to Life, Oregon Coalition of Police & Sheriffs, Oregon Farm Bureau, Lewis and more.

Communications consultant Roy Kaufmann seeks to be independent voice

Born in Israel and raised in southern California, Kaufmann has spent two decades working in Oregon politics and government communications. He's ready to have a more direct role.

His family moved to the United States when he was 8, and Kaufmann later graduated with a bachelor's degree in international relations from the University of California, Davis, and a graduate degree in international relations from the University of San Diego.

He moved to Oregon about 20 years ago with his then-partner and their 3-month-old daughter.

Kaufmann served as a speechwriter for former Gov. John Kitzhaber and as communications director for Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. He left the Department of Justice after Rosenblum finished her term and left office in 2024. Kaufmann then began working as a communications and public relations consultant.Running an independent campaign has been "cooking" in his head for a decade, he said, after U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign left a "huge impression" on him.

"It sort of opened my eyes to the idea that you could be an independent and that being an independent meant that you got to define your values and vote according to your values," Kaufmann said.

Among his priorities is protecting Oregon's landmark sanctuary laws. His family's history as refugees and his experience as a naturalized citizen have shaped him.

"People need to be willing to be full-throated supporters of Oregon's sanctuary laws and what that means," Kaufmann said.

As an Independent, he supports changing Oregon's primary election system to allow voters not affiliated with a political party to participate.

Kaufmann has identified four main priority issues: healthcare, public education, agriculture and immigration.

He supports universal healthcare and calls the state's healthcare reform efforts "valiant" but "Band-Aids on a broken system."On education, Kaufmann calls for "partly local" solutions like career and technical education programs that connect students to careers in the district to address the widening gap between national rankings and the state's. He referred to the "school choice" movement as a way to divert funding without being held accountable for how that money is used. He said he's also concerned about the use of artificial intelligence in Oregon schools.

Kaufmann said cultivating a new generation of farmers is important."We need to double down on agricultural and natural education," Kaufmann wrote on his website.He criticized national policies like President Donald Trump's tariffs and the Iran war that he said have had a direct impact on local farms and nurseries

He also supports creating an Oregon state bank modeled after the Bank of North Dakota. In 2023, Gov. Tina Kotek vetoed a bill that would have created a task force to study the feasibility of establishing a state public bank.Kaufmann has been endorsed by Kitzhaber, Aurora Mayor Brian Asher, Silverton Mayor Jason Freilinger, Silverton City Council President April Newton, Sen. Courtney Neron Misslin, D-Wilsonville, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Oregon School Employees Association, Planned Parenthood Action Oregon, the Independent Party of Oregon, and the Working Families Party

How much money have the candidates raised?

Oregon's legislators are part-time positions. They're paid $43,000 per year.

Staehely has reported nearly $135,144 in total contributions in 2026, according to the Secretary of State's website. She had a cash balance of $40,286 as of Oct. 9.

Among her biggest donors is the Oregon Nurseries Political Action Committee, which has given a combined $38,650 in 2026, according to state campaign finance records. Lewis' political committee donated $10,000 to Staehely's campaign on Aug. 28. Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, also contributed $5,000 on April 10 through her PAC. Other top donors include Woodburn's Bountiful Farms and Woodburn's Al's Garden Center and Greenhouses, each contributing $5,000.

Kaufmann has received $39,360 in contributions in 2026, according to state records. He had an ending cash balance of $1,880 as of Oct. 9.His largest contributions came from individuals, including a firefighter who donated $2,500 in July. He has reported more than $7,000 in miscellaneous cash contributions. The Oregon School Employees Association's official political action committee contributed $500 to Kaufmann's campaign on Sept. 4.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com