Deschutes deputy DA Kropf announces run for Helt’s House seat

(Update: Adding Kropf's announcement, endorsements)

Meanwhile, Hugh Palcic announces for Dennis Linthicum's Senate seat

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Deschutes County prosecutor announced Wednesday he will run as a Democratic candidate for the Oregon House seat in Bend currently held by Republican Cheri Helt.

With just under three weeks before the March 10 candidate filing deadline, Deputy District Attorney Jason Kropf announced his candidacy for the House district encompassing Bend, one of Oregon’s fastest-growing cities and where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans.

The seat is currently held by Cheri Helt, a restaurateur from Bend who is running for a second term.

Kropf, who also currently serves on the Bend Park and Recreation District board, said that if elected to the Legislature, he would fight for education funding and affordable housing and against global warming.

Helt, who considers herself a moderate, was the only Republican member of the House to appear for a Tuesday evening session called for by House Speaker Tina Kotek. Other Republican lawmakers stayed away amid a slowdown protest by the GOP over a bill to combat climate change. The Republicans have insisted that bills reaching the House floor be read in full instead of being summarized, causing a backlog of legislation.

Democrats currently hold a supermajority in both the House and Senate and are looking to gain more in November.

In House District 54, which covers much of Bend, there are almost 20,000 registered Democrats and almost 13,000 registered Republicans. However, there are also roughly 19,000 voters not affiliated with any party.

Kropf has been a deputy district attorney since 2005. He earlier worked as a public defender.

Here's Kropf's news release announcing his candidacy:

Jason Kropf Announces Bid for Oregon House District 54 in BendDemocrat Secures Major Endorsements from Dozens of Community Leaders 

Jason Kropf, long-time Bend resident and Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney, announced his candidacy for Oregon House of Representatives, District 54. Kropf, age 49, lives in Bend with his wife and seven year old daughter. 

“I am thrilled to join the race to represent Bend in the Oregon House of Representatives. Bend deserves representation that puts our priorities first, and that’s exactly what I’ll do when I’m elected,” says Kropf. “My daughter was born here in Bend and is the fifth generation in my family to call Oregon home.  I love our state, and that’s why I’ve committed my life to serving it.”

Kropf, a Democrat, was elected to the Board of the Bend Park and Recreation District in 2019 and has served on the Board of Directors for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Central Oregon since 2012. He has volunteered coaching high school Mock Trial since moving to Bend in 2003, and is also proud of his time coaching Park and Rec youth soccer. 

Kropf has served as a Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney since 2005. Prior to joining the Deschutes County District Attorney’s office, he worked as a public defender. Much of his career has been spent working with at-risk youth in both delinquency and dependency matters. Kropf has also done work for Legal Aid.

“I’ve had an up close and personal look at the struggles many of our neighbors are facing. Families in Bend are ready to elect someone who’s going to listen to us and go above and beyond to take on our biggest concerns, like education funding, a lack of affordable housing, the climate crisis, and so much more.”

“Jason is a trusted advocate for youth and their families in our community,” says Rev. Shimiko Montgomery, a Bend-La Pine Schools Board Member. “I know Jason will fight for every student to have a bright future by removing barriers and ensuring access to the opportunities provided by high-quality education.”

“I'm proud to support Jason Kropf for State Representative,” says Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel. “Jason has spent his entire career in public service, making Oregon a more safe and just place. I know that Bend families can count on Jason to stand up and do the right thing.”

Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 19,868 (35.4%) to 12,596 (22.4%) in House District 54, according to January 2020 voter registration data from the Oregon Secretary of State. For more on Jason, including a list of campaign endorsers, please visit www.jasonkropfforbend.com. 

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Legislative races are heating up, as south Deschutes County resident Hugh Palcic, a Democrat who is general manager of the Sunriver Owners Association and a member of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, announced his candidacy Wednesday for the Senate District 28 seat held by Klamath Falls Republican Dennis Linthicum.