The Average

7.96

BRAINS 6.52 EFFECTIVENESS

One of the four rookie Vietnamese American candidates who won a House seat in 2022, Pham, 43, a pediatric dentist, earned high marks for being a quick study and for working with Rep. Cyrus Javadi (R-Tillamook) on two bills that expand the dental workforce and improve Oregonians’ dental health. “He reached across the aisle and included his Republican counterparts in health care legislation,” says a lobbyist. Pham also won a lot of friends by installing a commercial grade espresso machine outside his office.

7.69 BRAINS

6.42 EFFECTIVENESS

A strait-laced land use lawyer—he’s made the vest a fashion item—Helm, 58, now in his fifth term, chairs the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water. Visitors to his office often linger over the photographic entries to Helm’s “big fish contest” meant to highlight angling skills. That puts him at the intersection of the battle over Oregon’s resources between environmentalists and loggers, farmers and anglers. And the comments about him show a sharp divide. “Rep. Helm has worked hard to meet the needs and concerns of Eastern Oregon communities that are facing serious and significant challenges with drought and water management,” says a business lobbyist. “‘If Helm were a Marvel hero he’d be Captain Disappointment,” says an environmental lobbyist. “Thinks he can work across the aisle, while those across the aisle just know they can take advantage of him.”

7.5 BRAINS

6.07 EFFECTIVENESS

Nguyen, 44, came to Salem with business and political experience: He’s an owner of the Bambuza restaurant chain and served on the Lake Oswego City Council. He was vice chair of the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business and a vocal member of the Joint Committee on Semiconductors. Progressives don’t trust him. “He’s a Republican wrapped in a Democratic voter registration card,” says one. “I think he’s smart enough to hide it, but that doesn’t make him trustworthy; it just makes him dangerous.”

But business lobbyists are happy to have somebody who speaks their language. “Pro-business Democrat, which was a great addition to the caucus,” says one of them. “Wish he would have spoken up more in committees to have a better sense of what he was thinking.”

Rep. Annessa Hartman

D-GLADSTONE

OVERALL RATING

6.98

7.81 INTEGRITY

Rep. Janelle Bynum

D-HAPPY VALLEY

Rep. Thuy

OVERALL RATING

6.97

7.11 INTEGRITY

6.96

8.12

Integrity

Rep. Nathan Sosa

D-HILLSBORO

OVERALL RATING

6.94

7.31 INTEGRITY

7.13

Brains 6 Effectiveness

A member of the Haudenosaunee, Cayuga Nation, Snipe Clan, Hartman, 35, is just the third Native American elected to the Oregon House. (Rep. Tawna Sanchez and the late Rep. Jackie Taylor [D-Astoria] preceded her.) As a first-termer, Hartman got in the middle of a battle over how the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Commission should be constituted. Environmentalists want to preserve the status quo, which favors the Willamette Valley, while agricultural, timber and sporting interests want a greater share of representation. She argued the current system shuts out the tribes and advocated for changing it so members are appointed from the state’s large river drainages rather than by congressional district. She also showed sharp elbows, on and off the court. “Very aggressive in the charity basketball game,” noted one lobbyist, in reference to the House vs. Senate contest. “Stood up to [the Oregon Department of Transportation] on tolling,” says a staffer. “Smart move in Clackamas County.”

6.98

Brains

6.82 EFFECTIVENESS

Now in her fourth and probably final term, Bynum, 48, has carved out a position in the middle of her caucus. The co-owner of McDonald’s franchises, she’s too moderate for the left and, as a leader on police reform, too liberal for many Republicans. Outside her office: life-sized cutouts of the Obamas, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and one of her sons in his Ducks football uniform.

Bynum’s fearless, as evidenced by her willingness to publicly challenge then-House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) to turn over power to a person of color. And although that effort failed, Bynum wields considerable clout as chair of the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business. “Excellent committee management skills,” says one lobbyist. “If all chairs ran their committees like hers, we would have been out of here by Memorial Day!” (She was a chief sponsor of Senate Bill 4, the semiconductor bill that passed.) Bynum is mulling a challenge to U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), whom she twice defeated in legislative races.

7.14

Brains

5.6 EFFECTIVENESS

An optometrist, Tran took over the seat long held by House Majority Leader Barbara Smith-Warner. She brought more political experience than many rookies, with previous service on the Parkrose School Board. This session, Tran, 56, served as vice chair of the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans, a nod to her career in the Oregon Air National Guard. Tran worked on bills that would beef up the workforce for early childhood education and create an incentive for state agencies to contract with companies that have “benefit company” status. “An overachiever and will patiently work with others to get her colleagues on board with her policy ideas,” says a business lobbyist. “Nice person, but it’s hard to tell if much sinks in. Seems to get conflicted between her ideological inclinations and what she sees in the real world.”

7.64 BRAINS

5.89 EFFECTIVENESS

A personal injury lawyer who formerly served on the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, Sosa, 39, got off to a reasonable start in his first session. He challenged some of the most entrenched financial interests in Salem, sponsoring bills that would increase regulation and oversight of the insurance and debt collection industries. “A rare (and welcome) voice for consumer protection,” says one lobbyist. Not everybody appreciated his zeal. “The trial lawyers’ new call girl,” sneered one staffer.

Like a lot of rookies, Sosa found there’s more to legislating than good ideas. “Hasn’t mastered the art of negotiating with those opposed to him yet, and seems prone to letting the perfect be the enemy of the good—but come back in five years and I have no doubt he will have risen in the ranks.”

Susan McClain

D-FOREST GROVE

OVERALL RATING

6.8

7.72 INTEGRITY

6.61 BRAINS

6.06 EFFECTIVENESS

A former schoolteacher and Metro councilor who first won election to the House in 2014, McClain, 74, cochaired the Joint Committee on Transportation, Joint Committee on the Interstate 5 Bridge, and the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education. Views on her diverge wildly. “The ninja of transportation. Nothing happens or gets by her. She’s quick to pick up and pull things together,” says a lobbyist. “The only thing holding her back are the other dimwits on the committee.”

Others blame her. “A good soldier, but no original thinking,” says an observer. Opposition to tolling and the scope of the bridge project complicated her work, as did the absence of Transportation co-chair Sen. Chris Gorsek. “She’s slipping, but still bulldogs her way through,” says a public sector lobbyist, who notes: “Couldn’t get the IBR bill, her top priority, out of her own committee.”

6.79

7.75

6.75

5.88

Nguyen, 39, an attendance officer for the Clackamas Education Service District, jumped into her rookie session with enthusiasm, even coming up with a Woody Guthrie-esque description of the contours of her district: “From Kelly Butte to Powell Butte, Barton to Carver.” Nguyen served as vice chair of the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services.

Respondents had little to say about Nguyen, who worked on bills on alternative transportation for students and improving educational outcomes for Pacific islanders. “Friendly, personable and, once she finds her voice, could be an effective legislator long term,” offered one GOP staffer. In testimony on a bill that would create a task force on campus sexual assault, Nguyen gave a searing account of her own experience while a student. “Her testimony was extraordinary,” says a veteran lobbyist.

Rep. Jeff Helfrich

R-HOOD RIVER

OVERALL RATING 6.76

7.25 INTEGRITY

6.83 BRAINS

6.19 EFFECTIVENESS

For Helfrich, the third time was the charm. A retired Portland cop and former Multnomah County sheriff’s deputy, Helfrich achieved a rare comeback in 2022, retaking a House seat to which he was appointed in 2017 but lost in 2018 and failed to retake in 2020. Most respondents think that Helfrich, 55, who now works for an aviation company, came back a better lawmaker. Along with Dexter and Jama, he was chief sponsor of House Bill 2001, which passed early and established aggressive housing production goals. “Unlike his previous tenure in the House, Rep. Helfrich showed up and worked on a lot of bipartisan legislation,” says a lobbyist. “This guy is a lot smarter than you think he is, and your underestimating—that is what he counts on.”

Rep. Jules Walters

D-WEST LINN OVERALL RATING

6.74

8 INTEGRITY

6.58 BRAINS

Walters, 52, entered the Legislature after serving as mayor of West Linn, where fractious politics belie the bucolic suburb’s placid appearance. She served as co-vice chair of the House Committee on Revenue and the Joint Committee on Tax Expenditures. Lobbyists struggled to get a read on her. “Hello, is anybody in there?” wrote one. “Best poker face ever or is she a Stepford wife?”

Like many of the representatives whose districts are adjacent to Interstate 205, Walters got engaged around a bill that forced a delay in the Oregon Department of Transportation’s plan to toll that highway. She also brought personal experience to bear on one of the most contentious issues of the session: “Walters describing what it’s like to be the parent of a trans teenager was a moment of humanity in the political process I won’t soon forget,” says one lobbyist.

Rep. Ricki Ruiz

D-GRESHAM

OVERALL RATING

6.7

7.56

Integrity

6.76 BRAINS

5.78

Effectiveness

Now in his second term, Ruiz, 29, is the youngest member of the House. He first won elected office at 22, joining the board of the Reynolds School District from which he graduated. A first-generation American, he’s also the first in his family to graduate from college. This term, he served as vice chair of the House Committee on Higher Education.

There may be nobody in this survey who is better liked by lobbyists and staff on both sides of the aisle. “If I had to pick a legislator to go to a comedy show with and laugh, it would be Ricki,” says a no-nonsense business lobbyist. “Nice guy,” says a GOP staffer. “Gets hung out to dry by his leadership way more than a guy who had a close election should.”

Pham, 44, came to the Legislature from a series of advocacy positions. Observers say she hasn’t wavered from that mindset. Pham aimed big, pushing a controversial $25 million guaranteed income program to give people $1,000 a month; divesting fossil fuels from state pension funds; and downsizing the Interstate Bridge replacement. None succeeded.

“Doesn’t realize she’s no longer an advocate and was sent to govern,” says a lobbyist. But she also co-led the charge to refer a ranked-choice voting measure and another to end walkouts. The latter bill proposed late in the session, defines a quorum as a majority of members rather than the current two-thirds.

Many cheer her zeal. “The only person who really cares to dig deep on natural resource budgets rather than rubber stamping whatever agency leaders tell them,” says a lobbyist.

Rep. Courtney Neron

D-WILSONVILLE

OVERALL RATING 6.61

7.76 INTEGRITY

6.28 BRAINS 5.9 EFFECTIVENESS

Now in her third term, Neron, 44, a former teacher, chairs the House Education Committee. “Definition of ‘average legislator,’” says one respondent. “She just wants you to tell her what she wants to hear,” says a business lobbyist. The ed committee used to be a plum post, but K-12 education has taken a back seat to more pressing issues, particularly after passage of the Student Success Act in 2019. Neron worked on House Bill 3043, which would require greater disclosure of toxins in products used by children. Detractors noted that Neron scurried to join the opposition to tolling I-205 this session despite having voted for tolling in 2021 (along with all other House Democrats): “The bell ‘tolled’ for this one when she realized she was on the wrong side of tolling during her campaign, biggest flip-flop ever.”

6.55

6.67

6.9

6.07

Valderrama, 34, who works for the ACLU of Oregon, got appointed when Rep. Diego Hernandez resigned in 2021. (She was one of the people who accused him of misconduct.) Some progressives love her: “Absolutely a rising star in the Democratic caucus. She works hard [and] has the right values.” But others noted the turnover in her office. “I’ve never seen a full legislative office quit during session before,” says a progressive lobbyist.

As the caucus whip, Valderrama’s job was to count votes. Respondents panned her performance. “Definitely doesn’t know how or doesn’t count votes properly—your job!” says one.

The prediction of more than one lobbyist: She’s a short-timer: “I assume she’ll be running for City Council next year—that may be a better fit.”

Rep. Travis Nelson

D-NORTH PORTLAND

OVERALL RATING

6.42

7.05 INTEGRITY

6.7 BRAINS

5.55 EFFECTIVENESS

Nelson, a registered nurse and nurses union official, won appointment to this seat of the longtime incumbent, Tina Kotek, when she resigned in 2022 to run for governor. Perhaps the first lawmaker to show up in a sleeveless shirt-and-tie ensemble, he won notice for his sense of fashion. “Best dressed in the building,” says one lobbyist. Nelson also generated ink for an early session complaint that Oregon State Police targeted him for driving while Black—a complaint that police video did not appear to support.

Nelson, 44, served as vice chair of the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care, where he helped pass the hospital staffing bill. Some people found him scattered. “For someone who is a health care worker by profession, Rep. Nelson doesn’t seem to know how health care works,” says a health care lobbyist. “He could spend more time reading bills and less time on Twitter.”