Bruce Starr

Bruce Starr

Republican Party

Prior offices

Oregon House of Representatives

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Oregon State Senate District 15

Successor: Chuck Riley

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Recent elections

Office

Oregon State Senate District 12

Date Elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Hillsboro Union High School

Bachelor's

Portland State University, 1991

Personal

Profession

Business

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

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Bruce Starr (Republican Party) is a member-elect of the Oregon State Senate, representing District 12. He assumes office on January 13, 2025.

Starr (Republican Party) ran for election to the Oregon State Senate to represent District 12. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Starr served on the Hillsboro, Oregon Street Committee, Budget Committee, and City Council from 1995 to 1998. He served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1999-2003. Starr worked as Legislative Assistant for State Representative Charles Starr from 1993 to 1998.

Biography

Starr earned his B.S. from Portland State University in 1991. His professional experience includes working as a Business Development Manager and small business owner.

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Starr served on the following committees:

Oregon committee assignments, 2013
• Business and Transportation, Vice Chair
• Rules

2011-2012

Oregon committee assignments, 2011
• Business, Transportation and Economic Development
• Redistricting
• Joint Legislative Administration

2009-2010

Oregon committee assignments, 2009
• Business and Transportation

Elections

2024

See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Oregon State Senate District 12

Bruce Starr defeated Scott Hooper and Andrea Kennedy-Smith in the general election for Oregon State Senate District 12 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bruce Starr (R)	56.2	35,033
		Scott Hooper (D)	34.1	21,235
		Andrea Kennedy-Smith (Independent Party / Oregon Working Families Party)	9.6	6,002
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	32

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	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 62,302
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 12

Scott Hooper advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate District 12 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott Hooper	97.9	8,366
		Other/Write-in votes	2.1	180

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,546
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 12

Bruce Starr advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon State Senate District 12 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bruce Starr	99.1	12,334
		Other/Write-in votes	0.9	106

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,440
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

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Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Starr in this election.

2014

See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Oregon State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 11, 2014. Chuck Riley was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Bruce Starr was unopposed in the Republican primary. Riley also ran on the Working Families Party ticket. Caitlin Mitchel-Markley ran on the Libertarian ticket. Riley defeated Starr and Mitchel-Markley in the general election.

The Oregon State Senate was a battleground chamber that Ballotpedia identified as having the opportunity to switch partisan control in 2014. The Oregon Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of two seats, which amounts to 13.3 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. District 15 in the Senate was identified by Ballotpedia and The Oregonian as a battleground district that could determine control of the Oregon State Senate. Incumbent Bruce Starr (R) was defeated by former state representative Chuck Riley (D) in the general election. In 2010, Starr defeated Riley by less than 2,000 votes. Campaign finance reports showed that Starr received over $550,000 and Riley raised over $400,000 in donations before the general election.

Oregon State Senate District 15, General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Chuck Riley	45.7%	18,156
	Republican	Bruce Starr Incumbent	45%	17,869
	Libertarian	Caitlin Mitchel-Markley	9%	3,593
	None	Miscellaneous	0.3%	116
Total Votes				39,734

2012

See also: Oregon down ballot state executive elections, 2012

Starr ran for Oregon Commissioner of Labor in 2012. He was defeated by incumbent Brad Avakian (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.

Election date controversy

Since it is officially a nonpartisan position, at the beginning of the campaign season the candidates for Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries assumed the election would take place on May 15, 2012, during the state's primary election. Election officials, however, said a 2009 law passed by the legislature requires the election to take place in November. Current Commissioner Brad Avakian stated, "We thought the election was in May. My opponent thought the election was in May. Everybody thought the election was in May. It seems clear now that's not the case."

In mid-March, Sen. Starr sought a temporary restraining order that would have forced the Secretary of State to put the labor commission race on the May 15 ballot. Circuit Court Judge Steven Price rejected the move, saying Starr couldn't show he would be likely to win on the legal merits of the case. Adding to the confusion, the election is for a two year term, but only for this election. Andrea Cantu-Schomus, spokeswoman for the secretary of state's office, explained this move was intended to set up a standard where each election includes some statewide offices.

Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Brad Avakian* (D) Incumbent	52.5%	681,987
	Nonpartisan	Bruce Starr* (R)	46.7%	606,735
	Nonpartisan	Write-in	0.7%	9,616
Total Votes				1,298,338
Election results via Oregon Secretary of State

2010

See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2010

Starr won re-election to the Oregon State Senate against Chuck Riley (D). Starr was unopposed in the Republican primary. The general election took place on November 2, 2010.

Oregon State Senate, District 15 (2010)
Candidates		Votes
Bruce Starr (R)		21,382
Chuck Riley (D)		19,533

2006

See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2006

On November 7, 2006, Starr was re-elected to District 15 in the Oregon State Senate, defeating John Napolitano (D). Starr raised $144,889 for his campaign, while Napolitano raised $3,520.

Oregon State Senate, District 15 (2006)
Candidates		Votes
Bruce Starr (R)		19,973
John Napolitano (D)		16,308

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bruce Starr did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Starr's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

Jobs and Transportation

• Excerpt: "Bruce personally drafted a transportation package which added lanes on Highway 26, and rebuilt the Glencoe and Shute Road Interchanges. These projects improved road safety while putting local contractors and their employees to work."

Education

• Excerpt: "Bruce supported HB5601, voting to increase K-12 funding by $100 million to hire teachers and add valuable school days."

Supporting Small Business

• Excerpt: "Bruce voted for HB3601, cutting taxes on small businesses that create jobs and add to the economy."

Environment

• Excerpt: "Bruce voted to preserve Oregon’s rivers and streams protecting habitat for species like salmon, lamprey, and trout."

Oregon Capital News sat down with Starr to get his thoughts on the environment, education, and the budget.

Political positions

Debt negotiations

Starr is one of the members of a bipartisan group organized by the National Conference of Legislatures called the Task Force on Federal Deficit Reduction (TFFDR). Consisting of 23 state lawmakers from 17 states, the group went to Capitol Hill on September 21, 2011 to urge the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to cut the nation's debt but not impose severe budget cuts on the states.

TFFDR urged the Committee to consider new revenue as a possibility, instead of just focusing on budget cuts as House Speaker John Boehner has proposed. The group specifically proposed passage of the "Main Street Fairness Act," which would allow states to tax online retailers.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Bruce Starr campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Oregon State Senate District 12	Won general	$76,981	$52,702
2012	Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries	Lost	$546,886	N/A**
2010	Oregon State Senate, District 15	Won	$751,042	N/A**
2006	Oregon State Senate, District 15	Won	$173,097	N/A**
2002	Oregon State Senate, District 15	Won	$138,015	N/A**
2000	Oregon State House, District 3	Won	$94,437	N/A**
1998	Oregon State House, District 3	Won	$117,959	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Oregon

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Oregon scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].

2014

In 2014, the 77th Oregon State Legislature, second session, was in session from February 3 to March 10.

• Oregon Farm Bureau: 2014 State Legislative Summary

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family farmers and ranchers.

2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].

In 2013, the 77th Oregon State Legislature, first session, was in session from February 4 to July 9. American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon: 2013 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their voting record for bills relating to civil liberties. American Federation of Teachers-Oregon: 2013 Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization. Associated Oregon Industries: 2013 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their voting record for bills relating to the business community. Oregon Education Association: 2013 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education. Oregon Farm Bureau: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family farmers and ranchers. Oregon League of Conservation Voters: 2013 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their voting record for bills relating to conservation. Stand for Children-Oregon: 2013 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.

2012

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show].
In 2012, the 76th Oregon State Legislature, second session, was in session from February 1 to March 6. American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon: 2011-2012 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their voting record for bills relating to civil liberties.

2011

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show].

In 2011, the 76th Oregon State Legislature, first session, was in session from February 1 to June 30. American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon: 2011-2012 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their voting record for bills relating to civil liberties. Oregon Humane Society: 2011 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored on bills related to animal issues. Oregon League of Conservation Voters: 2011 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their voting record for bills relating to conservation. Stand for Children-Oregon: 2011 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.

Endorsements

2014

In 2014, Starr's endorsements included the following:

• Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey
• Forest Grove Mayor Pete Truax
• North Plains Mayor David Hatcher
• Washington county Commission Chair Andy Duyck
• Hillsboro chamber of Commerce PAC

• Portland Business Alliance
• Oregon Business Association
• Washington County Farm Bureau
• Oregon Farm Bureau Federation
• Oregon State Firefighters Council

2016 Republican National Convention

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016

Starr was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Oregon. Starr was one of five delegates from Oregon bound by state party rules to support John Kasich at the convention.

Delegate rules

See also: RNC delegate guidelines from Oregon, 2016 and Republican delegates from Oregon, 2016

Delegates from Oregon to the 2016 Republican National Convention were elected at a state convention in June 2016. Oregon delegate candidates were required to indicate which presidential candidate they favor, and if selected to participate in the national convention, sign a pledge to support him or her. All delegates from Oregon were bound on the first ballot unless released by their candidate. On the second ballot, a delegate was to remain bound if the candidate received at least 35 percent of the convention vote on the previous ballot. All Oregon delegates were to be unbound on the third and subsequent ballots.

Oregon primary results

See also: Presidential election in Oregon, 2016

Oregon Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Donald Trump	64.2%	252,748	18
John Kasich	16.6%	65,513	5
Ted Cruz	15.8%	62,248	5
Other	3.4%	13,441	0
Totals		393,950	28
Source: The New York Times and Oregon Secretary of State

Delegate allocation

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016 and 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

Oregon had 28 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 15 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's five congressional districts). Oregon's district delegates were allocated on a proportional basis in accordance with the statewide primary vote.

Of the remaining 13 delegates, 10 served at large. Oregon's at-large delegates were allocated proportionally in accordance with the statewide primary vote. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Starr and his wife, Rebecca, have two children.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Bruce + Starr + Oregon + Senate'"

All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.

Bruce Starr News Feed

See also

2024 Elections

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Candidate

Oregon State Senate District 12

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Oregon State Senate District 15 2003-2015	Succeeded by Chuck Riley (D)

[show]

Current members of the Oregon State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Rob Wagner

Majority Leader:Kathleen Taylor

Minority Leader:Daniel Bonham

Senators

District 1

David Smith (R)

District 2

Art Robinson (R)

District 3

Jeff Golden (D)

District 4

Floyd Prozanski (D)

District 5

Dick Anderson (R)

District 6

Cedric Hayden (R)

District 7

James Manning (D)

District 8

Sara Gelser Blouin (D)

District 9

Fred Girod (R)

District 10

Deb Patterson (D)

District 11

Kim Thatcher (R)

District 12

Brian Boquist (I)

District 13

Aaron Woods (D)

District 14

Kate Lieber (D)

District 15

Janeen Sollman (D)

District 16

Suzanne Weber (R)

District 17

Vacant

District 18

WInsvey Campos (D)

District 19

Rob Wagner (D)

District 20

Mark Meek (D)

District 21

Kathleen Taylor (D)

District 22

Lew Frederick (D)

District 23

Michael Dembrow (D)

District 24

Kayse Jama (D)

District 25

Chris Gorsek (D)

District 26

Daniel Bonham (R)

District 27

Tim Knopp (R)

District 28

Dennis Linthicum (R)

District 29

Bill Hansell (R)

District 30

Lynn Findley (R)

Democratic Party (16)

Republican Party (12)

Independent Party of Oregon (1)

Vacancies (1)

[show]

Current members of the Oregon State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Rob Wagner

Majority Leader:Kathleen Taylor

Minority Leader:Daniel Bonham

Senators

District 1

David Smith (R)

District 2

Art Robinson (R)

District 3

Jeff Golden (D)

District 4

Floyd Prozanski (D)

District 5

Dick Anderson (R)

District 6

Cedric Hayden (R)

District 7

James Manning (D)

District 8

Sara Gelser Blouin (D)

District 9

Fred Girod (R)

District 10

Deb Patterson (D)

District 11

Kim Thatcher (R)

District 12

Brian Boquist (I)

District 13

Aaron Woods (D)

District 14

Kate Lieber (D)

District 15

Janeen Sollman (D)

District 16

Suzanne Weber (R)

District 17

Vacant

District 18

WInsvey Campos (D)

District 19

Rob Wagner (D)

District 20

Mark Meek (D)

District 21

Kathleen Taylor (D)

District 22

Lew Frederick (D)

District 23

Michael Dembrow (D)

District 24

Kayse Jama (D)

District 25

Chris Gorsek (D)

District 26

Daniel Bonham (R)

District 27

Tim Knopp (R)

District 28

Dennis Linthicum (R)

District 29

Bill Hansell (R)

District 30

Lynn Findley (R)

Democratic Party (16)

Republican Party (12)

Independent Party of Oregon (1)

Vacancies (1)