Age in the 2025 Oregon State Legislature
The State of Oregon held its elections for a new Oregon House of Representatives and Oregon State Senate on November 4th, 2024. In January 2025, the currently active 2025 legislative session of the Oregon House of Representatives. Among the members elected, nine were aged 35 or younger on the day of the 2024 election. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Oregon State Legislature.
Oregon Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.
According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers in 2020 to become the largest generation in the U.S., making up 31% of the population, followed closely by Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X accounts for 28%, while the Silent Generation makes up just 9.9%.
Oregon featured many competitive elections, including several competitive House elections. According to the Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI), the House races in Oregon ranked high, especially the contentious race in Oregon’s 4th, 5th, & 6th congressional districts.
The Oregon House of Representatives 2025 Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected members of the Oregon House of Representatives
- The average age among Oregon House members was 53.85 years
- The youngest Representative, Ricardo Ruiz, was born in 1994
- The oldest Representative, John D. Lively, was born in 1946
- 5 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the Oregon House of Representatives, most representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X, or the Baby Boomer generations. Scroll below to view the generations represented in the Oregon House of Representatives.
Partisanship in the Oregon House of Representatives
The chart below provides a further breakdown of the current partisan composition of the 2025 Oregon House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan differences in the Oregon House extend beyond ideology to include notable generational contrasts. As shown in the visual below, Republican legislators have a higher average age than their Democratic counterparts—56.39 years compared to 52.10 years—a gap of 4.29 years. These disparities may reflect broader patterns in political recruitment, generational turnover, and the types of candidates emerging in recent election cycles.
Young Elected Representatives – Oregon House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Oregon, eight members aged 35 or under were elected to the Oregon House of Representatives. Below are all nine members, ordered from youngest to oldest, along with information about their local districts and party affiliations.
Young Elected Representatives — Oregon House of Representatives (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Ricki Ricardo Ruiz (D) | District 50 — Portland, OR | 1994 (Age 30) | 2020 |
 |
Alek R. Skarlatos (R) | District 4 — Roseburg, OR | 1992 (Age 32) | 2024 |
 |
Benjamin W. Bowman (D) | District 25 — Tigard, OR | 1992 (Age 32) | 2022 |
 |
Willy Chotzen (D) | District 46 — Portland, OR | 1991 (Age 33) | 2024 |
 |
Andrea L. Valderrama (D) | District 47 — Portland, OR | 1989 (Age 35) | 2021 |
Photos Courtesy of The Oregon House member roster
Gender in the Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. In Oregon, men make up a larger share of the chamber than women. Across all members, 52.54% are men, while women make up 47.46%. Although men are in the majority, Oregon has much higher gender parity than other states. For female representatives, the average age at the time of the election was 52.1, and for men, it was 55.42. Of the 5 Young Elected Leaders, one is female, and four are male.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional age differences emerge within the Oregon House of Representatives. Republican men and women have a higher average age when compared to Democrats. These patterns show that age representation in the Oregon House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the Oregon House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the Oregon House of Representatives varies across generations. In 2024, younger cohorts exhibit greater diversity, although the chamber as a whole remains predominantly White. The table below shows the distribution of each generation.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Oregon House of Representatives
| Ethnicity | Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 8 (66.67%) | 24 (77.42%) | 15 (93.75%) | 47 (79.66%) |
| Asian / Pacific American | 1 (8.33%) | 3 (9.68%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (6.78%) |
| Hispanic / Latino | 2 (16.67%) | 2 (6.45%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (6.78%) |
| Black / African American | 0 (0%) | 2 (6.45%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (3.39%) |
| Native American | 1 (8.33%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (6.25%) | 2 (3.39%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 12 (20.34%) | 31 (52.54%) | 16 (27.12%) | *59 (100%) |
The full Oregon House of Representatives comprises 60 seats. *One seat was vacant.
The Oregon Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Oregon Senate
- The average age of Oregon State Senate members is 60.03 years
- The youngest Senator is Wlnsvey E. Campos, born in 1995
- The oldest Senator is Suzanne Weber, born in 1946
- 1 member of the Oregon State Senate is a Young Elected Leader, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the Oregon State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Oregon, three members aged 35 or under were elected to (and currently serve in) the Oregon State Senate.
Young Elected Representatives — Oregon Senate (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Wlnsvey E. Campos (D) | District 18 —
Aloha, OR |
1995 (Age 29) | 2022 |
Photos courtesy of the Oregon Senate Member Roster.
Partisanship in the Oregon State Senate
In the Oregon State Senate, 18 senators belong to the Democratic Party, and 12 senators are Republicans. The mean age of Republican state senators after the 2024 election was 60.63, while the mean age of Democratic state senators was 59.63. Each generation has a different partisan makeup; overall, the Oregon State Senate is overwhelmingly composed of Baby Boomers and members of Generation X. Below is the breakdown of party composition by generation in the Oregon State Senate.
Gender in the Oregon Senate
The generational makeup of the Oregon Senate reveals notable gender dynamics. Overall, men are overrepresented across all age groups, especially among older generations. These patterns indicate that gender representation varies across generations, with women being represented in every generational cohort.
Race and Ethnicity in the Oregon Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the Oregon Senate shows generational variation. The table below presents the distribution by generation.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Oregon State Senate
| Ethnicity | Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White / Caucasian | 0 (0%) | 11 (84.62%) | 13 (81.25%) | 24 (80%) |
| Black / African American | 0 (0%) | 1 (7.69%) | 3 (18.75%) | 4 (13.33%) |
| Asian / Pacific American | 0 (0%) | 1 (7.69%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (3.33%) |
| Hispanic / Latino | 1 (100%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (3.33%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 1 (3.33%) | 13 (43.33%) | 16 (53.33%) | 30 (100%) |
The full Oregon State Senate comprises 33 seats.
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Oregon which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025 Oregon State Legislature