Nonaffiliated candidate who hoped to challenge Salinas in November ends campaign
Jason Faler was running as an nonaffiliated candidate in Oregonβs 6th Congressional District race. He had to collect slightly more than 3,500 signatures to qualify for the November ballot, a hurdle he must pass as nonaffiliated candidates rather than paying a filing fee. He is a fourth-generation Oregonian and a military officer, serving in the U.S. Army for almost 27 years. (Photo by Mia Maldonado/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
The nonaffiliated Oregonian hoping to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas in Oregonβs 6th Congressional District has ended his campaign.Β
Jason Faler, a combat veteran and former healthcare executive based in Tigard, announced Monday that his campaign wonβt have enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.Β Β
Unlike the major party candidates who paid a $100 fee to the Oregon secretary of state to run for Congress, nonaffiliated candidates have to collect signatures from 1% of the votes cast in their district during the last presidential election.Β
For Faler, that meant collecting about 3,500 valid signatures from registered voters in the Willamette Valley-based district and having them verified by the secretary of state before Aug. 25. Oregon law requires nonaffiliated voters to collect signatures or hold an assembly of electors, which would require Faler to gather signatures from more than 500 supporters in the same place at the same time.Β
With two weeks until the deadline, Faler said his campaign fell short with just less than 3,000 signatures, though he was aiming to have 4,500 in case some were invalid.
This nonaffiliated Oregonian is running for Congress. His campaign looks different than most
βThe obstacle to obtaining that number of signatures with pen and paper, unless one has an existing army of volunteers or the financial wherewithal to hire lots of paid circulators, is virtually doomed,β Faler said.Β
He raised $15,000 for his campaign from individual donors. He framed his campaign as a rejection against special political and corporate interests.Β
Faler said he hopes to run again in 2028. Until then, he said heβll push lawmakers to consider updating the signature collection process to allow for digital signature collection.Β
βI think weβd succeed if we had the ability to do this digitally, because thatβs where people are hanging out,β he said. βThe new town square is social media. Itβs in digital format.β
Salinas, who is in her second term, will run against former Dundee mayor and Republican David Russ in November. The Cook Political Report rates their race as a βsolid Democraticβ district in 2026.Β