About Michael
Michael Orth is running for Oregon State Representative in District 36 because our communities deserve leadership that shows up, listens, and delivers results.
Michael isn't a career politician. He's a neighbor who's tired of watching Washington County drift further from the priorities of the people it's supposed to serve — and he's ready to bring common sense back to the State House.
He believes government should be smaller, smarter, and accountable to the people who pay for it. That means real solutions on the cost of living, safer streets, stronger schools, and protection for the farms and orchards that anchor our rural economy.
Why I'm Running
I'm running because Oregonians are tired of the current direction — and for the first time in a long time, they finally have a real option on the ballot.
Democrats have controlled Washington County and Oregon for more than 40 years. Four decades of one-party rule, and what do we have to show for it? The cost of living keeps climbing, schools that once led the nation now compete for dead last, our streets feel less safe, and the farms and small businesses that built this state are being squeezed out by taxes, fees, and mandates written by people who've never worked a day in the district they represent.
Forty years is more than enough time to fix these problems. They've had their chance. They've had the majorities, the budgets, and the bully pulpit — and things have only gotten worse. That isn't leadership. That's a failed status quo being protected by the people who profit from it.
I'm not running to give speeches. I'm running to actually change this.
I consider myself an agent of change — and I'm willing to do the hard, unglamorous work it takes to make that change happen. That means showing up, reading the bills, building coalitions, and staying at the table long after the cameras leave. Change doesn't come from talking points; it comes from effort, and I'm ready to put in the work.
I'll show up in Salem to fight for lower costs, real education standards, safer communities, and the farms, orchards, and small businesses that anchor District 36. I'll answer to the neighbors who sent me — not to lobbyists, party bosses, or the Portland political class.
If you're ready for a representative who works for you, and a state government that actually delivers results, I'm asking for your vote.