Politics
Oregon Senate Democrats Tap Bend's Anthony Broadman as Caucus Leader Ahead of Long Session
Sen. Anthony Broadman, a Bend Democrat and former tribal court judge, will lead the Oregon Senate Democratic caucus as it enters a long session with its largest majority in decades. Senate Democrats also reelected Rob Wagner as Senate president and chose James Manning as president pro tempore, with the full chamber set to vote in January.
Oregon Senate Democrats have chosen Sen. Anthony Broadman of Bend as their new caucus leader, handing the reins to a former Bend city councilor and tribal court judge as the party enters a long legislative session with one of its strongest majorities in years.
The selection, announced by Senate Democrats, takes effect immediately. Broadman, first elected to the Senate in 2024, is the first Senate Democratic leader from east of the Cascades since the 1980s, according to a caucus press release. His district spans Bend, Redmond, Sisters and much of Deschutes County.
Broadman said his priorities are the economy, affordability and making Oregon's schools and communities safer. He represents Bend, where a shooting last month at Silver Rail Elementary School shook the community.
"Voters entrusted us with the largest Democratic majority in decades, and our first priority must be making life more affordable for Oregon families," Broadman said in a statement.
Before joining the Senate, Broadman served on the Bend City Council and worked as a lawyer for tribal governments. He was also chief judge of the Warm Springs Court of Appeals on the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon.
He replaces Sen. Kayse Jama, D-Portland, who made history as the first former refugee and first Muslim American elected to the Oregon State Senate. Jama fled Somalia and arrived in Portland in 1998. He took the leadership post in 2024 and stepped aside voluntarily; he remains in the Senate.
Senate Democrats also reelected Senate President Rob Wagner, of Lake Oswego, who was first appointed to the chamber in 2018. Wagner succeeded longtime Senate President Peter Courtney, who held the post for roughly two decades and was the longest-serving state lawmaker in Oregon history. Courtney died in 2024.
Sen. James Manning was selected as Senate President Pro Tempore. The full chamber is scheduled to vote in January on Wagner's and Manning's positions.
The leadership decisions come as Democrats prepare for a long session with a sizable majority, giving the caucus leverage over budget and policy priorities. For Central Oregon, Broadman's rise marks a shift in regional representation at the highest levels of Senate Democratic leadership.