Krause Wins Oregon Senate District 3 Race

Democrat Denise Krause defeats Brad Hicks in the state Senate District 3 contest, succeeding retiring Sen. Jeff Golden.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Elections

Krause Wins Oregon Senate District 3 Race

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Denise Krause won the Oregon state Senate District 3 race over Brad Hicks, receiving 53.99% of the vote to Hicks's 42.01%. Hicks conceded the race, and the results were released as unofficial, updated results by the Jackson County Elections Office.

Why it matters

Krause will replace outgoing state Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, who is retiring from the seat. The outcome determines who represents the district in Salem, including residents of Southern Oregon.

Krause won 35,000 votes, or 53.99%, to Hicks's 27,234 votes, or 42.01%, out of 64,825 total votes cast. The results released by the county are unofficial and were updated as counting continued.

The players

Denise Krause

Denise Krause is an Ashland Democrat who won the Oregon state Senate District 3 seat and will succeed retiring state Sen. Jeff Golden.

Brad Hicks

Brad Hicks is a former CEO of the Chamber of Medford Jackson County who lost the Senate District 3 race to Denise Krause.

Jeff Golden

Jeff Golden is a Democratic state senator from Ashland who is retiring and whose seat Krause will fill.

The details

Krause declared victory the day after the first ballots were cast, and maintained a sizable lead over Hicks throughout early counts. Hicks, a former CEO of the Chamber of Medford Jackson County, conceded the race on Friday, Nov. 13, and issued a campaign statement, saying his campaign reached about 50,000 doorsteps with voter concerns.

Nov. 3, 2026: State Senate District 3 election held.
Day after first ballots were cast: Krause declared victory.
Friday, Nov. 13, 2026: Hicks conceded the race.
Week of Nov. 14, 2026: Unofficial updated results released by the county.

Political Context

Krause's win continues Democratic control of the Ashland-based seat that Jeff Golden has held as he retires. Hicks's campaign centered on voter concerns raised across roughly 50,000 doorsteps in Southern Oregon.

Residents of Senate District 3 will be represented by Krause once she takes the seat, replacing Golden. Voters in the district should expect the new senator to take over the legislative responsibilities of the seat in Salem.

The takeaway

Local races can be decided by a wide margin, and early results often shift as counting continues, so checking certified totals gives the clearest picture of an election's outcome.