BOARDMAN — Another Eastern Oregon cattle rancher with county government experience has announced a bid for the seat of retiring state Sen. Bill Hansell.

Former Morrow County Commissioner Jim Doherty joins Wallowa County Commissioner Todd Nash as the early runners for the Oregon State Senate District 29 in the 2024 Republican Primary Election.

“Frankly, I’d love to follow in the footsteps of Sen. Hansell,” Doherty said in announcing his candidacy on Thursday, March 30. “I’d like for Sen. Hansell to know there are good folks out here to continue on his legacy.”

Hansell, a Republican from Athena, has served more than four decades in local and state government positions, with eight terms as a Umatilla County commissioner, and is in his third term in the Oregon State Senate, representing a large rural district in Eastern Oregon.

Doherty noted Hansell made it a point to invite lawmakers from Western Oregon to the Pendleton Round-Up, in particular Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, Democrat from northwest Portland. Doherty said if he wins he would continue that tradition as well.

Hansell announced March 3 he would not seek reelection to his District 29 seat. He said he made the announcement early so other potential candidates would have plenty of time to ponder an election run.

Doherty was a Morrow County commissioner from 2016 to late 2022, when he and Melissa Lindsey lost their seats on the county board in a recall election. He pushed in 2022 to bring attention to the crisis of nitrate contamination in well water that many residents in the Boardman area rely on.

Doherty said as a state senator he could put a larger spotlight on the water contamination problem in Morrow County and western Umatilla County. Part of that work, he said, would be to keep the Environmental Protection Agency from stepping in and taking control.

“I think that’s a little heavy-handed,” he said.

He is a longtime cattle rancher in Morrow County and in 2019 was president of the Association of Oregon Counties, a position Hansell also once held. Serving in that role, Doherty said, gave him a broad look at Eastern Oregon and the variety of perspectives here.

While the nitrate contamination is a focal point, Doherty said there are a number of issues to take on in the district, including water resources, the housing shortage, more people living unhoused, economic development and the continuation of the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision process.

“There’s a lot of challenges out there,” he said.

Doherty said he has been in contact with Moore Information Group, a Portland firm, to do polling in the district to get a better sense of what constituents need. With the primary is a little more than a year away, Doherty said as a candidate he has to get to work now and secure finances for the campaign. He said he is setting up a political action committee and has talked with the political public relations firm Pac/West Communications.

And while he also will need to advertise to get out his message, Doherty said he is much more comfortable knocking on doors and meeting people face to face.

“I rather do the personal touch,” he said.

Senate District 29 covers all of Umatilla, Morrow, Union, Gilliam and Sherman counties, as well as parts of Wasco County.