Archaeologist and activist Ky Fireside is running in the Democratic primary for Oregon’s 7th House District, encompassing Springfield. The seat in Oregon’s Legislature is currently held by longtime Rep. John Lively, who announced his retirement in November 2025.
Fireside says by campaigning for Lively’s seat in the May election, they hope to bring a more progressive viewpoint to the Legislature by addressing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, health care and education.
Fireside, co-founder of Eyes Off Eugene, says their desire to run for office started in 2024 when they helped champion the de-Flock campaigns in Eugene and Springfield, which resulted in both cities terminating contracts with the license plate reader company. Some reports have shown that Flock was used to provide data to ICE. Other reports reveal Flock was used to track down women who had abortions in states where it is outlawed. After the success with de-Flocking Eugene and Springfield, Fireside says they realized, “If I wanted to keep doing the work that we have been doing, then I should try to step in and do it more directly.”
Fireside says before the success with Flock Safety, they had a negative experience with the legislative process. “I was under the impression that when you email a legislator, you get an automated reply back,” Fireside says.
But after they contacted Lively’s office and had a real conversation, Fireside became more confident that the legislative process could be used to make a real difference. “The system is still functional,” Fireside says. “We had a massive public turnout showing that they opposed a thing, and then the people in charge acted on it.”
Fireside says with this newfound confidence, they believe a seat in the Legislature can help them continue to pursue their top priorities. “When we have ICE invading our state and kidnapping people, I don’t think it’s time to prioritize decorum,” Fireside says. “Something I see with a lot of Democrats in office right now is that because they’re so worried about how things look and making sure there’s the fewest number of people who are offended, we just aren’t getting that much done.”
As a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Fireside says they’re “further left than the establishment Democrats.” They say they understand that House representatives can’t abolish ICE, but believe that the current Legislature is not exploring all the options to protect at-risk communities.
“We could have the police as legal observers instead of having our community members as legal observers, who are getting shot and killed,” Fireside says, referring to Alex Pretti and Nicole Good, who were shot and killed by ICE in Minnesota. “There are so many traffic laws that ICE is violating all the time and there’s no reason not to enforce that.”
While issuing traffic violations and dispatching legal observers won’t stop ICE, Fireside says it at least slows them down. “I don’t understand why we are not doing that,” Fireside says.
In September, the debate over universal health care will reach the Legislature when the Universal Health Plan Governance Board, an appointed board of health care providers and public engagement professionals, will present its final comprehensive plan for a universal health care system. Then, in 2027, the Legislature may vote to adopt the plan, or place it on the 2027 or 2028 ballot.
Fireside says they believe a universal health care plan would alleviate a health care crisis. Universal health care is a state-funded insurance model that provides health coverage to all, regardless of their ability to pay. “We need this so quickly because our whole health care system is falling apart with the loss of funding,” Fireside says.
Springfield, sometimes jokingly referred to as “Springtucky,” is known for its more conservative politics when compared to Eugene. Fireside says they know this and is campaigning on ideas that they hope can reach across partisan lines. “Very few of these issues, I think, are actually that divisive,” Fireside says. They add that instead of focusing on things like identity politics, they want to focus on the issues that affect everyone, like education.
Test scores in Oregon are trending downwards. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Oregon is among the lowest nationwide in test scores. Fireside says they want to help restructure Oregon’s budget to improve funding and subsequently improve outcomes for Oregon’s students. “I think the giant corporations need to be paying their fair share in taxes, and that increase in revenue is going to solve a number of our budget problems,” Fireside says.
By focusing on health care, education and ICE, Fireside says they will reach members of Oregon’s 7th House District by holding the traditional Democratic establishment accountable and working across partisan lines to vote and draft legislation that benefits all Oregonians.
Campaign finance records show that Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley, who is also running for Oregon’s 7th House District in the May Democratic primary race, has raised $27,802. Fireside tells Eugene Weekly they’ve raised approximately $8,000, which includes $1,000 from Lively’s campaign committee. Adam Wilson, who is running in the Republican primary for the 7th House District, has raised $18,585.
Learn more about Fireside’s campaign at KyFights.org.