Add Another Candidate in Scramble over Carter's Senate Seat

Another candidate has jumped into the political scrum after state Sen. Margaret Carter (D-North/Northeast Portland) announced she was taking a job at the state Department of Human Services.

Seth Prickett, a staffer at the Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association, has announced he wants to take the House seat of state Rep. Chip Shields (D-North/Northeast Portland) if Shields is appointed to replace Carter (pictured above).

Prickett faces at least one potential obstacle: Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel. Last year, Prickett was campaign director for then-Gresham Police Chief Carla Piluso in her unsuccessful run against McKeel. That race was one of the most expensive — and also one of the most personal — in East County's recent history.

If Shields takes Carter's senate seat, the county commissioners would vote on who should replace Shields, based on recommendations from the local Democratic Party.