Former House Speaker Dave Hunt May Seek His Old Legislative Seat in Clackamas County

Dave Hunt, the former speaker of the Oregon House, may run for his former legislative seat.

"A bunch of people have asked me to consider running," says Hunt, a Democrat who previously held the House District 40 seat, representing Gladstone and parts of Oregon City from 2003 to 2013.

Hunt, 47, was first elected to the House in 2002. He served as speaker in 2009 but lost that role in 2011 when the House was evenly split 30 to 30 between Democrats and Republicans. Hunt served as Democratic majority leader in 2011 and left the House for an unsuccessful run for Clackamas County chair in 2012.

Hunt's replacement, state Rep. Brent Barton (D-Oregon City) announced earlier this year he will not seek a third term, possibly paving the way for a comeback by Hunt, who works as the CEO of the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition, a regional contractors' group.

"I promised to think about running," Hunt says. "And I will make up my mind by the end of September, at the latest."

WWeek 2015