SALEM, Ore. — Sept. 11, 2025 — The race for Salem’s next mayor is beginning to take shape, with incumbent Mayor Julie Hoy filing for re-election and City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke announcing her intention to run. The nonpartisan primary election is scheduled for May 19, 2026.
Hoy, elected in 2024 after serving as the Ward 6 councilor, formally filed on Thursday, the opening day of the candidate filing period. Nordyke, who represents Ward 7 and has served on the council since 2021, has also entered the race, setting up an early field of candidates for the city’s top elected office.
Hoy’s First Term and Re-Election Bid
Julie Hoy became mayor in January 2025 after defeating then-incumbent Chris Hoy in the 2024 election. Her campaign at the time centered on restoring trust in city government, focusing on essential services, and opposing new taxes.
During her first term, she has positioned fiscal accountability and public safety as the city’s top priorities. She opposed a payroll tax proposal, a stance that defined her early leadership and reinforced her message that the city must allocate existing resources before seeking new revenue. Supporters credit her with putting the brakes on what they viewed as unnecessary spending, while critics have questioned whether her approach leaves other pressing needs underfunded.
Hoy has lived in northeast Salem for more than 30 years and has deep ties to the community. She co-owns Geppetto’s Italian Restaurant with her husband, a local establishment they have operated since 2017. She has also volunteered in schools for more than 25 years as a musician and composer, adding an artistic and educational dimension to her public profile.
Her long residency and business ownership have shaped her political identity as someone grounded in local concerns. As mayor, she has emphasized accessibility to constituents and a direct, plainspoken style. Her re-election campaign is expected to continue highlighting her opposition to new taxes, her support for emergency services, and her call for restoring public trust in city government.
Nordyke’s Background and Council Service
Vanessa Nordyke has represented Ward 7 on the Salem City Council since 2021, following a career as an Assistant Attorney General with the Oregon Department of Justice. Over more than 14 years in that role, she worked on cases involving child abuse, domestic violence, civil rights, and other issues affecting vulnerable communities.
In 2023, Nordyke became executive director of CASA of Marion County, a nonprofit organization that advocates for children in foster care. She is a third-generation Salem attorney and a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Oregon School of Law.
On the City Council, Nordyke has focused on affordable housing, homelessness, and public health. She has also been active in veterans’ advocacy and mental health initiatives. Her mayoral campaign is expected to highlight her experience in both government service and nonprofit leadership.
Early Candidates for Mayor
The 2026 mayoral election is expected to focus on familiar challenges for Salem: homelessness, funding for emergency services, and how to manage growth while maintaining a balanced budget.
Julie Hoy and Vanessa Nordyke are the first candidates to step forward, each bringing distinct professional backgrounds and areas of focus. Hoy emphasizes her record as a business owner and first-term mayor focused on fiscal accountability and public safety. Nordyke’s profile is shaped by her legal background, child advocacy work, and policy record on housing and vulnerable populations.
Both candidates have served on the Salem City Council, which adds another dynamic to the race. With the mayor and a current councilor vying for the same office, the campaign has the potential to divide the council in the year ahead, especially on contentious issues such as city spending, taxation, and homelessness policy.
With the filing period just beginning, additional candidates may also enter the race in the months ahead.
Election Timeline
The nonpartisan primary election for Salem mayor will take place on May 19, 2026. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two vote-getters will advance to the general election later in the year.
The early announcements from Hoy and Nordyke mark the start of a campaign season expected to feature debate over how Oregon’s capital city should approach growth, safety, and fiscal priorities in the years ahead.
