Sen. Merkley Brings Eastern Oregon Town Hall Tour to Baker City
Merkley will stop at Baker City's Community Connection senior center March 31 — one of nine Eastern Oregon town halls he's held every year since 2009.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley will bring his 2026 Eastern Oregon town hall tour to Baker City on Tuesday, March 31, stopping at the Community Connection of Baker County senior center at 2810 Cedar St. at 9:30 a.m. PDT.
The Baker City event is the first stop of a packed Tuesday that takes Merkley through three counties in a single day. After Baker City, he moves north to Eastern Oregon University's Badgley Hall in La Grande at 12:30 p.m., then west to the Wallowa Senior Center at 204 E. Second St. in Wallowa at 3:30 p.m.
The full nine-stop sweep runs March 30 through April 1, covering Malheur, Harney, Grant, Baker, Union, Wallowa, Umatilla, Morrow, and Wheeler counties. Monday's opening leg begins in Nyssa at 11 a.m. Mountain time at the Nyssa Senior Center, 316 Good Ave., then continues to Burns at 2:30 p.m. at the Harney County Community Center, 478 N. Broadway Ave., before ending the evening in John Day at 6 p.m. at the Grant County Senior Center, 142 NE Dayton St. The tour closes Wednesday, April 1, with morning and afternoon stops in Umatilla, Heppner, and Fossil, wrapping at Wheeler High School at 4:30 p.m.
Since taking office in 2009, Merkley has held an open town hall in each of Oregon's 36 counties every year, a streak that now totals more than 630 events. The nine Eastern Oregon stops are part of his pledge to complete the full circuit of all 36 counties in 2026.
"I'm looking forward to again visiting wonderful communities all over our state," Merkley said in his announcement. "By talking directly to folks in each county my team and I can go to work for the interests and needs most important in each corner of our state."
Baker City last hosted a Merkley town hall on April 13, 2025. Residents who attend the March 31 session can expect a format consistent with the senator's longstanding open town hall approach, with no pre-screening of questions.
One logistical note for anyone following the tour: the Wednesday Umatilla County event at Columbia Vista Intermediate School's gymnasium, 251 Grant St., is a newly opened school, and navigation apps may not route directly to the site.
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