Jeff Merkley was born in Myrtle Creek, Oregon, and earned a degree from Stanford University and a master's degree from Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He worked in the defense policy arena in Washington before returning to Oregon, where he served in the Oregon House of Representatives and rose to become Speaker of the House. Merkley was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, defeating a Republican incumbent, and has been re-elected since.
Merkley serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where he has been an outspoken advocate on climate change, clean energy, and environmental protection. He is a leading progressive voice in the Senate, known for championing filibuster reform, affordable housing, and workers' rights. Merkley has authored multiple proposals to limit or eliminate the Senate filibuster, arguing it has become an obstacle to majority governance.