Eileen Kiely, a U.S. Navy veteran, retired businesswoman and previous candidate for state-level political office, is running for state senate.

Kiely, a Sunriver resident, announced Tuesday evening that she had filed to become the Democratic nominee for Oregon Senate District 27, a seat which has been held by Tim Knopp, R-Bend, since 2013. The district encompasses most of Deschutes County, including Bend, Redmond, Sunriver and Tumalo.

Kiely, 60, told The Bulletin on Wednesday that she felt Deschutes County’s voice wasn’t being considered in Salem.

“We need somebody that’s willing to speak for us at the table,” she said. “We’re the fastest-growing county in Oregon, and we deserve to be heard.”

Kiely ran unsuccessfully against state Rep. Jack Zika, R-Redmond, for state House District 53 in 2018.

Kiely said that if elected, she’d put an emphasis on collaborating with both parties and politicians from around the state. She also took a jab at Knopp’s participation in the state Republican senator walkout earlier this year over a proposed carbon tax bill, saying that Central Oregon residents didn’t appreciate his unwillingness to negotiate.

“Common ground doesn’t mean you dumb down your ideas; it means you both work for what you’re passionate about, for mutual benefit,” Kiely said.

The issues Kiely said she’d emphasize as a senator would be affordability, both for housing and health care, along with the environment.

She said she believes promoting environmentally friendly regulation and building a strong economy aren’t mutually exclusive.

“I believe that working for the environment and innovations we do for that also build jobs and our economy,” Kiely said.

In November 2016, Knopp earned more than 60% of the votes during his successful reelection bid, according to Ballotpedia.

However, Senate District 27 is less politically conservative than House District 53, where Kiely earned 43.4% of the vote in 2018. The Senate district, unlike House District 53, includes Bend, which has become more left-leaning politically in recent years, particularly compared to other Central Oregon cities.

Jamie McLeod-Skinner, the Terrebonne Democrat who ran against Rep. Greg Walden for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, and is currently running for Oregon Secretary of State, has already endorsed Kiely.

“Central Oregon needs a leader like Eileen Kiely,” McLeod-Skinner wrote in a press release, sent by Kiely. “Someone who knows how to bring people together to turn good ideas into real progress for our communities.”

No other Democrat has filed for the state Senate seat. If another Democrat runs, the primary will be held in May. The candidate that wins the Democratic primary will face Knopp in the general election on Nov. 3, 2020.

Kiely said she thinks she has a strong shot at reaching state office in 2020 than she did last fall.

“This is definitely a winnable district, and I’m looking forward to running hard for it,” she said.