Shannon Monihan, the executive director of the Downtown Bend Business Association and a business owner, will run as a Republican for Senate District 27, a seat currently held by Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend.

Monihan announced her candidacy Monday. She is the first Republican other than Knopp to throw a hat in the ring.

“It has become clear we need a plan for Senate District 27 to keep representation in Salem with a proven leader,” she said in the announcement. “If Senator Knopp can’t or won’t run again, I am ready to step into the role of State Senator.”

Monihan is a native Oregonian and single mother of two, her announcement said. She founded a firearms training business, Red Frog GS Inc., in 2016 in Happy Valley. The business address changed to Bend in 2021, according to records on file with the Oregon Secretary of State. She specializes in teaching self-defense to women new to firearms through her program “Red Frog Women.”

Monihan believes in lower taxes, community safety and meeting the needs of small businesses, her announcement said.

Knopp all but endorsed Monihan in the Monday announcement saying, “If I am unable to run for State Senate, she is a respected leader ready to serve.”

Knopp’s eligibility to run remains in question as he and four other state senators await a ruling from the Oregon Supreme Court on a lawsuit challenging the Oregon Secretary of State. The senators allege the voter-approved Measure 113 — which makes lawmakers with more than 10 unexcused absences from the Legislature ineligible for reelection — was poorly written. Under the measure, as it reads now, Knopp cannot run for reelection after a record-breaking six-week boycott by Republicans during the 2023 legislative session.

Knopp’s endorsement of Monihan appears to be a way to ensure Republicans hold onto a seat that has always been red.

In 2020, Knopp defeated Democrat Eileen Kiely by slightly more than 1 percentage point, or roughly 2,000 votes. Regardless of Knopp’s eligibility to run, 2024 will mark the first election in Senate District 27 with a newly redrawn district, which was implemented in 2021.

In Senate District 27, in 2020 and 2024, Democratic voters have remained at the same level, making up 33% of voters in the district in both years. Republicans now make up 24% of voters, which is down from 28% in 2020. Unaffiliated voters gained what Republicans lost, now representing 35% of voters in the district compared to 2020, when they were 31% of voters.

One Democrat, Bend City Councilor Anthony Broadman, has declared his intention to run for the 27th District.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect voter party affiliation in Senate District 27. 

Sen. Tim Knopp officially files for re-election despite Measure 113 questions