James Manning Jr.

James Ivory Manning Jr. is an American politician and veteran. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served in the Oregon State Senate since 2016. He represents the 7th district, which covers parts of Lane County, including Junction City and northern Eugene. Manning unsuccessfully ran for Secretary of State in the 2024 election.

Military service and early career Manning worked as a state correctional officer and police officer prior to enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1983. Manning spent 24 years on active duty in the Army, and retired in 2007.

Political career After retiring from the military, Manning moved to Eugene, Oregon, and became part of the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs. In 2012, he was elected to serve on the Eugene Water and Electric Board. He was appointed to the Senate in December 2016 in order to fill the seat vacated by Chris Edwards, who resigned from office. Manning was elected to a full term in 2018 unopposed. He was elected once again in the 2022 election.

As a legislator, Manning supported efforts to expand automatic voter registration and to authorize prepaid envelopes for Oregon's mail-in voting system. During the campaign, Manning touted his support for raising election funding in order to provide security for election workers.

During the campaign, he trailed behind Read in fundraising, with the former raising $630,000 against the $203,000 raised by Manning as of April 25, 2024. Read ultimately defeated Manning.

2025 Civil Rights lawsuit In July 2025, a federal civil rights complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Eugene Division, naming James Ivory Manning Jr. among the defendants.

According to the Democrat-Herald, the lawsuit filed by Logan Martin Isaac names Manning as a defendant in a civil rights complaint alleging constitutional violations in Eugene, Oregon.

As of the latest publicly available court filings, the case remains pending.

Electoral history