RESULTS: Oregon holds congressional primary elections

17.05.2022 20:58

Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., speaks during a news conference in Washington, on July 24, 2019. President Joe Biden is endorsing incumbent Schrader ahead of Oregon's primary election. Schrader is a moderate who hasn't always backed all of Biden's agenda.

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File

Oregon is holding high-profile primaries for several congressional seats on Tuesday. Ballot dropsites close at 8 p.m. PT.

The races and the stakes:

On Tuesday, most of the nation's attention will be drawn east, with Pennsylvania's Trump-infused Republican Senate primary coming down to the wire.

But on the west coast, Oregon offers up its own slate of fascinating races for Congress. The state has six US House districts, two of which have drawn national attention for their contentious Democratic primaries.

The national-level tensions between the centrist and liberal wings of the Democratic Party are playing out on the micro-level in Oregon's House races, where progressive insurgents are challenging more centrist Democrats. The state also features one of the most expensive House races in the country, thanks to the influence of a billionaire cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

In Oregon's newly redrawn 5th district, the local Democratic Party apparatus has risen up to oust one of their own incumbents. Rep. Kurt Schrader, a member of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition in Congress, faces a primary challenger from Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a progressive.

McLeod-Skinner ran unsuccessfully for the House in 2018, and Oregon secretary of state in 2020. While Schrader has been endorsed by President Joe Biden and benefits from an influx of support from the national party, local officials are lining up behind his opponent.

Meanwhile, Oregon's 6th district Democratic primary has been inundated with outside influence. Oregon State Rep. Andrea Salinas has the backing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and is vying to be the first Latina congresswoman from Oregon. The district has the highest percentage of Latino voters of any of the state's US House districts.

But outside money — to the tune of $10 million in super PAC funds – has flooded into Oregon's 6th to elect Carrick Flynn, a former researcher who studied artificial intelligence. The windfall comes from Sam Bankman-Fried, a 30-year-old cryptocurrency entrepreneur, and his influence has spooked locals. The local outlet Willamette Weekly published a story warning, "How Oregon's New Congressional District Could Become a Colony Ruled by a Distant Crypto Prince."

Whichever Democrat emerges victorious will face off against one of seven Republicans vying to be the party's general election nominee.

In the Democratic-leaning 4th District, Oregon Labor Commissioner Val Doyle is the frontrunner in the Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Peter DeFazio, the influential chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Alek Skarlatos, who unsuccessfully challenged DeFazio in 2020, is poised to take the GOP nomination.

In Oregon's 2nd congressional district, incumbent Rep. Cliff Bentz is looking to hold onto his seat. He's the best-funded of all the Republican primary candidates, and has an edge in the rural, conservative-leaning district over whichever candidate emerges from the Democratic primary.

This year, Oregon's US Senate primary race is a relatively safe one. Democrat Ron Wyden, who's known in Congress for his work on security, intelligence, and privacy issues. He's held the seat since 1996. Wyden does not currently face a serious Republican threat.