PoliticsProgressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner defeated Rep. Kurt Schrader in
The races and the stakes:
On Tuesday, most of the nation's attention was drawn east, with Pennsylvania's Trump-infused Republican Senate primary coming down to the wire.
But on the west coast, Oregon offered up its own slate of fascinating races for Congress. The state has six US House districts, two of which drew 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 rose up to oust one of their own incumbents. Rep. Kurt Schrader, a member of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition in Congress, lost reelection to challenger 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 was inundated with outside influence. Oregon State Rep. Andrea Salinas had the backing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and secured the nomination. She's aiming to be first Latina congresswoman from Oregon and will face off against Republican businessman Mike Erickson. The district has the highest percentage of Latino voters of any of the state's US House districts.
Outside money — to the tune of $10 million in super PAC funds – had flooded into Oregon's 6th to try to elect Democrat Carrick Flynn, a former researcher who studied artificial intelligence. The windfall came 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 secured the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring Rep. Peter DeFazio, the influential chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Alek Skarlatos, who unsuccessfully challenged DeFazio in 2020, won the GOP nomination.
In Oregon's 2nd congressional district, incumbent Rep. Cliff Bentz held onto his seat. He was the best-funded of all the Republican primary candidates, and has an edge in the rural, conservative-leaning district over the Democratic nominee, physician and farmer Joe Yetter.
This year, Oregon's US Senate primary race was a relatively safe one for 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.