Two Democratic primaries for U.S. House seats in Oregon could help reveal whether the party’s voters lean toward progressives or the establishment in a crucial presidential election year. be.
The state’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes much of liberal Portland, will hold its first open Democratic primary since 1996 following the retirement of Rep. Earl Blumenauer.
Two candidates with similar policies are leading the way in fundraising. Maxine Dexter, a doctor and two-term state representative, and Sushila Jayapal, a former county commissioner supported by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Jayapal is the sister of U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Republicans aiming to flip Senate seats in dark blue states receive praise from top Democrats
While allegations of outside funding and Republican interference have highlighted the outcome of the race, national Democrats can safely bet they will maintain solid blue districts to overturn the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. I can do it. Party leaders are focusing more on the state’s 5th Congressional District, which is likely to be one of the most competitive in the country.
Ben Gaskins, an associate professor of political science at Lewis & Clark College, said of Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, “This is one of the major battleground districts nationally, with both parties trying to maintain or retake the House. I really hope so,” he said. “I think the big question is how much do Democratic voters really prioritize their electoral chances?”
Congressional Democrats eager to win back the 5th District, which was lost to Republicans for the first time in nearly 25 years in 2022, are backing Janelle Bynum. They believe Gaskins has a better chance of winning in November than Jamie McLeod Skinner, the progressive who ousted a moderate Democrat who had long held the seat in the 2022 midterm elections. Said.
A sign posted at the Clackamas County Democratic Party Building in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District on May 17, 2024 in Oregon City, Oregon. Two Democratic primaries for U.S. House seats in Oregon could help reveal whether the party’s voters lean toward progressives or the establishment. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
“A lot of Democrats will hold that against her,” he said of McLeod-Skinner’s narrow 2022 loss. “She had a chance. She lost.”
Bynum has been endorsed by major Democrats, including Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and the state’s three U.S. senators.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the fundraising arm of U.S. House Democrats, nominated Bynum to its Red to Blue program, noting that he previously defeated Chavez Delemer in a congressional race. The program provides organizational and financial support to Democrats running to flip Republican districts.
Meanwhile, recent big spending by political action committees on behalf of McLeod Skinner has tipped the scales in favor of more progressive candidates that Republicans view as more likely to win the general election. The question arises as to whether they are trying to do so.
Rep. Richard Hudson, chairman of the House Republican campaign arm, said he had no knowledge that Republicans were involved in the Democratic primary.
After the 2020 Census, District 5 boundaries were significantly redrawn. The region spans metropolitan Portland and its affluent working-class suburbs, rural and mountain communities, and the rapidly growing central Oregon city of Bend on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. Contains various regions.
“I think candidates are trying to figure out exactly what the secret sauce of this race is, because there are so many different candidates here,” said Chris Koski, a political science professor at Reed College in Portland. That’s because there is a vested interest.”
McLeod-Skinner, an attorney who has worked in several local governments and lives in central Oregon with his wife, pitches himself as someone who can connect rural and urban voters. According to her campaign website, she supported her family “by raiding stables and cutting hay” while attending high school in southern Oregon. This is her third time running for Congress.
Mr. Bynum is a native of Washington, D.C., and was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2016 to represent the southeastern suburbs of Portland. She serves on the Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Committee and is the owner of her four McDonald’s franchises.
The two women studied engineering and have similar policy stances. They support protecting abortion, lowering health care costs, and tackling climate change.
As of late Friday, Mr. Bynum outbid Mr. McLeod-Skinner by about $385,000. But much of the race’s funding comes from outside spending from super PACs. Such groups cannot donate directly to campaigns, but they can spend unlimited amounts of money on advertising for or against candidates.
A PAC called Mainstream Democrats spent nearly $380,000 supporting Bynum and the same amount against McLeod-Skinner, according to federal campaign finance filings.
Both candidates have engineering degrees, but the 314 Action Fund, which says it is focused on electing Democrats with science backgrounds to Congress, has spent $470,000 on ads and mailers supporting Bynum. I spent more than that.
The super PAC has also invested heavily in Oregon’s 3rd District, spending nearly $2.2 million on ads supporting Dexter, a pulmonologist.
Another PAC, the recently formed Voters for Responsive Government, spent $2.4 million opposing Jayapal.
Jayapal and McLeod-Skinner criticized what they called “dark money” flowing into the race.
Jayapal suggested that 314 Action Fund spending in the 3rd District is connected to “MAGA Republican mega-donors.” “There is a growing trend across the country of billionaires and billionaires with a history of donating to MAGA Republicans pouring money into Democratic primaries,” his campaign manager, Andrea Cervone, said in an email. However, he did not provide any specific examples of how this would be done. This group connects with such donors.
Selborn said the 314 Action Fund raised and depleted much of its money in April, meaning the group doesn’t have to reveal its donors until the next federal filing deadline of May 20, the day before the election. Stated.
Shaughnessy Norton, president of the 314 Action Fund, said in an emailed statement that the group he founded has spent millions of dollars “defeating MAGA Republicans.”
“This is outrageous and it is an act of desperation for Sushila Jayapal’s campaign to denounce these false accusations,” she said.
In a statement earlier this month responding to comments about “dark money,” Dexter denounced outside spending on ads targeting his opponents and said, “I do not condone these negative ads in any form. “We will continue to strive for positive dialogue, and we will not endorse or endorse this,” he said.
Dexter’s campaign has also received a recent boost from direct donations from individuals. According to federal filings, she reported raising more than $218,000 in a single day earlier this month, including previously for Republican candidates and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). It also includes donors who have donated.
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Jayapal has promoted himself as the first candidate in the campaign for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Voters may have to choose based on style, as the Democratic front-runners in each election largely share the same policy platform. Dexter and Bynum emphasize their legislative records, while Jayapal and McLeod-Skinner lean toward progressive support, Gaskins said.
“I think the dichotomy between realism and idealism in the Democratic electorate is going to be the biggest way to differentiate between the two,” Gaskins said. “Is it about taking the boldest, most progressive stance on an issue, or is it about emphasizing that you can get things done?”
