Maxine Dexter won the Democratic primary for Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating a packed crowd of progressives that included Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal’s sister.
Dexter won the primary to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who had served in the state since 1996, in a district that covers much of Portland, Oregon. The district is solidly blue, making it unlikely for Republicans to win in November.
Former county commissioner Sushila Jayapal was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (R-VT) and several far-left “Squad” House Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (R-NY) and Ilhan Omar (R-MN).
Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District includes most of Multnomah County, all of Hood County, and part of Clackamas County.
With Democrats outnumbering Republicans by a factor of 3-1 in the district, all three leading candidates — Jayapal, Dexter and Morales — had very similar views on the issues, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Blumenauer, who has served in Congress since 1996 and announced his retirement last year, told Fox News Digital in December that this Congress begins with clear rifts within the majority party and he has no idea how to resolve them. He said it would not be possible.
“In this situation, I think I can have as much or more influence than civilians on the things I care about most,” Blumenauer said.
“It’s clear from the beginning of this Congress that there have been deep and irreconcilable rifts with my Republican colleagues,” he said. “And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.”
“It’s a hassle. But, you know, we’re going to try our best next year to move some things around,” he said.
Elizabeth Elkind of The Associated Press and Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
