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Oregon has long been a Democratic stronghold — four of the state's five Congressional districts are currently represented by Democrats after all. But this year, Republicans are putting up a strong fight to flip two districts and make the state's new 6th District a GOP-held one.
In that new 6th District, Democrat Andrea Salinas faces Republican Mike Erickson.
Erickson, a prolific self-funder, has spent over $1 million on TV ads so far, while Salinas has spent $879,000, according to AdImpact, and ad tracking firm.
The Democratic House Majority PAC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) have also spent a combined over $1 million, though, to boost Salinas.
Despite that, the race has been tight. Earlier this week, the non-partisan Cook Political Report moved their rating of the race from "Lean Democratic" to "Toss Up."
In Oregon's 5th District, Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner defeated Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader in a primary, leaving an open seat. She now faces Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, whom Republicans consider a strong candidate capable of flipping the district.
If either Salinas or Chavez-DeRemer were elected, they would be the first Latina to serve in Congress from Oregon.
The conservative Congressional Leadership Fund has spent almost $3 million since the May primary on TV ads to paint McLeod-Skinner as a progressive California native. On the other side of the aisle, the DCCC and McLeod-Skinner have spent just under $2.5 million on the airwaves to boost her campaign.
The Cook Political Report rates this race a "Toss Up," too.
In Oregon's 4th District, Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio is retiring, leaving an open race between Democrat Val Hoyle and Republican Alek Skarlatos.
Skarlatos was the Republican nominee in 2020, too. He lost in the general election to DeFazio but just over five percentage points.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race "Lean Democratic," meaning Democrats have a slight edge, but aren't guaranteed to win.
