In 2022, the midterm elections saw a plethora of competitive elections held throughout the United States. A state that was host to several competitive elections for the United States House of Representatives was Oregon, located on the Pacific Coast and home to three competitive congressional elections.
Oregon follows a dynamic seen in other Pacific Coast states, in which the Democratic majority in each state is powered by high density cities and coastal districts, while the Republican minorities are powered by districts typically located in the eastern interior of each state. In the United States House of Representatives in Oregon, Democrats won the house popular vote in the state by a margin of 160,734 votes (8.47%), carrying four out of six districts. This article will look at the districts decided by less than 10.00%.
Oregon Election Table and Election Map
| District | Rep. | Dem. | Total | RPCT | DPCT |
| 1 | 99,042 | 210,682 | 310,243 | 31.92% | 67.91% |
| 2 | 208,369 | 99,882 | 308,676 | 67.50% | 32.36% |
| 3 | 79,766 | 212,119 | 294,334 | 27.10% | 72.07% |
| 4 | 146,055 | 171,372 | 339,077 | 43.07% | 50.54% |
| 5 | 178,813 | 171,514 | 351,233 | 50.91% | 48.83% |
| 6 | 139,946 | 147,156 | 294,377 | 47.54% | 49.99% |
| Total | 851,991 | 1,012,725 | 1,897,940 | 44.89% | 53.36% |
| Margin | D +160,734 | D +8.47% |
Oregon Congressional District 4
The 4th Congressional District of Oregon is located on the Southwestern Coast and was drawn to be a moderately Democratic leaning district after the 2022 redistricting cycle. The district has a Democratic voter registration edge of 41,062 voters (7.95%), although the nonaffiliated and third-party voters make up a plurality of the district’s voters when combined. Altogether, the district is one that Democrats should be able to carry in most elections but would see increased competition in midterm election years or a low turnout special election.
4th District Party Registration Data (As of November Election)
| County | Republicans | R % | Democrats | D % | Other | Total |
| Benton | 12,512 | 20.52% | 26,094 | 42.80% | 22,358 | 60,964 |
| Coos | 15,752 | 31.93% | 11,605 | 23.52% | 21,982 | 49,339 |
| Curry | 6,246 | 32.42% | 4,347 | 22.57% | 8,670 | 19,263 |
| Douglas | 27,081 | 38.91% | 13,476 | 19.36% | 29,038 | 69,595 |
| Lane | 61,626 | 22.25% | 103,961 | 37.53% | 111,397 | 276,984 |
| Lincoln | 8,663 | 21.87% | 13,457 | 33.97% | 17,499 | 39,619 |
| Linn | 310 | 32.56% | 322 | 33.82% | 320 | 952 |
| Total | 132,190 | 25.58% | 173,262 | 33.53% | 211,264 | 516,716 |
| Margin | D +41,062 | D +7.95% |
In 2022, the district was open because the incumbent Democrat, Peter DeFazio, opted to retire rather than run for re-election. This made it a target for Republicans, with multiple polls showing a somewhat competitive election in the district. In the Democratic primary, Val Hoyle emerged victorious with 56,153 votes and 64.0% of the primary vote against seven other candidates, who altogether earned 87,715 votes.
In the Republican primary, Alek Skarlatos, the prior nominee for the previous iteration of the district in 2020, won the Republican primary unopposed with 58,655 votes. Three other minor party candidates also ran for election: Independent Levi Leatherberry, Constitution candidate Jim Howard, and Pacific Green candidate Michael Beilstein. All five candidates advanced to the general election.
4th District Election Result
| County | Skarlatos | Skarlatos % | Hoyle | Hoyle % | Total |
| Benton | 13,818 | 30.78% | 28,067 | 62.51% | 44,899 |
| Coos | 18,184 | 58.61% | 10,761 | 34.69% | 31,024 |
| Curry | 7,232 | 57.84% | 4,566 | 36.52% | 12,504 |
| Douglas | 27,210 | 64.66% | 11,560 | 27.47% | 42,084 |
| Lane | 68,996 | 37.89% | 102,200 | 56.13% | 182,087 |
| Lincoln | 10,298 | 39.94% | 13,872 | 53.80% | 25,784 |
| Linn | 317 | 45.61% | 346 | 49.78% | 695 |
| Total | 146,055 | 43.07% | 171,372 | 50.54% | 339,077 |
| Margin | D +25,317 | D +7.47% |
In the general election, Hoyle won the population center of the district, liberal Lane County, by a 33,204-vote margin. Skarlatos won the rest of the district by a margin of 7,887 votes, which was not enough to overpower Hoyle’s overwhelming edge in Lane County, which enabled Hoyle to carry the district by a margin of 25,317 votes, or 7.47%.
Oregon Congressional District 5
The 5th Congressional District of Oregon is in the center of the state – west of the enormous 2nd Congressional district, and below the Portland-based 3rd Congressional District. The district has a slight Democratic voter registration advantage of 24,774 voters (4.66%), although non-affiliated and third-party voters make up a plurality of the district’s voters. This is a district that was won by Biden in 2020.
5th District Party Registration Data (As of November Election)
| County | Republicans | R % | Democrats | D % | Other | Total |
| Clackamas | 58,055 | 26.06% | 77,346 | 34.72% | 87,361 | 222,762 |
| Deschutes | 37,341 | 27.29% | 43,786 | 32.00% | 55,709 | 136,836 |
| Jefferson | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 33.33% | 4 | 6 |
| Linn | 33,222 | 34.37% | 21,716 | 22.47% | 41,716 | 96,654 |
| Marion | 14,675 | 38.44% | 8,727 | 22.86% | 14,778 | 38,180 |
| Multnomah | 3,884 | 10.27% | 20,374 | 53.87% | 13,561 | 37,819 |
| Total | 147,177 | 27.65% | 171,951 | 32.31% | 213,129 | 532,257 |
| Margin | D +24,774 | D +4.66% |
In the primary elections for the 5th Congressional District, incumbent Democratic representative Kurt Schrader, a moderate, ran for re-election. However, progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner defeated Schrader by a nearly 10-point margin. In the Republican primary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer won with 30,438 votes (42.8%) against four other Republican primary opponents, earning the Republicans 71,168 votes in the primary against 85,874 for the Democrats. Both candidates advanced to the general election.
5th District Election Result
| County | DeRemer | DeRemer % | Skinner | Skinner % | Total |
| Clackamas | 72,529 | 49.03% | 74,957 | 50.68% | 147,915 |
| Deschutes | 43,857 | 47.09% | 49,112 | 52.73% | 93,143 |
| Jefferson | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 100.00% | 3 |
| Linn | 39,918 | 67.42% | 19,088 | 32.24% | 59,205 |
| Marion | 17,318 | 68.65% | 7,845 | 31.10% | 25,225 |
| Multnomah | 5,191 | 20.17% | 20,509 | 79.67% | 25,742 |
| Total | 178,813 | 50.91% | 171,514 | 48.83% | 351,233 |
| Margin | R +7,299 | R +2.03% |
In the general election, Skinner won the population centers of the district, Clackamas and Deschutes counties, by a 7,683-vote margin. Chavez-DeRemer won the rest of the district by a 14,982-vote margin. Chavez-Demer won overall by 7,299 votes, or 2.03%. This district will be a top Democratic target in 2024, as the Democratic presidential candidate will likely carry the district again.
Oregon Congressional District 6
The 6th Congressional District of Oregon is in the northwest portion of the state, just below the northwestern 1st district. The district is slightly Democratic leaning, as it has a registration advantage of 25,734 votes (5.46%), but as with the other districts covered in this article, non-affiliated and third-party voters make up a plurality of the district’s voters. This is a district that would see increased competition in some elections.
6th District Party Registration Data (As of November Election)
| County | Republicans | R % | Democrats | D % | Other | Total |
| Clackamas | 7,251 | 26.01% | 9,958 | 35.73% | 10,665 | 27,874 |
| Marion | 47,414 | 25.91% | 53,239 | 29.09% | 82,333 | 182,986 |
| Polk | 19,302 | 30.65% | 17,714 | 28.13% | 25,961 | 62,977 |
| Washington | 25,546 | 21.01% | 47,066 | 38.71% | 48,969 | 121,581 |
| Yamhill | 23,215 | 30.71% | 20,485 | 27.10% | 31,895 | 75,595 |
| Total | 122,728 | 26.06% | 148,462 | 31.52% | 199,823 | 471,013 |
| Margin | D +25,734 | D +5.46% |
In the primary elections for the 6th Congressional district, state representative Andrea Salinas won the Democratic primary with 26,101 votes (37.0%) against eight other candidates, which enabled the Democrats to amass a 70,471 primary vote total. In the Republican primary, prior nominee for Oregon’s 5th congressional district Mike Erickson won the primary with 21,675 votes (34.9%) against six other candidates, which allowed Republicans to garner a 62,062 primary vote total. Constitution Party candidate Larry McFarland advanced with Salinas and Erickson to the general election, where they would face off in November.
-6th District Election Data (In November Election)
| County | Erickson | Erickson % | Salinas | Salinas % | Total |
| Clackamas | 8,507 | 43.69% | 10,678 | 54.84% | 19,471 |
| Marion | 53,018 | 50.75% | 48,274 | 46.21% | 104,467 |
| Polk | 21,906 | 54.00% | 17,583 | 43.35% | 40,563 |
| Washington | 29,904 | 36.75% | 50,086 | 61.55% | 81,379 |
| Yamhill | 26,611 | 54.87% | 20,535 | 42.34% | 48,497 |
| Total | 139,946 | 47.54% | 147,156 | 49.99% | 294,377 |
| Margin | D +7,210 | D +2.45% |
In the general election, Democratic candidate Salinas won the Washington and Clackamas County portions of the district by a 22,353-vote margin, while Republican candidate Erickson won the rest of the district (including the population center of Marion) by a 15,143-vote margin. Salinas’s net margin won the day, allowing her to carry the district by a margin of 7,210 votes (2.45%).
