PORTLAND, Ore. — Results are coming in Tuesday for Oregon's 2022 primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives.
This year, Oregon is adding a 6th Congressional District for the first time in four decades, which will include Salem, Newberg and some Portland suburbs. The decision to add a new seat was based on population growth data from the 2020 Census.
The Oregonian called Andreas Salinas as the Democratic nominee with 38% of the vote. If elected in November, she would be the first Latina congressmember from Oregon.
Early results showed her closest Democratic competitor, Carrick Flynn — who made headlines as a little-known candidate backed by a cryptocurrency billionaire — with19.1% of the vote.
As of 9:16 p.m., Republican candidate Mike Erickson was winning the Republic primary with 33.7% of the vote.
The new district has drawn hope from a crowded field of candidates from the left and right. There are nine Democratic candidates and seven Republican candidates running for the new House seat.
Crime and homelessness in Portland have raised the stakes for Democrats as Republicans attempt to use their issues to persuade voters in a historically blue state.
Democrat Rep. Kurt Schrader, who has represented the 5th Congressional District since 2009, is running for re-election against progressive candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who has the backing of the local Democratic parties in all four counties covered by the seat.
As of 8:35 p.m., McLeod-Skinner was winning the Democratic primary with nearly 60% of the vote.
The Oregonian reported that Republican candidate Lori Chavez-Deremer has won the Republican primary.
Similar to District 6, this race has also attracted hope from the Republican party, with five GOP candidates in the running.
The district, which once stretched to the Pacific Coast, now reaches east across the state's political fault lines to include Bend — an area where Schrader has less name recognition. It also includes parts of the Portland metro area, including Lake Oswego and Milwaukie.
Democratic voters have chosen Val Hoyle as their candidate to replace Rep. Peter DeFazio in Oregon's 4th Congressional District, The Oregonian reported. DeFazio announced last year that he was retiring after 35 years.
Hoyle had 70% of the vote in the eight-candidate field as of 8:06 p.m.
In November, Hoyle will face off against unopposed Republican primary candidate Alek Skarlatos.
The district covers a large portion of central and southwest Oregon from Corvallis to Eugene and extends down the coast to the Oregon-California border.
Incumbent Rep. Suzanne Bonamici has won the Democratic nomination to Oregon's 1st Congressional District, which she has represented the district since 2012. The Associated Press called her as the Democratic nominee at 8:23 p.m.
In November, she will Republican candidate Christopher Mann. Early returns showed Mann leading for the GOP with 68.7% of the vote. The Associated Press called him as the Republican nominee at 9:19 p.m.
District 1 represents a significant portion of the Portland metro area as well as the northwestern tip of Oregon, including Clatsop and Tillamook County. There are no Republican candidates running for District 1.
Incumbent Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz won the Republican nomination to Oregon's 2rd Congressional District. Benz has represented District 2 since 2020. The Associated Press called him as the Republican nominee at 8:19 p.m.
In November, he will face Democratic candidate Joseph Yetter. The Associated Press called Yetter as the Democratic nominee at 9:18 p.m.
The district includes all of eastern Oregon and much of central and southern Oregon. Geographically, it's the largest district in the state. It's also the state's only historically red district.
The two Democratic candidates running for District 2 in the primary are Adam Prine and Joseph Yetter. As of 8:33 p.m., Yetter is in the lead with 71.3% of the vote.
Incumbent Rep. Earl Blumenauer won the Democratic nomination to Oregon's 3rd Congressional District. The Associated Press called Blumenauer as the nominee at 8:37 p.m.
Early returns showed Blumenauer leading with 94.7% of the vote. He has represented the district, which includes most of Multnomah County, part of Clackamas County and all of Hood River County, since 1996.
In November, he will face Republican candidate Joanna Harbour, who lost to Blumenauer in the 2020 election with just 23.5% of the vote. Harbour ran unopposed in this year's primary.