by Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle
July 18, 2024
Democrats running in Oregon’s three competitive congressional districts blew past their Republican opponents in fundraising in May and June, according to newly released campaign finance records.
Janelle Bynum, a Democratic state representative challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in the closely divided 5th Congressional District, reported receiving about $1.3 million on the second quarter report she filed with the Federal Election Commission this week – more than double the amount raised by any other Oregon candidate.
Because the May 21 primary fell during the second quarter, the reports filed this week reflect campaign spending and contributions from May 2 onward, while the first month of the quarter was covered in an earlier pre-primary report.
Bynum, who handily won her primary against 2022 Democratic nominee Jamie McLeod-Skinner, benefitted from an influx of money from liberal political action committees after her primary victory. That included a $12,000 contribution in late June from Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin’s Democracy Summer Majority Fund, $10,000 from Sen. Ron Wyden’s HOOPS PAC and $5,000 from Rep. Suzanne Bonamici’s Good Friends PAC.
Bynum ended the quarter with more than $1 million in her campaign bank account.
“This latest fundraising haul is more than just numbers, they represent the trust and hope that voters have placed in Janelle’s vision for Oregon’s future,” campaign manager Blakely Wall said in a statement. “Janelle will continue to share her message of standing up to extremists, like Lori Chavez-DeRemer, in Congress and creating actual solutions to the biggest issues facing Oregon.”
But Chavez-DeRemer still has the largest war chest of any Oregon candidate, with about $2.4 million despite raising a comparatively low $577,000 through May and June. Keeping her seat is a top priority for House Republicans, who spent more than $6 million in independent ads attacking McLeod-Skinner in 2022. The National Republican Congressional Committee announced last month that it had reserved $6 million worth of ad time in the Portland market, which includes both Oregon’s 5th and 6th congressional districts and Washington’s 3rd, now represented by Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
In the 6th District, incumbent Democratic Rep. Andrea Salinas’ fundraising is still miles ahead of Republican nominee Mike Erickson, who she defeated in 2022. Salinas collected about $659,000 and ended the quarter with nearly $2.2 million in the bank. Erickson, who largely self-funded his previous campaigns, raised about $153,000 and has $234,000 in the bank. The campaign owes nearly $2.3 million.
In the 4th District, incumbent Democratic Rep. Val Hoyle raised $315,000 to Republican challenger Monique DeSpain’s nearly $200,000. Hoyle is sitting on a bank account with more than $850,000, while DeSpain has about $192,000.
Both Democrats and Republicans have identified the southwestern 4th District as a priority, though it ranks below the more closely divided 5th and 6th districts.
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