by Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle
September 27, 2024
The Democratic National Committee announced Friday that it will send Oregon’s Democratic Party $125,000 to turn out voters in congressional races.
It’s the first time the DNC has invested in late get-out-the-vote efforts in Oregon, a Democratic stronghold, and it represents both the state’s growing importance on the congressional field and skyrocketing Democratic fundraising. The Democratic National Committee and Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign raised $257 million in August, more than triple the $85 million raised by Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee, the committees’ latest federal campaign finance filings show.
Oregon, meanwhile, is home to three of the country’s most competitive congressional districts. The 5th Congressional District, where Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer eked out a 2-point win in 2022, is one of just 24 tossup districts in the country. And the 4th and 6th districts, represented by first-term Democrats Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas, are also close.
The Oregon Democratic Party will use the money for its neighborhood leader program, which trains volunteers to convince their neighbors to vote. Each volunteer gets a list of 35 households, or about 50 voters, who are already registered Democrats and live nearby, and then they knock on their neighbor’s doors with campaign literature and reminders to vote.
Oregon Democratic Party Chair Rosa Colquitt said the more than 3,000 neighborhood leaders have contributed to Democratic victories in legislative, statewide and U.S. Senate races.
“This cycle, the path to a Democratic majority in the U.S. House undoubtedly runs through Oregon,” she said. “With this investment, our neighborhood leaders will be able to have an even greater impact on electing our Democratic congressional candidates.”
The Oregon award is part of a $2.5 million national investment the DNC announced Friday.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said the committee’s spending in Oregon – and in every other state and territory – show its commitment to electing Harris and ensuring Democrats have the resources to run competitive races in both red and blue states.
“Oregon Democrats will ensure working families can get ahead, while standing up to Trump and Republicans’ extreme agenda to rip away Americans’ most fundamental rights,” Harrison said. “With Vice President Harris at the helm and record-breaking investments in coordinated campaigns, the DNC and Democratic state parties across the country have the momentum to strengthen coordinated operations in the critical final stretch to November to deliver wins for Democrats and all Oregonians.”
While national GOP groups including the National Republican Congressional Committee and Congressional Leadership Fund are pouring millions into Oregon races, the RNC and Trump have largely stayed out of the state. Trump doesn’t have a campaign office here, and he didn’t pay $3,500 to appear in the state-issued voters’ pamphlet.
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