by Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle
October 28, 2024
Candidates for Oregon’s most competitive congressional district spent a total of more than $2.4 million in the first 16 days of October, federal campaign finance reports show.
Congressional candidates late last week provided the Federal Election Commission with reports detailing their fundraising and spending between Oct. 1 and Oct. 16 — the last such reports campaigns must file before the Nov. 5 deadline to return ballots. https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/20024465/embed?auto=1
Democratic candidates raised more than their Republican opponents in each of Oregon’s three competitive congressional districts.
In the razor-thin 5th District, where Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum is challenging first-term Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Bynum more than doubled Chavez-DeRemer’s October fundraising, with nearly $537,000 to Chavez-DeRemer’s $240,000. Both women spent more than $1.2 million between Oct. 1 and Oct. 16. Chavez-DeRemer has almost $614,000 left to spend, compared to almost $513,000 for Bynum.
Both also brought high-profile guests to campaign last week, with Johnson rallying with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, in Oregon City on Thursday and Bynum canvassing with House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-California, on Saturday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York also rallied for Bynum early this month. The race is one of a handful of true tossups that could determine which party controls the House in 2025.
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In all, Bynum has raised more than $6.4 million and Chavez-DeRemer nearly $5.7 million to represent the district, which stretches from the southeast edge of Multnomah County to Deschutes, Linn and Marion counties. National organizations have spent millions more, with about $8 million spent on ads opposing Democrats and more than $7 million opposing Republicans.
In the neighboring 6th District in the Willamette Valley, businessman and four-time congressional candidate Mike Erickson loaned his campaign $70,000 in October. He gave his campaign millions during his first election against Democratic U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas in 2022.
Erickson gave his campaign an additional $222,000 in separate transactions on Oct. 22 and 25 that weren’t included in his pre-general election report. The FEC requires candidates to report within 48 hours contributions of more than $1,000 made within the 20 days leading up to an election.
By Oct. 16, Salinas had raised more than nine times as much for her campaign as Erickson — the $227,000 she reported receiving in October pushed her total fundraising above $5 million, compared to $544,000 total for Erickson.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Val Hoyle raised $98,000 and her Republican challenger Monique DeSpain raised about $78,000 during the first two weeks of October. In total, Hoyle has raised nearly $2.5 million and DeSpain almost $830,000.
Oregon voters can return their ballots by mail, to county elections offices or to dropboxes before 8 p.m. Nov. 5. Ballots returned by mail must receive a postmark on or before Nov. 5.
Updated at 5:30 p.m. with information about Mike Erickson’s contributions made after the Oct. 16 deadline.
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