As November begins, much of the focus in politics will be on the various elections being held on November 7th. As we move closer to this date, however, many are looking ahead to the race for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District in 2024. Incumbent Lori Chavez-Deremer looks to defend the seat that she narrowly won in 2022 by just 2 percentage points. Deremer has run on a platform similar to much of the current Republican party, opposing critical race theory and cancel culture, while championing parents’ choice in schools and being tough on crime.

The 2022 election signaled a departure for both the Republican and Democratic parties with each having a new candidate win their nomination. Democrats nominated Jamie McLeod-Skinner who ran against a previous fixture of the party, Kurt Schrader, in the primary. McLeod-Skinner focused on protecting women’s reproductive rights and the importance of helping families recover economically from the COVID economy. She ousted longtime Representative Kurt Schrader in the Democratic primary, leading to a 2022 election in which both parties offered new nominees. 

Chavez-Deremer remains the only Republican registered to run in the May 21st primary, while McLeod-Skinner faces three challengers in the Democratic party. Her foremost challengers are Janelle Bynum and Lynn Peterson. Both Bynum and Peterson have extensive political experience and have received significant funding. Bynum and Peterson have gotten $289,295 and $138,948 in donations respectively, while Mcleod-Skinner has received $256,807 in donations. All Democratic nominees have been outpaced financially by the sole Republican nominee Chavez-Deremer who has raised more than 1.9 million dollars.

Democratic primaries have gotten closer in recent years with McLeod-Skinner defeating Kurt Schrader by about 8,500 votes in 2022. Schrader won the previous 2020 primary by a margin of 48,733 votes.

Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will likely win the majority of votes in and around the Portland area, they will need to limit Chavez-Deremer’s reach in Marion and Linn counties which helped carry her to victory in 2022.

The Democratic Primary will be held on May 21st, 2024 and the general election will happen on November 5th, 2024.