WASHINGTON (AP) — The presidential election and the race for control of the closely divided U.S. House are expected to dominate attention in Oregon on election night on Nov. 5. Voters will also decide a ballot measure to establish ranked-choice voting.
At the top of the ballot, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump will compete for Oregon’s eight electoral votes. The state had one of the closest vote margins in the 2000 presidential election but was overshadowed by the Florida recount. Since then, Oregon has moved sharply towards Democratic candidates in presidential elections, so much so that neither ticket has stepped foot in the state since becoming their parties’ nominees.
In the U.S. House, Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer faces a tough reelection bid for a second term in a district where voters preferred President Joe Biden over Trump by almost 10 percentage points in 2020. The Democratic nominee is Janelle Bynum, a state representative. Three third-party or independent candidates are also on the ballot. Chavez-DeRemer was first elected in 2022 by a 51%-49% margin.