United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2008
Encyclopedia
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, coinciding with the presidential
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
and senatorial
United States Senate election in Oregon, 2008
The 2008 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith decided to seek re-election. Smith was the only Republican Senator from the west coast and the only Republican holding statewide office in Oregon...
elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms those elected will be serving in the 111th Congress
111th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of...
from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011.
Oregon has five seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Its 2007–2008 congressional delegation consisted of four Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and one Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. This remains unchanged although CQ Politics had forecasted district 5 to be at some risk for the incumbent party earlier in the year.
A primary election for Democrats
Oregon Democratic primary, 2008
The 2008 Oregon Democratic primary was a mail-only primary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Ballots were mailed to registered Democratic voters between May 2 and May 6, 2008. To be counted, all ballots had to have been received by county elections offices by 8:00 p.m. PDT on May 20, 2008...
and Republicans
Oregon Republican primary, 2008
The 2008 Oregon Republican primary was a mail only primary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Ballots were mailed to registered Republican voters between May 2 and May 6, 2008. To be counted, all ballots must have been received by county elections offices by 8:00 p.m. PDT on May 20, 2008...
was held on May 20. To be eligible for the primaries, candidates had to file for election by March 11. Other parties had other procedures for nominating candidates.
District 1
Democratic incumbent David WuDavid Wu
David Wu is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes most of Portland west of the Willamette River, as well as all of Yamhill, Columbia, Clatsop, and Washington Counties...
has represented Oregon's 1st congressional district
Oregon's 1st congressional district
Oregon's 1st congressional district consists of the northwest corner of Oregon. It includes Clatsop, Columbia, Washington, and Yamhill counties, and southwest Portland, part of Multnomah County, which belonged to the 3rd district before the 2002 redistricting....
since 1998 and is the Democratic nominee in 2008, defeating Will Hobbs and Mark Welyczko in the primary. Hobbs, a political novice, earned some attention late in the race, by winning the endorsements of major newspapers The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
and Willamette Week
Willamette Week
Willamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture....
. He won 16.7% of the vote to Wu's 78.0%.
In the Republican primary
Oregon Republican primary, 2008
The 2008 Oregon Republican primary was a mail only primary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Ballots were mailed to registered Republican voters between May 2 and May 6, 2008. To be counted, all ballots must have been received by county elections offices by 8:00 p.m. PDT on May 20, 2008...
, Joel Haugen defeated pathologist Claude W. Chappell IV, but later withdrew his acceptance of the Republican nomination after his endorsement of Democrat Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for President drew objections from Republican party leaders.
District 2
Incumbent Republican Greg WaldenGreg Walden
Gregory Paul Walden is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district covers more than two-thirds of the state . He is the son of Paul E...
has represented Oregon's 2nd congressional district
Oregon's 2nd congressional district
Oregon's 2nd congressional district is the largest of Oregon's five districts, and is the seventh largest district in the nation. The district covers roughly two-thirds of the state, east of the Willamette Valley...
since 1998 and was unopposed for the Republican nomination in 2008. In the general election, he faced Democrat Noah Lemas, a small business owner, Richard Hake of the Constitution Party of Oregon
Constitution Party of Oregon
The Constitution Party of Oregon is a political party organized as a minor party pursuant to state election law, and recognized by the State of Oregon as a state-wide nominating party....
and Pacific Green Party
Pacific Green Party
The Pacific Green Party of Oregon is a political party in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a member of the Green Party of the United States.The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in 2000....
candidate Tristin Mock.
District 3
Incumbent Democrat Earl BlumenauerEarl Blumenauer
Earl Blumenauer is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1996. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Portland east of the Willamette River. A native of Portland, he previously spent over 20 years as a public official representing the city.-Early...
has represented Oregon's 3rd congressional district
Oregon's 3rd congressional district
Oregon's 3rd congressional district covers most of Multnomah County, including Portland east of the Willamette River, Gresham, and Troutdale. It also includes the northern part of Clackamas County, including Milwaukie. Parts of northwest Portland also lie within the district...
since 1996 and was the Democratic nominee in 2008, defeating TV co-host John Sweeney and retired utility worker and peace activist Joseph "Lone Vet" Walsh in the primary. In the general election, he faced Republican Delia Lopez, a real estate investor, and Pacific Green Party candidate Michael Meo.
District 4
Incumbent Democrat Peter DeFazioPeter DeFazio
Peter Anthony DeFazio is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1987. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Eugene, Springfield, Roseburg and part of Corvallis. As Oregon's most senior member of Congress, he is the dean of Oregon's House of Representatives delegation...
has represented Oregon's 4th congressional district
Oregon's 4th congressional district
Oregon's 4th congressional district represents the southern half of Oregon's coastal counties, including Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, and Linn counties and most of Benton and Josephine counties...
since 1986 and was unopposed for the Democratic nomination in 2008. He was being challenged in the general election by Constitution Party member Jaynee Germond
Jaynee Germond
Jaynee Germond is an American politician. A Republican, she was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Oregon's 4th congressional district in 2008 and 2010....
and Pacific Green Mike Beilstein, a research chemist. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
District 5
In February 2008, Democrat Darlene HooleyDarlene Hooley
Darlene Kay Olson Hooley is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon who represented the state's . A native of North Dakota, she spent eight years teaching high school before entering politics when she was elected to the West Linn, Oregon city council in 1975...
, who had represented Oregon's 5th congressional district
Oregon's 5th congressional district
Oregon's 5th congressional district represents Oregon's central coast through Salem, north to the southern Portland suburbs, and east to the summit of Mount Hood. It includes Lincoln, Marion, Polk, and Tillamook counties, most of Clackamas County, and part of Benton and Multnomah counties...
since 1996, announced that she would not seek re-election in 2008. The race to replace her was expected to be one of the most competitive in the nation, since the district contained about 2,000 more Republicans than Democrats at that time.
There were two major factors for the competitiveness of the race: first, the demographics of the district had changed dramatically. In June, there were 20,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the district, a net swing of 22,000 voters since February. Secondly, Republican nominee Erickson won a contentious primary in which an opponent, Kevin Mannix
Kevin Mannix
Kevin Leese Mannix is a politician, business attorney, and former chairman of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Oregon.Mannix has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as a Democrat and, later, a Republican...
, raised an allegation that Erickson paid for a former girlfriend's abortion. The girlfriend subsequently went public with the information, but Erickson denied knowledge of the event. Mannix refused to endorse Erickson in the general election.
Democratic nominee Kurt Schrader
Kurt Schrader
Kurt Schrader is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly.-Early life, education, and early career:...
won against Republican nominee Mike Erickson
Mike Erickson
Mike Erickson is a businessman and politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. He ran unsuccessfully for two different seats in the Oregon House of Representatives in 1988 and 1992, and was the Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Oregon's 5th congressional district in...
, 166,070 (54.5%) to 116,418 (38.2%). Also competing were Libertarian
Libertarian Party of Oregon
The Libertarian Party of Oregon is a political party representing the national Libertarian Party in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is organized as a minor party for state election law, and recognized by the Oregon as a state-wide nominating party....
nominee Steve Milligan, Constitution
Constitution Party of Oregon
The Constitution Party of Oregon is a political party organized as a minor party pursuant to state election law, and recognized by the State of Oregon as a state-wide nominating party....
nominee Douglas Patterson, Pacific Green
Pacific Green Party
The Pacific Green Party of Oregon is a political party in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a member of the Green Party of the United States.The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in 2000....
nominee Alex Polikoff, and Independent Sean Bates.
External links
- Elections Division from the Oregon Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for Oregon at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- Oregon U.S. House Races from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions for Oregon congressional races from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...