This year’s filing deadline for candidates running for Congress in Oregon was March 12, 2024.
Thirty candidates are running for Oregon’s six U.S. House districts, including 17 Democrats and 13 Republicans. That’s 5.0 candidates per district, less than the 7.5 candidates per district in 2022, the 8.0 candidates per district in 2020, and the 6.4 candidates in 2018.
Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:
- The 30 candidates running in Oregon this year are the fewest number of candidates since 2016, when 19 candidates ran.
- The 3rd Congressional District is the only open district, meaning no incumbents filed to run. There were two seats open in 2022 and one seat in 2020.
- Incumbent Earl Blumenauer (D-3rd) is not running for re-election because he is retiring from public office.
- Ten candidates—seven Democrats and three Republicans—are running for the open 3rd Congressional District, the most candidates running for a seat in Oregon this year.
- Nine primaries—five Democratic and four Republican—are contested this year. Ten primaries were contested in 2022 and 2020, respectively.
- Three incumbents—two Democrats and one Republican—are facing primary challengers this year, the fewest since 2014 when two incumbents faced primary challengers.
- Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all six districts, meaning no seats are guaranteed to either party.
Oregon and three other states—Georgia, Idaho, and Kentucky—are holding primaries on May 21.
In Oregon, the winner of a primary election is the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes, even if they do not receive an outright majority of votes cast.
