Newly Drawn Oregon Congressional District Shifts Towards GOP

Republicans are making big inroads in a state traditionally dominated by Democrats.

The newly drawn 6th Congressional District in Oregon has shifted away from Democrats in the final weeks going into the midterm elections. According to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report the race has shifted from being leaning likely Democrat to a toss-up.

Democrat state Rep. Andrea Salinas is reportedly struggling against GOP candidate Mike Erickson in the new Democrat-approved congressional district which includes Salem and Portland, according to The Washington Examiner.

Internal polls from Erickson's campaign show the Republican candidate leading Salinas 44% to 39% in early October, according to the Cook Political Report. Salinas's campaign has also conducted internal polls showing the Democrat leading 45% to 44%, down from the 3-point lead she held in early September.

Democrats were initially confident in their chances to win the seat after Erickson won the GOP nomination, pointing out his stance on abortion as a way to motivate voter turnout in favor of Salinas. Critics highlighted Erickson's views that abortion should be illegal in all cases, including rape or incest, and even revived a story from 2008 that the candidate allegedly paid for his girlfriend to have an abortion. Erickson has denied the accusations.

Cook also noted that Democrats have been forced to shift tactics as inflation and crime have emerged as top concerns for voters.

Despite Democrats anticipating an easy path to victory in Oregon the gubernatorial race has also caused the party to panic.

Independent candidate Betsy Johnson's bid for governor has turned the race into a three-way competition against Democrat Tina Kotek, who previously served as speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, and Republican Christine Drazan, the former Oregon House minority leader. Johnson has attempted to paint herself as the moderate among two extremes which has resulted in a split electorate.

Last month, Cook Political Report shifted the race from “lean Democrat” to “toss up” toward Republicans in a surprising update.

As reported by American Liberty News:

The report attributes the shift to Johnson potentially being a disruptor of the race because of her fundraising advantage and her TV ad spending.

“There's a clear trend of both Kotek and Drazan pulling in the low 30s, while Johnson has yet to poll higher than the mid-20s, though she has argued that will rise post-Labor Day,” the Cook Political Report notes. 

However, the report noted that Republicans have the potential to win the governor's seat because of Brown's low approval ratings and pointed to at least one ad in which Drazan sought to tie the two Democrats together.

READ NEXT: Fmr. US Military Leader Calls Putin ‘Cornered Animal' >>