Election results: Salinas upsets big-spending Flynn; Schrader won't concede

This story will continue to be updated as more results come in. Because ballots could be mailed on Election Day starting this year, elections officials caution the winners may not be known for several days. Election offices expect vote counts after Tuesday to rise more than in past years due to valid ballots arriving at counting locations up to seven days after the election.

Democratic party candidates who were backed by big money in two of Oregon's Congressional races were trailing big in early returns.

Newcomer Jamie McLeod-Skinner leads seven-term incumbent Kurt Schrader by a sizable margin in the 5th Congressional District and looks poised to upset him.

In the 6th Congressional District, Andrea Salinas took a large lead against Carrick Flynn in the Democratic primary. Flynn conceded the race Tuesday night after the initial results were announced.

"Thank you to every single voter, volunteer, and supporter. This grassroots campaign accomplished something spectacular and of historic significance tonight, and I am so grateful,” Salinas said in a statement. “I am ready to win this seat in November and work hard to expand access to abortion care, tackle the climate crisis, and lower the cost of prescription drugs. I am running to represent working families and fight for a better future for all Oregonians.”

On the Republican side, Mike Erickson held a sizable lead against a large field, including state legislator Ron Noble, in the race in the 6th District.

In the 5th Congressional District, Lori Chavez-DeReamer led Jimmy Crumpacker for the Republican nod with multiple outlets calling the race for Chavez-DeReamer.

The 5th District results were skewed as Jefferson County hadn't reported any results and few of the initial ballots had been counted in Clackamas, which blamed barcode errors.

Of Oregon’s congressional districts, the 5th and 6th are the most changed due to redistricting.

The redrawn 5th Congressional District has about half of its previous voters.

The district has been redrawn to combine cities including Silverton, Stayton, Mill City and Detroit with Linn County, southwest Portland and central Oregon cities like Bend, Redmond and Sisters.

The new 6th Congressional District, which Oregon gained after the 2020 Census reflected state population growth, has a large field of contenders. It includes Salem, Dallas, Woodburn, McMinnville, Newberg, Sherwood, Tigard and part of Portland.

The Republican and Democratic primaries will narrow the fields for the Nov. 8 general election.

6th District Democrats

State Representative Salinas held the lead from the first returns Tuesday night for the Democrat nomination.

Flynn conceded with a statement Tuesday night.

"Obviously, these are not the results we were hoping to see tonight," he said. "I congratulate State Representative Andrea Salinas on her victory and offer my full support. I will absolutely be out there knocking on doors and calling voters as a volunteer for her campaign. It is vital that this seat turn blue and Democrats retain control of the House. I believe she’ll win this fall and become a strong voice for the voters of this district in Congress."

The other candidates in the race were well behind.

Salinas is currently a state legislator representing District 38. She was appointed to that seat in 2017 and won election in 2018 and 2020 by overwhelming margins.

Flynn is previously unknown in politics. A super PAC funded largely by Sam Bankman-Fried – a cryptocurrency billionaire – spent $11 million on ads supporting Flynn.

The other candidates in the race were Ricky Barajas, Greg Goodwin, Kathleen Harder, State Representative Teresa Alonso Leon, Loretta Smith, Matt West and Cody Reynolds.

6th District Republicans

Erickson took a sizable early lead against the challengers, including against state legislator Noble.

Noble represents House District 24, which includes McMinnville. Formerly the chief of police for McMinnville, he has served in the state House of Representatives since 2017.

Erickson ran for the state House in 1988 and 1992, losing both times. He ran for the 5th district in 2006 and 2008 and won the Republican nomination, but lost in the general election both times.

Amy Ryan Courser won the Republican primary in the 5th Congressional District in 2020 and lost to Schrader in the general election.

Jim Bunn, a former state senator and congressman, hasn’t served in office since 1997 when he represented the 5th District. He last ran for the state House of Representatives in 2008, but lost in the primary.

The other candidates were Angela Plowhead, a psychologist; David Russ, a realtor and the mayor of Dundee; and Nate Sandvig, a clean energy executive.

5th District Democrats

McLeod-Skinner took a large lead against Schrader in initial returns. But as of Wednesday, Schrader had declined to concede.

In a statement, Schrader said: "We still don't have an answer as to the final outcome in this election, but I remain optimistic that our message to Oregon families has resonated with voters across the Fifth Congressional District. We will wait until the final votes are counted, including those here in Clackamas County, because every vote matters."

Partial results had been reported by five of the six counties. McLeod-Skinner was leading in Deschutes and Multnomah counties, but Schrader led in Marion, Linn and Clackamas counties. Much of the voting base is in Schrader's home of Clackamas County.

Schrader is currently in his seventh term, having served since 2009. Prior to that, he served in the state House (1997 to 2002) and Senate (2003 to 2009). Known as a centrist Democrat, he has bucked the party with controversial votes in the past few years on bills including the first version of the American Rescue Plan.

McLeod-Skinner, an attorney, ran for Congress in the 2nd District in 2018 and won the Democratic primary, but lost in the general election. She also ran for Secretary of State in 2020. She was running to the political left of Schrader and criticized him on issues like stock trades and votes on Medicare.

The Democratic parties of Clackamas, Marion, Linn and Deschutes counties endorsed McLeod-Skinner ahead of Schrader.

5th District Republicans

Chavez-DeReamer's early lead over Crumpacker in the Republican primary has grown since initial results came in Tuesday night. Crumpacker has yet to concede.

“I am humbled and grateful for the support we received from the primary voters tonight," she said in a statement. "The voters wanted someone with a proven track record of getting things done to represent them in Congress.”

Chavez-DeReamer was first elected to the Happy Valley City Council in 2004 and was the mayor of that city for eight years. She ran for the state House of Representatives in 2016 and 2018, losing both times. She doesn’t live in the district.

Crumpacker, a former investment banker, placed fourth in the Republican primary in the 2nd District in 2020.

John Di Paola had the most votes of the other three challengers, but had about half of Crumpacker's total. Laurel Roses and Madison Oatman trailed him.

Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salinas upsets big-spending Flynn; Kurt Schrader won't concede