Democrat Andrea Salinas wins reelection in Oregon’s 6th District

By The Associated Press

FILE - Andrea Salinas celebrates her Democratic Party primary win over Carrick Flynn for Oregon's 6th Congressional District at Symposium Coffee in downtown Tigard, Ore. on May 17, 2022. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Dave Killen]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas has won reelection in Oregon’s 6th Congressional District, beating Republican Mike Erickson to earn a second term in Congress after outraising him by millions of dollars.

Oregon’s newest congressional district, the 6th was seen as leaning more toward Democrats, according to the Cook Political Report. That gave a slight advantage to the freshman Democratic incumbent, who also defeated Erickson in the 2022 midterm elections.

Salinas and Lori Chavez-DeRemer became the first Latina members of Congress to represent Oregon when they were elected in 2022.

“I am proud of everything we have accomplished over the last two years, but I know there is more work that needs to be done,” Salinas said in a statement Tuesday. “Most importantly, I promise to listen and continue being a Representative for all Oregonians — no matter who you voted for in this election.”

The Associated Press declared Salinas the winner on Friday.

Salinas had far outraised Erickson, with over $5 million in campaign contributions compared to his roughly $545,000, the most recent federal campaign finance records show. This was Erickson’s fourth time running for Congress.

The boundaries of the 6th District were created during redistricting after the 2020 census. The district includes the state capital Salem and parts of Portland’s affluent southwestern suburbs. And while it also spans rural areas across a broad swath of the Willamette Valley, President Joe Biden would have carried it by about 13 points in 2020.