SALEM — Oregon’s congressional incumbents have piled up a crushing campaign cash advantage over potential challengers, according to recent federal records. 

The one U.S. senator and five incumbent U.S. House members whose seats are up for election in 2022 began the year with a combined $13,895,939 in the bank, according to the Federal Elections Commission.

The bulging bankrolls are seen as a hedge against the political upheaval that led to control of the White House, U.S. Senate and U.S. House swinging from Republicans to Democrats, with a strong chance of Congress swinging back this year.

“Incumbency still matters but it doesn’t have the importance that it once did,” said Kyle Kondik, a lead analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “A warchest can help deter challengers in both primaries and general elections.”

The 2022 outcome matters beyond the individual fates of one of 100 U.S. Senators and Oregon’s six seats in the 435-member U.S. House.

Republicans can take back the House by flipping just five Democratic seats. The Senate is split 50-50, with Democrats having official control because the U.S. Constitution makes Vice-President Kamala Harris the tiebreaker if needed, in her role as President of the Senate.

While candidates, especially challengers, will proclaim that elections will be decided on issues, the financial heft of incumbents give them a larger, louder megaphone to make their case. Even in races when there is little audible voice heard from any other side.

Oregon’s closed primaries allow voters to winnow dozens of candidates in the May 17 election to usually no more than two when all voters can cast a ballot.

Campaign fundraising last year was fueled by anxiety over pandemic-related redistricting delays. The geographical shape and partisan tilt of Oregon’s congressional districts weren’t final until an Oregon Supreme Court decision three days before Thanksgiving 2021.

Oregon’s campaign spending laws allow virtually unlimited contributions. But races for Congress fall under FEC rules.

Candidates must still file for office with the Oregon Secretary of State by March 8, but it’s redundant — the FEC requires a statement of candidacy filing to raise funds. Many were on file as early as January 2021.

On the flip side, candidates who file with the state for congressional races without filing with the FEC aren’t in the race.

FEC rules are copious. Individual contributions to federal candidates in the 2022 election are capped at $2,900 — no direct $1 million checks of the type signed by Nike founder Phil Knight in the 2018 governor’s race are allowed.

There are a host of additional limits for contributions to and from political parties and the extensive menu of different kinds of political action committees.

The rules have turned federal fundraising into an art form, often in the form of “bundling” seemingly separate contributions from individuals who work for the same industry, union or other groups.

Websites such as opensecrets.org parse contributions to give roadmaps to which candidate is getting a major boost from a specific group or sector.

Candidate funds for 2022 elections for Congress

More than half of the Oregon incumbents’ haul was held by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, who is seeking another six-year term in the seat he first won in a 1996 special election. His year-end report showed slightly under $7.18 million on hand.

Wyden gets his largest donations from those listing “retired” as their occupation. As chair of the Senate Finance Committee, his second largest grouping of donations is from the securities and investment sector, with the single largest chunk — $41,500 — coming from Lazard Ltd., a New York-based investment firm.

Of the seven candidates seeking to oust Wyden who have created fundraising committees with the Federal Election Commission, only four filed year-end reports. Their total available cash: $78,529. Wyden has nearly ten times that amount.

The five U.S. House incumbents — four Democrats and one Republican — have just over $6.7 million on hand at the beginning of the year.

While some races appear now to be slam-dunks, incumbents were unsure who would come out as winners and losers in the redistricting done late last year by the Legislature and reviewed by the courts. 

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Beaverton inherits a highly Democratic leaning 1st Congressional District. Same for U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland in the 3rd Congressional District.

U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, saw his already heavily Republican 2nd Congressional District drawn even more red with Democratic-tilting Bend extracted from his constituency.

In the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts, incumbents together have raised nearly $1.9 million. Opponents: zero.

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, started 2022 with just over $1.26 million in the bank and filed a statement of candidacy for the 4th Congressional District race with the FEC in January 2021.

With redistricting securing a stronger Democratic edge, DeFazio announced late last year that he would retire. He’s endorsed Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle of Springfield, who dropped a re-election bid to jump into the congressional race.

Republican Alek Skarlatos of Roseburg, who lost a tight race to DeFazio in 2020, is trying again. He is the best financed challenger in any congressional race, with $348,367 in the bank at the start of 2022. He’s also receiving money from two political action committees set up to share money between multiple candidates.

In the 5th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby, totaled $3.5 million for his re-election bid. While the district number is the same, the boundaries were radically shifted east during redistricting. He’ll need it to fight off liberal challengers in the May primary. Schrader or an insurgent Democrat will face off against a well-financed Republican in November.

The new 6th Congressional District that Oregon received for its population growth over the past decade has no incumbent. Unsurprisingly, 11 candidates have filed for the seat with the FEC, more than all the other five races, incumbents and challengers, put together.

Alongside the national political uncertainty, candidates face two other key factors: closed primaries and delayed redistricting.

Oregon has 2,947,391 registered voters as of September 2021, the most recent count by the Secretary of State. The total includes 1,026,313 Democrats and 729,676 Republicans.

Both parties hold closed primaries, wherein only registered party members can vote on May 17. The scores of candidates for offices ranging from U.S. Senator and governor to county commissioners are winnowed to mostly one-on-one races for the general election.

Cut out of the process of choosing finalists are 991,360 non-affiliated voters, more than one-third of the electorate. They can’t vote in partisan races until the general election, when the party candidates are often the only choices on the ballot.

In overwhelmingly partisan districts, the primary is the only competitive election, a fact not lost on House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, during the final votes in September to approve the maps.

“Democrats in Oregon have passed rigged political maps that will guarantee super-sized majorities in the Legislature and immediate control of more than 80% of Oregon’s congressional seats,” Drazan said.

Kondik, the congressional election analyst from the University of Virginia, says its Center for Politics rates Oregon’s 1st and 3rd districts as “Solid Democrat,” something just short of a political slam dunk. The 3rd district is “Solid Republican.”

The Center for Politics reports the other three districts have odds stacked in Democrats’ favor — “Leaning Democrat.”

Among other top forecasters, FiveThirtyEight.com gives Republicans a shot at the 5th district race, casting it as Democratic-leaning, but highly competitive.

Republicans say they will mount serious, well-financed efforts in the three districts. 

But Kondik said current odds and political history will make it hard to get anyone other than Bentz back to Capitol Hill for the 2nd district when the new Congress is sworn in come January 2023.

“The last time a Republican won a second House seat in Oregon was way back in 1994,” Kondik said. “Republicans have had a hard time truly putting seats there into play, even in good Republican years like 2010 and 2014. So I’m curious to see if they can this time.”

Candidates running in the 2022 election for Oregon’s one U.S. Senate seat and six congressional seats on the ballot were required to file year-end campaign finance reports with the Federal Elections Commission. The reports included money raised, spent and on-hand in the candidate’s main political action committee at the end of 2021. 

The list below includes only candidates who filed to create campaign finance committees prior to Jan. 1, 2022. Candidates with who raised or spent less than $5,000 are not required to file a report. Candidates who did not file reports or had zero activity are not included in this list. 

The Oregon Secretary of State requires congressional candidates to file for office. The deadline for the May 17 primary is March 8. Candidates must file with the FEC to raise and spend funds.

The FEC and Oregon Secretary of State lists of candidates do not completely match because of different timelines and requirements.

U.S. Senate

Incumbent: Ron Wyden, D-Portland

Raised: $10,135,115

Spent: $6,355,756

On hand: $7,177,650

Challengers:

Darin Harbick, R-Blue River

Raised:  $116,766

Spent: $62,614

On hand: $54,151

Samuel Palmer, R-John Day

Raised: $38,488

Spent: $30,920

On hand: $7,567

Jo Rae Perkins, R-Albany

Raised: $12,061

Spent: $25,054

On hand: $12,865

Rodney Beebe, R-Prineville

Raised: $7,398

Spent: $3,452

On hand: $3,946

1st Congressional District

Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook counties. Portions of Washington and Multnomah counties. 

Incumbent: Suzanne Bonamici, D-Beaverton

Raised: $444,953

Spent:$368,801

On hand: $629,497

Challengers: None reporting

2nd Congressional District

Umatilla, Baker, Morrow, Union, Wallowa, Malheur, Jefferson, Crook, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Grant, Harney, Gilliam, Sherman, and Wasco counties. Portions of Deschutes and Douglas counties.

Incumbent: Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario

Raised: 491,294

Spent: 230,926

On hand: 349,422

Challengers: None reporting

3rd Congressional District

Hood River County. Portions of Multnomah and Clackamas counties

Incumbent: Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland

Raised: $686,312

Spent: $530,248

On hand: $913,409

Challengers: None reporting

4th Congressional District

Lane, Benton, Coos, Curry and Lincoln counties. Portions of Douglas County.

Incumbent: Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield

(no longer seeking re-election)

Raised: $1,432,504.

Spent: $687,269

On hand: $1,262,830

Challengers:

Alek Skarlatos, R-Roseburg 

Raised: $1,105,454

Spent: $880,443

On hand: $348,367

Val Hoyle, D-Springfield

Raised: $212,630

Spent: $7,704

On hand: $204,926

Andrew Kalloch, D-Eugene

Raised: $148,775

Spent:  $633 

On hand: $148,142

Jeremy Van Tress, R-Corvallis

Raised: $40,378

Spent or returned: $40,378

On hand: $0 (suspended campaign)

5th Congressional District

Portions of Deschutes, Clackamas, Marion, and Linn counties.

Incumbent: Kurt Schrader, D-Canby

Raised: $1,406,874

Spent:   $360,213

On hand: $3,563,161 

Challengers: 

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Happy Valley

Raised: $350,940

Spent:   $124,877

On hand:  $226,062

Jamie McLeod-Skinner, D-Terrebonne

Raised: $231,446

Spent:  $23,756

On hand: $207,691

Jimmy Crumpacker, R-Bend

Raised: $190,400

Spent:  $3,968

On hand: $186,431

6th Congressional District

Polk and Yamhill counties. Portions of Marion, Washington, and Clackamas counties

Incumbent: None (New district in 2022)

Candidates:

Steven Cody Reynolds, D-Tualatin

Raised: $2,000,016

Spent: $42,208

On hand: $1,957,807

Matthew West, D-Beaverton

Raised: $619,034

Spent: $142,582

On hand: $476,452

Nate Sandvig, R-Neskowin

Raised:  $186,648.67

Spent:  $85,151.21

On hand: $101,497.46

Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego

Raised: $178,195 

Spent: $19,616

On hand: $158,578.35

Loretta Smith, D-Portland

Raised: $176,243

Spent: $90,299

On hand: $85,943

Kathleen Harder, D-Salem

Raised: $148,584

Spent: $25,226

On hand: $123,358

Amy Ryan Courser, R-Keizer

Raised: $81,985

Spent: $85,024

On hand: $7,431

Ron Noble, R-McMinnville

Raises: $48,975

Spent: $17,521

On hand: $31,453

Angela Plowhead, R-Salem

Raised:  $22,909

Spent: $12,478

On hand: $10,430

Kevin Easton, D-Salem

Raised: $5,646

Spent: $4,456

On hand: $1,189 (campaign suspended)

David Honorable Russ, R-Dundee

Raised: $5,109

Spent: $4,832

On hand: $0

Compiled by reporter Gary A. Warner of the Oregon Capital Bureau from filings with the Federal Elections Commission and the Oregon Secretary of State.