SCHRADER WINS 5TH DISTRICT, DEMOCRATS WIN HOUSE

By: Griffin Reilly

Democratic Incumbent Kurt Schrader defeated Republican challenger Mark Callahan on Tuesday by margin of 55% to 42% to once again secure his seat as the House Representative for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District.

The Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives by a considerable margin despite needing to flip 23 seats to retain a majority. As of Sunday, November 11th, Democrats hold 227 House seats; currently 29 more than the GOP and 9 more than what constitutes a majority.

In the state of Oregon, however, the results were far less dramatic. While it was divided in 2016, all five counties in the 5th District voted Democratic this time around.

Three counties in the 5th District (Tillamook, Polk, and Marion, respectively) voted for Trump in 2016. The chair of the 5th District’s Democratic Party, Peter Toll, blamed this phenomenon on established Democrats’ failure to inspire the hearts and minds of local Oregonians who live so far detached from Washington politics.

That being said, Toll notes that people are starting to pay attention.

“Trump is such a contrast to how Oregonians live their lives,” he said. “He’s an absolute nut.”

This inability to connect with Trumpian politics is likely a major reason why more and more counties are turning blue despite the vast ideological diversity of Schrader’s District.

While Mark Callahan preaches that his goals are primarily to “work together, regardless of affiliation and identification,” his loyalty to Trump prevents him from wooing Oregon's moderates.

And it’s these moderates that made the difference for Schrader in 2018. Apparently, the wave of excitement regarding this year’s midterms did not wash over Oregon.

In the 2014 midterms, the Oregon Secretary of State reported 1,541,782 ballots casted; 70.9% of registered voters. Now, in 2018, the Oregon SOS shows while 1,908,073 ballots were casted, that only adds up to 69.1% of registered voters.

To revisit a previous point: the Oregon elections were, in fact, void of any real drama. Throughout the state, all five incumbent Congressmen were re-elected in 2018. This slight decrease in voter turnout is likely indicative of voter apathy and disinterest in their candidates, if nothing else.

By no means was the 5th District’s race a battleground race, and its constituents were apparently well aware of that.

“I don't think Schrader even knows what his focus is going to be for the next two years because his District is so diverse,” said Peter Toll. “He’s a ‘play it safe, let’s slightly enhance the status quo’ kind of guy.”

Schrader has represented the 5th District in Congress since 2010. In his last term, he focused on and regularly voted in favor of veteran’s rights and the expansion of affordable health care.

As a member of the “Blue Dog Coalition,” Schrader prides himself in promoting the creation of bipartisan legislation that focuses on solving problems rather than political debate.

In July of 2017, Schrader spearheaded the proposal “Solutions Over Politics,” which aimed to expand and amend the Affordable Care Act so health care could be even more accessible to specifically low-income Americans.

In a press release from the Blue Dog Coalition on the aforementioned proposal, Schrader said, “Democrats and Republicans agree that uncertainty in the market needs to be addressed. My set of solutions puts partisanship aside to address these problems head-on.”

Schrader’s bi-partisan approach to politics is the reason he has been able to comfortably hold office in such a back-and-forth district for so long.

Toll, however, does not believe that in spite of the Democrats’ reclamation of the House, Schrader, nor will any Oregon Democrat, play a larger role in policymaking within the House of Representatives.

Schrader, 4th District Representative Peter DeFazio, and Senator Ron Wyden do not inspire the future of the Democratic Party on a national level, he says. Furthermore, the potential for two-year Congressional gridlock due to renewed Republican control of the Senate “isn’t promising” if anyone is hoping for any serious legislation to be passed.

With Kate Brown re-elected as Governor, Oregon Democrats will likely focus on acquiring a 6th Congressional District in 2020.

As for Callahan, Schrader’s 41 year-old Republican challenger, he has now lost five consecutive elections in Oregon politics dating back to his run for Oregon House of Representatives in 2010.

“I know that there’s 134,942 people out there who voted for me and who supported me,” said Callahan. “That feels good.”

His buoyant optimism is likely the reason behind his already extensive young career. That being said, a vacation may be in order.

“My family and I are going to Disneyland next month, I’m excited for that,” said Callahan. “But I’m going to be taking a break from politics for a while.”