Oregon’s New 6th Congressional District Hasn’t Been Drawn, but There’s Already a Candidate

Loretta Smith is running for Congress.

Loretta Smith (Walker Stockly)

No one knows where Oregon’s new, 6th Congressional District will be, but we already know the first candidate seeking the seat.

Former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith, a onetime staffer for U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), announced June 22 that she’s in. “I’m running for Congress,” Smith said in a statement, “to tear down the barriers to progress before us and build pathways to equal opportunity for all.”

Smith finished second to Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty and Commissioner Dan Ryan in two recent bids for Portland City Council.

It’s unusual for a candidate to start a congressional bid without knowing where the district will lie—but federal law does not require members of the U.S. House of Representatives to live in their districts. (The Washington Post reported in 2017 that 21 members of the House were registered to vote outside their districts.)

“While the lines aren’t drawn yet, most people expect it to be around the Portland area,” says Smith campaign spokesperson Charly Norton. “She has a long record of working in the community and the region.”

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