Dexter Appears to Have Won in 3rd Congressional District After Initial Vote Count

After an initial release of voting results, it appears state Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Portland) has a solid lead in the Democratic primary for Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District.

With 39,000 ballots counted, Dexter has 52% of the vote.

That was enough for incumbent U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer to call the race.

“I want to congratulate Rep. Maxine Dexter for winning the Democratic primary for Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District,” Blumenauer said. “Maxine has proven herself to be a serious and effective legislator. I am confident she’ll take this success with her to Washington, D.C.

“I look forward to partnering with her to ensure our district is well served when she is elected in November. There is a lot of work to do on behalf of our community.”

Dexter competed with former Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal and Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales for the Democratic nomination to succeed Blumenauer, who is retiring after 14 sessions in Congress.

In the first tranche of votes, Jayapal has about 26% of the vote and Morales 15%. There are 220,000 registered Democrats in the 3rd District. If 40% of them vote (an optimistic number, given sluggish turnout), that would mean a total of about 88,000 votes cast, so the initial cut captured nearly half the expected votes. That will make it very difficult for Jayapal or Morales to catch Dexter.

Each of the three leading Democrats brought a record of experience in elected office to the race and each could tell a compelling personal story. But their fundraising was completely overshadowed by national and international politics: specifically by the conflict between Israel and Hamas. When Hamas attacked Israel last Oct. 7, Jayapal, then a member of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, took a position that was less supportive of Israel than some of her colleagues’. That put her in the sights of pro-Israel groups, which appear to have been behind the more than $5.4 million that poured into the race either in support of Dexter or in opposition to Jayapal.

That sum is more than five times the amount Jayapal raised from supporters and became the story of the race more than the candidates’ positions on issues, which were generally similar.

The winner will inherit one of the nation’s most reliably blue congressional seats.

Although the 2020 redistricting moved the district’s eastern boundary out toward Hood River, 84% of 3rd District voters live in Multnomah County and Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 3 to 1. That means whoever wins the Democratic primary will almost certainly win the general election in November.

A raucous crowd at the Polaris Ballroom in North Portland cheered Dexter’s apparent victory at 8:20 pm. The room, filled with Dexter’s fellow legislators, labor leaders, and some business community representatives barely had time to order their first round of drinks before the race was called.

Dexter took the stage at about 9:10 pm. She thanked her family, her opponents and Blumenauer for his service.

“This is a make-or-break moment to protect our democracy,” Dexter said, exhorting a standing-room-only crowd to pull together to reelect President Joe Biden and help Democrats win a majority in the House in November. “Only by unifying voices can we defend democracy,” she added. “Let’s celebrate tonight, but tomorrow we are going back to work.”

In a conversation with reporters after her victory speech, Dexter said she will serve out the remainder of her legislative term and plans to move into the 3rd Congressional District before she takes office in January. She fielded a number of questions about the flood of money that helped her win. Dexter said she has no way of knowing exactly why donors from all over the country supported her.

“I did not for one second compromise my values,” she said. But she acknowledged that big money makes a difference. “We know that it does,” Dexter said.