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Oregon's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
Oregon's 2nd Congressional District
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General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 3, 2026
Primary: May 19, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Oregon

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Oregon's 2nd Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th
Oregon elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 2nd Congressional District of Oregon, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Oregon District 2

The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on November 3, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Dawn Rasmussen

WebsiteFacebookYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I am announcing my candidacy as a Democratic candidate for this seat in the United States House of Representatives with a commitment to listening to everyday citizens, their needs, and resisting this catastrophic fall into bad policies and lack of representation of you and me envisioned by the current federal administration. What I am not: A career politician. But I have experience. And drive. And integrity. And will be undertaking a listening tour to better understand what issues face Oregonians that need to be heard at the national level. I also have a desire to unite Oregonians together to work towards a better tomorrow. As a small business owner for 18 years, I have gotten to know people in all walks of life, in all political affiliations. Most of us are right in the middle, and simply want to work hard, live a life of dignity, and provide a better world for us and our children. By representing the voices of all Oregonians in CD2, I will dedicate my service to helping make those dreams come true."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Agriculture. Farmers and ranchers who are 5th- or 6th generations in on working with the land are suffering - whether it is water scarcity, tariffs, sudden collapse of export markets, inflation, rising fuel costs, ending of subsidies (while non-US-based companies get huge tax breaks), extreme weather events, or wildfires. Ag is the backbone of Oregon, and puts food on our table. Farmers and ranchers deserve more support than what they are getting from the federal level. I am committed to finding ways to support agriculture and removing barriers to help farmers and ranchers flourish without worrying about losing their heritage.


Healthcare. With the drastic changes authored into the One Big Bad Bill, Medicaid will kick off the most vulnerable Oregonians from critical, life-saving care, not to mention force the closure of rural health clinics and hospitals, meaning many Oregonians in CD2 will have heart-breaking decisions to make when life-saving care is hours away. Given that the Affordable Care Act premiums are going up 75% as of January 2026 due to the expiration of plan credits, many Oregonians will be facing going without care or falling into staggering medical debt.


Rule of law. I'm a common sense kind of person, and when we have people at the national level violating rules and laws but suffering no consequences, that sends the wrong message to the public. Plus, it sets the stage for a return to the wild west where there are no laws and scofflaws abound. There is no justice in this scenario. Laws are written as a social contract - we agree to obey them as part of the society we live in, and when those rules are violated, there are specific consequences. No one should be above the law. These laws are the underpinnings of the U.S. Constitution, and I believe in the principles set forth by the founding fathers.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Oregon

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Agriculture. Farmers and ranchers who are 5th- or 6th generations in on working with the land are suffering - whether it is water scarcity, tariffs, sudden collapse of export markets, inflation, rising fuel costs, ending of subsidies (while non-US-based companies get huge tax breaks), extreme weather events, or wildfires. Ag is the backbone of Oregon, and puts food on our table. Farmers and ranchers deserve more support than what they are getting from the federal level. I am committed to finding ways to support agriculture and removing barriers to help farmers and ranchers flourish without worrying about losing their heritage.

Healthcare. With the drastic changes authored into the One Big Bad Bill, Medicaid will kick off the most vulnerable Oregonians from critical, life-saving care, not to mention force the closure of rural health clinics and hospitals, meaning many Oregonians in CD2 will have heart-breaking decisions to make when life-saving care is hours away. Given that the Affordable Care Act premiums are going up 75% as of January 2026 due to the expiration of plan credits, many Oregonians will be facing going without care or falling into staggering medical debt.

Rule of law. I'm a common sense kind of person, and when we have people at the national level violating rules and laws but suffering no consequences, that sends the wrong message to the public. Plus, it sets the stage for a return to the wild west where there are no laws and scofflaws abound. There is no justice in this scenario. Laws are written as a social contract - we agree to obey them as part of the society we live in, and when those rules are violated, there are specific consequences. No one should be above the law. These laws are the underpinnings of the U.S. Constitution, and I believe in the principles set forth by the founding fathers.
Representation of voters, healthcare, agriculture, pocketbook issues
Any one running for office must understand that they are representing the will of the people. Representation means that the elected official may or may not agree personally with the will of the people, but they are being elected to bring forth that will to be represented in the lawmaking body of the U.S. Congress. This means being accessible, listening to constituents and the electorate, being transparent, having integrity, being accountable, and following through on the oath of office and following the Constitution of the United States of America.
1. Be accessible. This means listening to constituents during the good, bad, and the ugly. Elected representatives don't get to choose which audiences they want to hear from - it has to be all people.

2. Act in good faith. Understanding the will of the people and applying that into the greater rule and law-making process means acting in the best interests of the PEOPLE, not oneself. 3. Being transparent. No one is perfect, and that means accepting responsibility for errors in judgement and taking responsibility for learning to do better. But it also means being to admit when a decision was wrong.

4. Upholding the U.S. Constitution every minute of every day. There are no exceptions listed in the Constitution, so that means there should be no exceptions in conducting oneself in an elected position in relation to the Constitution.
I recall the moon landings. As a child, they interrupted television broadcasts with media coverage of the space flight, and I thought that we went to the moon every year. I had no idea the significance of these missions until I grew older, but I was drawn to the heroism and fearlessness of the astronauts embarking on these trips so far away from earth. I recall being struck by the fact that when you are in a spacecraft floating in the great beyond, everything and everyone you know is on the big blue marble below, and that put life into a lot of context for me.
As "the People's House," I believe that the U.S. House of Representatives acts as a constant check on government power while representing and connecting to the electorate. As part of the Great Compromise, the House also provides better localized representation of voters, while also having more frequent elections that requires the elected Representatives to stay on top of issues in their district and what the needs of the voters are. It truly is a representative role.
Not necessarily. At the very least, representatives should have a solid understanding of politics, policy making, how governments work, an ability to forge partnerships, negotiate, excellent listening skills, and a sincere desire to serve the nation and the public. There is something to be said for elected officials who have prior governmental background, but that should not mean a mutual exclusion of someone with little or no service as this role is mean to serve the people.
Unity is the greatest challenge for our nation. With so much polarization, people are devolving to political violence and dehumanizing the opposition. This falls right into the playbook of the current administration. The divisiveness diverts attention to fixing real problems that are holding our nation back. Meanwhile, we are slipping economically, intellectually, militarily, and politically against allies and enemies alike. We have to come back to the middle, learn to have civil conversations, focus on compromise so everyone gets a part of a win, and collaborating once again. Unity, collaboration, and compromise are what built up this nation.
I believe that two year terms are good in as much as that it will take that long to learn the ins and outs of being an excellent representative. The frequency of elections means that all Reps need to be absolutely focused on their constituencies and understand how impending legislation can and will affect them.
I have served in many capacities on boards of directors in the past, and have seen first-hand the need to bring in new blood. I believe it is incumbent upon the person elected to "read the room" and bow out when it is time to do so. However, many people refuse to release their hold on power and cling to office far beyond their own usefulness, so I believe term limits has some merit. How and when still needs to be discussed, but when people become career politicians, they and the office and Congress all stagnate.
Mark Hatfield was a man of his word and incredible integrity; while I might not agree with many of the opinions he held, I did appreciate the embodiment of statecraft he exhibited. For me, I am striving to do what I say, be honest, transparent, intelligent in asking the right questions, and be as informed as possible on issues so I can best serve constituents and Oregonians as a whole.
I was shocked to speak to a rancher who just had to take out a half-a-million dollar loan to just pay their bills. They aren't going to make any money this year. That should tell you the state of agriculture in Oregon right now. One bad harvest, one drought, one wildfire, or one bad tariff / export deal can mean the difference of survival, or putting a centuries-long family farm on the auction block.
Compromise is one of the hallmarks of democracy and policy making. No one party can get 100% of what they want, but by creating a palatable solution where everyone wins with a slice of the pie, we can all come out winners.
Understanding impacts to constituents is the first place to start. As someone who is very fiscally conservative and socially progressive, I believe that we need to have safety nets for the less fortunate while at the same time, ensure that revenues that are raised are spent carefully and wisely. I do believe that tax cuts to the wealthy are not going to ultimately play well to voters NOR to the bottom line of the country's economic health. When the richest .1% get a tax break of $250,000+ and the poorest 20% have taxes go up, things are flipped the wrong way. When we have a happy, large, and economically healthy middle class, the U.S. economy is at its strongest.
With discretion. The investigative powers should not be misused or used as a political weapon to punish people who disagree with any other branch of the U.S. government. However, when verifiable evidence shows that laws are broken, or the Constitution has been violated, the powers should be enacted.
Artificial intelligence is this generation's largest question to answer. It can either tremendously help people and advance science, human learning, and solve social / medical issues, or it can cause disruption, sow dissent, foment confusion or misinformation. Carefully investigating what roles it can play while setting up guidelines keeping in mind that AI can continuously learn from humans is critical so we don't end up having an out-of-control platform that can ultimately harm humanity.
Election security that would put processing votes out of reach of bad actors, both foreign and domestic.


You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Cliff Bentz Republican Party $525,441 $322,144 $1,259,641 As of September 30, 2025
Peter Black Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Mitchel Knight Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Dawn Rasmussen Democratic Party $16,065 $2,215 $13,850 As of September 30, 2025
Patty Snow Democratic Party $7,840 $4,964 $2,876 As of September 30, 2025
Andrea Carr Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: Oregon's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
10/14/202510/7/20259/30/20259/23/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

2024

See also: Oregon's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024

Oregon's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Democratic primary)

Oregon's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Incumbent Cliff Bentz defeated Dan Ruby and Michael Stettler in the general election for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cliff Bentz
Cliff Bentz (R)
 
63.9
 
224,601
Image of Dan Ruby
Dan Ruby (D / Progressive Party) Candidate Connection
 
32.8
 
115,337
Image of Michael Stettler
Michael Stettler () Candidate Connection
 
3.2
 
11,255
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
296

Total votes: 351,489
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Dan Ruby defeated Steve William Laible in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on May 21, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dan Ruby
Dan Ruby Candidate Connection
 
85.0
 
33,585
Image of Steve William Laible
Steve William Laible
 
13.5
 
5,325
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.6
 
620

Total votes: 39,530
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Incumbent Cliff Bentz defeated Jason Beebe in the Republican primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on May 21, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cliff Bentz
Cliff Bentz
 
81.3
 
73,031
Image of Jason Beebe
Jason Beebe Candidate Connection
 
18.3
 
16,403
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
360

Total votes: 89,794
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2022

See also: Oregon's 2nd Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Incumbent Cliff Bentz defeated Joseph Yetter in the general election for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cliff Bentz
Cliff Bentz (R)
 
67.5
 
208,369
Image of Joseph Yetter
Joseph Yetter (D) Candidate Connection
 
32.4
 
99,882
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
425

Total votes: 308,676
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Joseph Yetter defeated Adam Prine in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Joseph Yetter
Joseph Yetter Candidate Connection
 
69.1
 
27,814
Image of Adam Prine
Adam Prine
 
29.0
 
11,669
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.0
 
788

Total votes: 40,271
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Incumbent Cliff Bentz defeated Mark Cavener and Katherine Gallant in the Republican primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cliff Bentz
Cliff Bentz
 
75.0
 
67,051
Image of Mark Cavener
Mark Cavener Candidate Connection
 
19.4
 
17,372
Katherine Gallant
 
5.1
 
4,598
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
386

Total votes: 89,407
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

See also: Oregon's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Cliff Bentz defeated Alex Spenser and Robert Werch in the general election for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cliff Bentz
Cliff Bentz (R)
 
59.9
 
273,835
Image of Alex Spenser
Alex Spenser (D) Candidate Connection
 
36.9
 
168,881
Image of Robert Werch
Robert Werch (L) Candidate Connection
 
3.1
 
14,094
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
623

Total votes: 457,433
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Alex Spenser defeated Nick Heuertz, Chris Vaughn, Jack Howard, and John Holm in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on May 19, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alex Spenser
Alex Spenser Candidate Connection
 
32.1
 
23,482
Image of Nick Heuertz
Nick Heuertz Candidate Connection
 
31.0
 
22,685
Image of Chris Vaughn
Chris Vaughn Candidate Connection
 
18.2
 
13,351
Image of Jack Howard
Jack Howard Candidate Connection
 
8.3
 
6,047
Image of John Holm
John Holm
 
8.1
 
5,908
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.4
 
1,734

Total votes: 73,207
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on May 19, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cliff Bentz
Cliff Bentz
 
31.3
 
37,488
Image of Knute Buehler
Knute Buehler
 
22.1
 
26,405
Image of Jason Atkinson
Jason Atkinson
 
19.5
 
23,274
Image of Jimmy Crumpacker
Jimmy Crumpacker
 
18.0
 
21,507
Image of Travis Fager
Travis Fager Candidate Connection
 
3.6
 
4,265
Image of Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith Candidate Connection
 
2.1
 
2,539
Justin Livingston
 
1.1
 
1,350
Image of Mark Roberts
Mark Roberts Candidate Connection
 
1.1
 
1,336
Image of David Campbell
David Campbell Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
418
Image of Glenn Carey
Glenn Carey
 
0.2
 
283
Image of Kenneth Medenbach
Kenneth Medenbach Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
267
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
450

Total votes: 119,582
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Oregon District 2

Robert Werch advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Oregon District 2 on July 6, 2020.

Candidate
Image of Robert Werch
Robert Werch (L) Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.



District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

See also

Oregon 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
Val Hoyle (D)
District 5
District 6
Democratic Party (7)
Republican Party (1)