Former Democratic Oregon lawmaker will face Bentz in sprawling 2nd Congressional District

That means he’ll face off against Chris Beck, a former state lawmaker from Phoenix and rural land use expert, in the general election. Beck secured 34% of votes in the Democratic primary against five challengers: Bend-La Pine school teacher Mary Doyle, Medford pediatrician Rebecca Mueller, Peter Quince, a retired technical writer from Ashland, Dawn Rasmussen, a small business owner from The Dalles, and Patty Snow, a former small business owner from Ashland.

The Associated Press called races for Beck and Bentz.

Beck will have his work cut out for him campaigning against incumbent Bentz, who has represented the state’s largest district by area since 2021. It spans more than 70,000 square miles across 20 of 36 counties. It runs through The Dalles and Medford, skirting Bend and Roseburg and stretches east into every town until reaching the Idaho border.

The district has been held by a Republican since 1981, and it’s Oregon’s only congressional district with more registered Republicans than Democrats. In the most recent election for the seat in 2024, Bentz won with 64% of the vote.

Beck has raised more than $30,000 so far, according to the most recent federal election filings, slightly less than the roughly $38,500 Bentz raised in the lead up to the primary, and significantly less than the $1.3 million cash on hand Bentz has in his campaign coffers. Beck ran, like his fellow Democratic candidates, because of disillusionment with the Trump administration and what he sees as a lack of responsiveness from Bentz.

After more than a decade working for rural land use and conservation nonprofits, Beck served three terms in the Oregon House from 1997 to 2003, representing the state’s 12th House District encompassing most of Lane County. He also worked for former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber when Kitzhaber was president of the Oregon Senate, and for former Democratic U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer when he was a Portland city councilor. Kitzhaber has endorsed Beck.

Following his time in the state Legislature, Beck spent six years as a policy adviser under the Obama administration on rural economic development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

If elected to represent the 2nd Congressional District, Beck told the Capital Chronicle his priorities include rural healthcare access, affordability, land use planning, addressing wealth inequities, opposing the Iran War and protecting mail-in voting.

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