Five Democratic candidates are running for the congressional seat now held by Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz. The 2nd Congressional District, covering Southern and Eastern Oregon, is among the largest in the country.

The 2nd District Democratic candidates gathered for town hall meetings in Klamath Falls, Grants Pass and Medford this weekend. The candidates include Patty Snow of Phoenix, Rebecca Mueller of Medford, Dawn Rasmussen of The Dalles, Mary Doyle of Bend and Peter Quince of Ashland. Quince only recently filed to run, so he wasn’t included in these most recent town halls. But the party said he’d participate in future events.

Organizers said the town halls were intended in part to draw attention to the fact that Bentz has not held an in-person town hall in Southern Oregon in more than a year and a half. Bentz said he canceled in-person town halls due to disruptions by activists.

The candidates criticized federal immigration enforcement efforts, citing recent deadly encounters in Minnesota in which two people were killed during operations by federal immigration officers.

“For any of you who didn’t think we’re an authoritarian government, think again,” said Snow, who described herself as a “purple Democrat.” “These people have been militarized to invade our streets, to separate children from their parents, to send people to facilities in states far away and then never to be heard from.”

All the candidates have agreed to support each other, regardless of who wins the primary on May 19. The winner faces an uphill battle in the heavily Republican district, where Democrats are outnumbered almost two-to-one.

Mueller, a pediatrician at La Clinica, said that Democrats need to think differently about how they approach this district if they want a chance at winning.

“We have had decades of the same speeches, of the same talking points,” she said. “And yet every cycle we point the finger at the other guy, and less and less gets done.”

Republicans have held the 2nd District for more than four decades, beginning in 1980, when Denny Smith defeated longtime incumbent Al Ullman during the Reagan landslide. Recently, Democrats were closest to taking the district during Trump’s first term in 2018, when Jamie McLeod-Skinner got 39.4% of the vote.

This year, candidates said they hope to capitalize on voter frustration over immigration enforcement and the affordability crisis.

“The common theme is that there are a lot of corporations that are controlling every aspect of our life,” Rasmussen said, referring to rising prices. “They are charging us more and more. I am mad. I am furious, and I’m ready to fight all these inflationary, predatory tactics that these corporations are inflicting upon us.”

The Democrats will also have to raise a significant amount of money to match Bentz’s war chest. According to campaign finance reports, Bentz had more than $1.3 million cash on hand at the end of 2025, including donations from corporations like Toyota, Chevron and Paramount. He also receives some support from the Republican Party. Meanwhile, all five Democrats have raised just $57,000 total so far.

“I know how to ask the right questions and to follow the money,” said Doyle, a public school teacher. “Because who has the money currently is who has the most power, and that’s why we need to take money out of politics and end corruption.”

Bentz is facing at least two challengers in the Republican primary. Andrea Carr from Chiloquin says she’s a progressive Republican who believes many politicians are too focused on corporations and special interests and not the community. Peter Larson, a teacher in La Grande, has been critical of Bentz, particularly regarding his decisions to vote for cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits.

Roman Battaglia is a reporter with JPR. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/03/oregon-2nd-congressional-district-bentz-democrats-midterms/