The Oregon special election, currently underway in the Beaver State, is shaping up to be an important precursor to the November elections. According to a tweet from the Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division, voter turnout was at 35.58 percent Tuesday morning.
The Oregon special election features Republican Rob Cornilles and Democrat Suzanne Bonamici. Mr. Cornilles is the owner of a consulting company for sports organizations and Ms. Bonamici is a former Oregon state senator.
Mr. Cornilles describes himself as a job creator and calls his opponent, Ms. Bonamici, a career politician. Ms. Bonamici, on the other hand, focuses on her legislative experience and has been endorsed by a number of Oregon newspapers, including The Oregonian, The Willamette Week and The Portland Tribune.
Mr. Cornilles and Ms. Bonamici are competing for the House seat that was left vacant by former Oregon Representative David Wu when he resigned in August 2011. Mr. Wu resigned after The Oregonian reported on allegations of inappropriate contact with an 18-year-old girl.
The race for Mr. Wu’s House seat has been expensive for both candidates. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Ms. Bonamici has spent $1.2 million as of mid-January and Mr. Cornilles has spent just under $1 million.
Oregon’s 1st Congressional District is strong territory for Democrats. President Barack Obama defeated Senator John McCain (R-AZ) with 61 percent of the votes in 2008. After the Republicans took over the House in the 2010 elections, Democrats hope that Ms. Bonamici can secure a victory in the Oregon special election Tuesday night.
The results of the Oregon special election are likely to shed some light on the upcoming November elections.
