Andrea Salinas defeated Teresa Alonso Leon, Carrick Flynn, Loretta Smith, Cody Reynolds, Matt West, and three other candidates in the Democratic primary for Oregon’s 6th Congressional District on May 17, 2022.
The 6th District was one of seven new U.S. House districts created due to apportionment after the 2020 census, as Oregon gained one new Congressional district.
Salinas is a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 38. She was appointed to the seat in 2017, and elected to her first full term in 2018. Salinas campaigned on strengthening reproductive rights, fighting against climate change, and affordable healthcare. On her campaign website, Salinas said, “I think Washington could learn a thing or two from what we’ve done in Oregon about the power of finding common ground, working hard, and actually delivering on the issues that matter most to families: affordable health care, a fair economy, and an environment that is protected and cherished for generations to come.”
Alonso Leon is a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 22. She was first elected in 2016. She campaigned on education, universal healthcare, and strengthening Oregon’s economy. On her campaign website, Alonso Leon said: “As one of your congressional leaders, I’ll put small business and working families first, prioritize education and make sure that all our families have access to affordable and accessible healthcare. I will work to ensure that we are investing in public education, making college more affordable and building strong job training programs so that everyone succeeds after high school or earning a high school equivalency certificate such as a GED.”
Flynn has worked as a research associate at the Center for the Governance of AI, a nonprofit organization based in Oxford, England, and as a research faculty with Georgetown University. Flynn said, “I want to get back to the very basics. I would like to get a strong economy, I would like to prevent foreseeable, preventable disasters, and I would like to ensure that every family has an opportunity to thrive by finding high-paying work, good benefits, and the opportunity to get savings.” He campaigned on what he calls a green economy, fixing congress, and preventing pandemics.
Smith served on the Multnomah County Commission from 2011 to 2018. Smith campaigned on creating better paying jobs, expanding access to affordable housing, affordable healthcare, and protecting the environment. Smith said she was running “for Congress in Oregon’s new 6th Congressional District to stand up for equal opportunities for all so that every Oregon family, small business, and community can not just survive, but thrive.”
Reynolds served in the U.S. Army and co-founded a financial services company. He ran on universal healthcare, affordable housing, job training and the economy, and implementing policies to combat climate change. Reynolds said: “I find that too many career politicians are too busy and interested in self-dealing, and posturing for their next re-election to enact meaningful legislation. For these reasons, and with the love and support of my family and friends, I announce my candidacy for the 6th Congressional district.” Reynolds said he self-funded his campaign so he did not have to spend time soliciting donations.
West worked as an engineer with Intel. He campaigned on his experience as a scientist, saying “science is the key to solving some of our biggest challenges – from tackling climate change, providing energy, addressing current and future pandemics, ending food scarcity, and helping to raise people out of poverty — scientific-based solutions will save lives and protect families.” He also campaigned on affordable healthcare, racial justice, and using decentralized finance tools like cryptocurrency to create an equitable financial system.
Ricky Barajas, Greg Goodwin, and Kathleen Harder also ran in the primary.
Salinas will run against Mike Erickson, who won the Republican primary. Three independent race forecasters consider the general election Likely Democratic.
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