Republican Cliff Bentz faced off against Democratic Party candidate Chris Beck for Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District in November's midterms.
Courtesy of JPR
Republican Cliff Bentz won a fourth term in Congress, defeating Democrat Chris Beck in Oregon’s sprawling 2nd District.
Bentz had 157,071 votes, or 61.3%, to Beck’s 98,874 votes, or 38.6%, as of 9:35 p.m. Tuesday. The Associated Press estimated that 79% of the votes had been counted.
The victory keeps the seat in Republican hands, where it has been since 1981. The district covers much of Southern, Central and Eastern Oregon, roughly 70,000 square miles across all or parts of 20 counties.
Bentz, of Ontario, has represented the district since 2021. Beck, of Phoenix, served three terms in the Oregon House and later worked on rural economic development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Obama administration.
Their campaign disagreements came down in part to how people pay for health care and how rural hospitals stay in business.
Beck wanted to repeal H.R. 1, the federal tax and spending law Bentz supported. He said its Medicaid cuts would leave people without insurance and hospitals without payments for their care. He also called for a national health care system covering basic and preventive care.
Bentz defended the law’s Medicaid work requirements. He pointed to $50 billion the law provides over five years for state rural health programs.
They also split over President Donald Trump’s policies. Beck blamed the war in Iran for pushing up household costs. Bentz supported the attack on Iran but acknowledged the strain of higher gas prices on people in his district.
On tariffs, Bentz broke with the president. He said trade restrictions could hurt farmers and other businesses that sell their products overseas.
Maria Carter is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio.
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