Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair is one step closer to the U.S. House of Representatives after Tuesday night’s primary election. A victory over incumbent U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum in November would make her the first Deschutes County resident elected to Congress in recent memory — maybe ever. When asked if she knew whether a Deschutes County Commissioner had ever gone on to Congress, she said, “Honestly, I don’t think so. I haven’t asked AI yet.”
Approaching the end of her second term as Deschutes County Commissioner, Adair, 74, is now vying for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, which captures the suburbs south of Portland, the eastern side of the Willamette Valley and the western part of Deschutes County including Bend and Redmond. Adair on Tuesday defeated Jonathan Lockwood, a former legislative communications strategist, earning 60.2% of the vote.
“I’m glad that I won,” Adair told the Source by phone on Wednesday, adding that Oregon is “at the wrong end of everything,” citing test scores, taxes and transportation fatalities. “I’m trying to go to Congress in order to make things better for people who live in Oregon. We’ve got a lot of changing to do.”
Despite Adair’s victory Tuesday, it may be a steep hill to climb to reach federal office. With about $300,000 in campaign funding raised so far, she trails Bynum by about $2 million, according to federal campaign finance data. Nearly 69,000 voters participated in the Democratic Primary on Tuesday while just under 60,000 voted in the Republican primary. Political analyst websites say the district likely leans Democratic, though it’s still likely the state’s most competitive district.
So far, the race has garnered less national attention that the fiery feud of 2024, when Bynum defeated then-incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who President Donald Trump then tapped as Secretary of Labor. Chavez-DeRemer resigned last month amid allegations of misconduct.
Bynum’s campaign launched an attack at Adair shortly after the primary results came in Tuesday evening tying Adair to Trump and calling her an “extreme MAGA Republican who is deeply out-of-touch with Oregonians.”
“I was born here. I went to school here,” Adair told the Source in response. She grew up on a ranch in Heppner, about 70 miles outside of Pendleton, and returned to Sisters in 2014 after a career in California.
“I do believe that I am in touch with Oregonians, because I walk with them,” Adair told the Source in response, citing the strain of high gas and grocery prices. “When I go to Winco, people seem to be breathing a little bit easier there, because prices in Winco, they’re not as high as other places.”
In an interview, Adair called for extensions on provisions in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including no taxes on tips, overtime or social security. The bill, passed last year, created widespread breaks on taxes and cuts to social safety net program like food assistance and Medicaid.
Adair, a former chair of the County’s Republican party, was the political director for Trump’s campaign in Eastern Oregon in 2016, according to KBND.
Adair said she hadn’t yet received an endorsement from Trump for her race.
“Actually, I’m not sure if in our district if it would do me good or not,” Adair said. “I haven’t gotten it. I know they’re doing a lot of things elsewhere. But I really want to do good for my district.”
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Congress is already dangerously dumb and feckless. No need to make it dumber with Adair.
Good point
Adair should be able to spend a lot more time in Winco come mid-November. She is MAGA to the core and beyond. Remember when she said that busloads of homeless people were being shipped to Bend? Just one of several ridiculous and ignorant comments that will come back in this campaign. I am not a big fan of Bynum but she recognizes that Trump and MAGA folks like Adair are genuine threats to democracy.
We don’t have to be stuck with these two unfortunate choices to represent us in Congress.
Anyone who feels the urge to enter this race and emphasize the issues that matter to Central Oregonians can stand for the nomination of the Oregon Pacific Green Party at their July 18 convention. Requirements for Congress are U.S. citizenship and having attained the age of 25. Residence in C.D. 5 is not required. (Janelle lives outside the district.) Check out pacificgreens.org to see if their values align with yours. Their email for potential candidates is campaigns@pacificgreens.org. You don’t have to be registered Pacific Green to jump in.
What do we gain with a Democratic majority, if it continues to vote to arm the genocide in Gaza, to equip and arm ICE to round up our neighbors, to surrender to the surveillance state, and deny Americans universal healthcare?