Who's in the Race

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici announced Oct. 6 that she would seek the top Democratic position on the House Education and Workforce Committee, according to POLITICO. Bonamici faces Republican challenger Barbara Kahl in the general election for Oregon's 1st Congressional District. ​

Bonamici has represented the district since 2012, previously serving in the Oregon State Legislature and working as an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission and in private practice in Portland. She won the Democratic primary with about 88 percent of the vote over Jamil Ahmad. Kahl is a veterinarian and small-business owner who founded EquiSport Farm and Veterinary Service in 2020 and previously worked in finance and purchasing at Intel. She won the Republican primary with about 72 percent of the vote over John Verbeek.

What They Stand For

Bonamici has supported moving the country toward "100 percent clean energy," protecting public lands, and defending science, according to her campaign website's energy and environment page. She has supported strengthening public education, reducing high-stakes testing, and expanding Pell Grant funding to make higher education more affordable, per her campaign's education page. She has supported universal health care and maintaining the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with pre-existing conditions and its insurance subsidies, according to her health care page. She has supported access to reproductive health care and has said she will continue advocating for the Women's Health Protection Act, per her reproductive rights page.

Kahl has proposed expanding housing supply, streamlining permitting, and using federal incentives to lower financing barriers for first-time buyers and working families, according to her campaign website. She has supported education choice and parental authority over schooling, including allowing education funds to follow students to public, private, vocational, homeschool, or other programs, per her campaign's about page. She has supported federal financial transparency and oversight of taxpayer spending, according to her campaign platform. She has supported "responsible stewardship" of forests and land while sustaining timber-dependent communities, per her campaign platform. She has supported affordable health care, including updating antitrust laws and requiring patients to receive cost information before care, according to the Beaverton Beat.

The Money Behind the Race

Federal Election Commission filings show Bonamici raised about $817,000 through June 30 and had about $572,000 in the bank, carrying no debt.

Kahl raised about $4,500 through June 30 and had about $212 in the bank, with about $10,900 in debt, according to FEC filings.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

The Cook Political Report rated the race "Solid Democratic" as of Sept. 25; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it "Solid Democratic" as of Sept. 29; and Inside Elections rated it "Solid Democratic" as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is Bonamici, a 94.6 percent chance of winning as of Oct. 8.

Bonamici won the district with about 68 percent of the vote in both 2022 and 2024. Democrats held four of Oregon's six U.S. House seats in 2022 and expanded that to five of six in 2024. Kamala Harris carried Oregon in the 2024 presidential election with about 55 percent of the vote.

Oregon's voter-registration deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 13. County elections offices are open on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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