Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District is once again a hot spot on the election map.

It’s home to Salem, Lincoln City, and most of Clackamas County.

Incumbent Congressman Kurt Schrader, a Democrat, will defend his seat November 2nd against Republican Scott Bruun, and Green Party candidate Chris Lugo.

The story of the Fifth District race mirrors other House contests around the country. An incumbent Democrat who won office in 2008, is now having to defend the work of the past two years.

A recent debate at the Salem City Club found the candidates talking about the subject every politician is talking about: the economy.

Kurt Schrader: “I’ve had tough times in my life, we’ve had some rough goes on the farm, I started two small businesses from scratch. I think I have a pretty clear idea what a lot of us are up against right now in this very difficult economy.”

Schrader often speaks about his experience running a veterinary practice, but he’s also an experienced politician:  a former state senator who co-chaired the powerful state Ways and Means Committee.

Once elected to Congress, he moved fast, gaining chairmanship of a Small Business subcommittee on finance and seats on the Agriculture and Budget Committees. At events like the Salem debate, he makes no apologies for the work of the 111th Congress.  

Yes, he says, money was spent on the recovery package, but he asks voters to think about how the stimulus staved off disaster. He checks off a list of “gets” for local towns, like a new armory in Albany,  attention for returning Oregon Guardsmen, and a coup for Oregon’s coastal economy.

Kurt Schrader  “I brought the NOAA fleet to Newport, for gosh sakes. Certainly the city led the charge, I was the lead delegation on that. That’s a lot of what this job is. I’m proud of that sort of thing, and if you this recovery to continue, you want someone that sort of conviction and is able to deliver results like that.”

But even Schrader acknowledges the economy’s still in bad shape.

The Fifth District’s unemployment rate is about the same as the state average, hovering between ten and eleven percent. And the overall state of Oregon’s economy is what Scott Bruun asks voters to consider as he stumps for change.

Bruun says more decisive action is needed to break the slump.

Scott Bruun: “You look at our tax and regulatory policies nationally. They are absolutely counterproductive to the kind of private sector job creation that we want. We tax way too much, and we tax the wrong things.”

Bruun has also been hammering on the message that Congress has spent too much.

Scott Bruun “2010 is a tipping point election year. Whatever path we choose, we’re going to have to live with that for a long time.”

On the campaign trail, Bruun repeats a line that conservatives around the country have used, attempting to tie Schrader to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

But voters’ unwillingness to swallow either party’s talking points whole is part of what makes the Fifth District such a difficult prize.

Rod Schaeffer, lives in Silverton, and works in the  insurance industry. He says he generally votes Republican, but would consider crossing party lines. He hasn’t yet made up his mind, but he knows his issues.

Rod Schaeffer: “Clearly the economy’s important. The war, there are some things within my industry I’m interested in knowing about, health care reform, those sorts of things.”

So far, both the Democratic and Republican Congressional Campaign Committees have pledged  resources toward the race.

The Republicans have reserved a $500,000 ad space on Bruun’s behalf. Democrats have done the same for Schrader, for at least $450,000.

For cash on-hand, Schrader’s campaign was about $700,000 ahead of Bruun’s as of the last quarterly report to the Federal Election Commission.

All that money will be spent chasing an electorate that defies traditional categories.

That’s where Pacific Green party candidate Chris Lugo hopes to make headway. He’s running on a platform that focuses on social justice and peace issues.

Chris Lugo  “The problem in the United States, is that we allow corporations and the wealthiest members of our society to have the most liberal social system in the world. I do believe the most important issue is look at who’s paying their fair share in this country.”

The Salem debate was the only event on the calendar at which all three candidates were scheduled to speak.

Schrader and Bruun have a TV debate scheduled in Portland October 21st.