Oregon Public Broadcasting

One of Oregon's top political races looks unexpectedly different today.  Embattled Republican Mike Erickson has won the primary fight and become his party's  candidate for the Fifth Congressional District.

He'll take on Kurt Schrader, who won on the Democratic side. If the primary is any indication, the November election could be a wild ride full of political and character issues.

April Baer reports on the 5th district race, and its sky high stakes.

The scene at Mike Erickson's victory party hinted at how he's different from at least one wing of the traditional Republican base -- much more "Lake Oswego" than "Lake County".

Women in chic dresses mixed with men in swanky suits. As the crowd eagerly awaited the returns, empty cocktail glasses piled up on the side tables. And there was Erickson himself, tall, sunny, and smiling.

After a week in seclusion, he seemed bursting to talk about the Fifth Congressional District.

Mike Erickson "It's a great opportunity it's an open seat, doesn't happen very often here, you get the right person with the right mindset, you're gonna go back there and work across the aisle to solve our economic problems, our health care problems, immigration and border security. Those are important issues to everyone in that country. I'm going to be that voice back there."

Erickson said not a word in his victory speech about the scandal that broke last week.

On May 12th, in the final stage of the campaign, rival Republican Kevin Mannix, circulated pamphlets claiming Erickson once drove a pregnant girlfriend to a clinic for an abortion, and paid for for the procedure. If the story's true, it's embarrassingly out-of-step with Erickson's anti-abortion platform.

OPB made repeated attempts to contact Erickson's former girlfriend, Tawnya. She refused to go on record, or reveal her last  name. But she did designate a friend who confirmed many of the details as Mannix reported them.

When the story broke, Erickson issued a short denial, and then disappeared for the eight days. No interviews, no public appearances.

Questioned last night, Erickson finally confirmed he had dated Tawnya. He insists he did not know about the abortion, that he was told she was having stomach problems. As for the disappearing act....

Mike Erickson:  "My staff and some of my political consultants said to me 'Mike, this is going to go away, there's no story here.' And obviously that was a wrong decision. I should have been out in front of everybody, day 1 day 2, absolutely."

If Erickson's having second thoughts about those advisors, he's shown no sign of breaking with them. Given the election results, one wonders: why should he?

Erickson's victory was a squeaker. As of this afternoon, they're only 1300 votes apart.  In making the allegations public, Mannix was counting on voters who care deeply about abortion as a political issue -- voters like Gloria Kliewer. She lives in Dallas, Oregon, and she received one of Mannix's mailers.

Gloria Kliewer: "I was sorry to hear about the problem with Mike Erickson and his having helped pay for an abortion was what I understood. I was very sad about that, and that kind of swung my vote the other way I'm afraid. And I'm sure he can be forgiven for that. But it did affect me."

But Kliewer and voters like her were not enough to turn the tide against Erickson.  Some  may have felt the mailing was a late-campaign smear tactic.

Dedicated conservatives may have liked Erickson's positions well enough to overlook the claims. It's also possible that  the group of voters who take part in the Republican primary is changing -- with a less rigid stance on abortion issues.

In the end, Kevin Mannix was unrepentant last night about the decision to push the story forward. Here's what he said at his election night gathering at a Salem pub.

Kevin Mannix: "We didn't slip this under someone's door, or send out an anonymous mailing. I simply took responsibility and said 'This is an issue that needs to be discussed in this race during the primary.' Because if it's not discussed during the primary, it will be discussed during the general."

Those words may serve as a warning that the story has potential to endure over the coming months, as Mike Erickson faces a new opponent.

The Democratic nominee is Kurt Schrader, an Oregon state legislator who also works as a veterinarian in Oregon City.

His practice  has changed right along with the 5th District, transitioning from horse medicine to house pets. Schrader says working with animals isn't bad training for politics.

Kurt Schrader: "I don't listen to what they say, I watch how they say it, so I know if I'm going to be bitten, scratched, or kicked."

Schrader acknowledges that the past few weeks may have set the bar low. He expects a tough campaign. But at this point, he doesn't intend to revisit the revelations of the Republican primary.

Kurt Schrader: "I think Mr. Erickson, whether allegations recently brought forward  are true or not, will suffer some opprobrium as a result of that.  I think we're in good shape, we've run a vigorous primary campaign. You don't have to be loud, flashy or obnoxious to get ahead in this race. I think people are desperate for strong leaders that reflect their values and I think that would be me."

"Values" is a buzz word  both Schrader and Erickson are already starting to use, as the primary fades in the rear view mirror.

Now that they've captured partisan primary-goers, they're switching gears to try to pick up the more moderate voters in November.