Gerrymandering Democrats Tighten Grasp On Conservative, Rural Oregon

In Central Oregon, horses and Trump flags are more common than electric cars and pride flags. But perhaps not for long.

At least geographically, most of Oregon is similar. A small slice of the state lies west of the Cascade Mountain Range, featuring the expected dreary weather and socialists of Portland. But most of the state lies east of the Cascades, where high desert and plains sprawl for miles, dotted by ranches and sagebrush.

Central Oregon, a historically conservative area, is where the beautiful scenery to the west meets the high desert and rugged independence to the east. But when state Democrats redrew congressional districts in 2021, they gerrymandered Congressional District Five to include part of leftist Portland and much of Central Oregon.

For the first time in recent history, much of Central Oregon will find itself represented by a Democrat. State Rep. Janelle Bynum unseated Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who narrowly won the district in 2022.

Reminder that Princeton Redistricting Report Card gave Oregon’s Congressional Map an F and District 5 was by far the worst offender.#orpol https://t.co/i6ojjxxiJp pic.twitter.com/JG4yr0oWe2

— Jacob Drew Vandever (@JacobDVandever) November 9, 2024

Deschutes County, the most populous region of Central Oregon, had gone red in every presidential election since 1964. But in 2020, a shifting population led to Democrats outnumbering Republicans for the first time in the county — and it went blue in both 2020 and 2024. (Read more from “Gerrymandering Democrats Tighten Grasp On Conservative, Rural Oregon” HERE)

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