Oregon Republican Cliff Bentz wins House primary to replace Greg Walden

Oregon Republican Cliff Bentz won the GOP primary in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, securing a spot in the general election to replace retiring Rep. Greg Walden (R).

Bentz, a former state senator, won the race with roughly 34 percent of the vote with 70 percent of precincts reporting. He beat out his nearest competitor, former state representative Knute Buehler, by about 10 points. Buehler lost the 2018 election for governor to Kate Brown (D).

The race for the seat, which Walden won by about 17 points in 2018, has attracted a large amount of outside fundraising, with several GOP hopefuls breaking six figures in fundraising.

Republicans are expected to keep the Eastern Oregon seat, which Walden has comfortably won for several consecutive cycles.