Oregon congressional seat retained by Dems

PORTLAND – Democrats will hold onto an Oregon congressional seat left vacant when David Wu resigned.

Democrat Suzanne Bonamici defeated Republican Rob Cornilles Tuesday night. With 71 percent of the vote counted, Bonamici led Cornilles 54 percent to 39 percent.

“I am truly honored to represent such an important and diverse district,” Bonamici told cheering supporters in downtown Portland. “And in that representation, I will always put people before politics.”

National Democrats poured more than $1 million into the Portland-area district, determined not to drop another safe seat after losing a New York district left vacant by Anthony Weiner.

Wu stepped down from Congress in August after a newspaper reported that the 18-year-old daughter of a campaign donor accused the seven-term Democrat of making an unwanted sexual advance at a Thanksgiving dinner. His resignation capped months of reports about Wu’s bizarre behavior that included widely panned photos of the congressman wearing a tiger costume.

Bonamici, a former state senator who gave up her seat to run for Congress, emphasized her experience in the legislature and as a lawyer working on consumer protection issues at the Federal Trade Commission. She talked about controlling the national debt, but stuck mostly to traditional Democratic themes like preventing cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

Cornilles, owner of a consulting firm that does business with sports franchises, promoted his business experience. He ran toward the center and downplayed his Republican affiliation, but he still faced an uphill climb in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans and President Barack Obama enjoyed significant support in the 2008 campaign.

Cornilles made his second bid for the seat. He lost to Wu by 13 percentage points in 2010.

Preliminary results showed Bonamici leading by 13 points in Washington County, where nearly two out of every three voters live. She was leading in all counties except Yamhill.