Easiest districts to flip based on last election’s turnout. OR currently sends two Republicans to the House of Representatives.
The 2nd district (R+ 15): Rep: Cliff Bentz. 1,000 new people would change .3% of the vote, he won with 2.1%, 7,299 new voters could change the outcome. The district covers roughly two-thirds of the state, east of the Willamette Valley. It includes all of Baker, Crook, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, Wheeler counties, all but a small sliver of Jefferson County and the southeastern portions of Deschutes (excluding Bend and areas to its northwest) and Douglas Counties.
The 5th district (D+2): Rep Lori Chavez-DeRener 1,000 new people would change .2% of the vote, she won with 35% more of the vote which means 108,487 new voters could flip it. It stretches from the Southeast suburbs of Portland through the eastern half of the Willamette Valley and then reaches across the Cascades to take in Sisters and Bend. It includes a sliver of Multnomah County, the majority of Clackamas County, the rural eastern portion of Marion County, all of Linn County, a very small section of southwest Jefferson County, and the populated northwest portion of Deschutes County.
It would be best to convince people to move to swing states, in most rural areas they’ll just become a wasted vote in a conservative super-majority (like where I live now).
I guess I can feel bad about considering moving to a place like Oregon, as I know most progressive cities are inundated with newcomers, but at this point I need to move to protect myself. My healthcare has already been denied in the state I live in for political reasons, and I’m concerned for my safety as a trans woman. Many of the trans women I know lost their jobs when they transitioned and too many of them have been physically assaulted in public. I see myself a kind of refugee, and progressive cities can offer a kind of asylum for people like me. Most people probably don’t have those reasons for moving, so I try to offer myself a bit of grace when considering moving. Still, I’m sorry.