A Few Long-Serving House Democrats Face Surprise Election Fights
- DeFazio, Peterson, Kind face their toughest contests in years
- Republicans fielding strong candidates to unseat incumbents
Rep. Peter DeFazio is facing his toughest challenge in years from Alek Skarlatos, a member of the Oregon National Guard and an Afghanistan veteran who gained fame in 2015 for stopping a gunman on a train between Paris and Amsterdam.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Representative Peter DeFazio is part of an exclusive club of senior House Democrats facing a surprisingly close re-election contest in 2020 for a congressional seat he’s held for a generation.
The 17-term Oregon Democrat is one of three longtime House incumbents that Republicans are targeting in districts where President Donald Trump performed well in 2016 by putting up strong candidates that have the potential to pull off upsets on what polls suggest could be a dismal Election Day for the GOP.