PORTLAND -- The race to replace disgraced Congressman David Wu has finally arrived, following primary races for both parties that has led to a special general election faceoff between Democrat Suzanne Bonamici and Republican Rob Cornilles.
Voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to return their ballots in the all-mail election.
More: Where to drop your ballots
The leading edge of both campaigns has been an onslaught of wicked television ads to pick the next representative for Oregon's First District, which stretches from downtown Portland to the Coast.
The district encompasses the Silicon Forest high-tech hub, plus the global headquarters for Nike Inc. and Columbia Sportswear Company.
Wu was a seven-term Democrat who stepped down last year following a string of bizarre news stories that began with photos of the congressman wearing a tiger costume, a traffic accident, and ended with a young woman's accusation that he made an unwanted sexual advance.
More: Rep. Wu announces resignation
Cornilles, 47, a sports business consultant, has made a second bid for the seat after losing to Wu in 2010. He tried hard to extend to Bonamici, the scandal that brought down Wu. She said the race is about the future, not about Wu.
He centered his pitch on his experience running a sports-marketing firm, hoping to swing an upset with a relentless focus on jobs and a run toward the center.
Bonamici, 57, and groups that support her went after Cornilles for missing tax payments for his business and for inconsistent statements about the number of jobs his company had created.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee dropped $1.3 million on her campaign. Her speeches mixed traditional Democratic themes of protecting Social Security and Medicare with a pledge to tackle the national debt by getting Washington's priorities in order.
More: First District candidates debate at KGW studios
KGW Straight Talk: Candidates Rob Cornilles and Suzanne Bonamici
Oregon's 1st Congressional District is the state's economic engine, encompassing downtown Portland and the fast-growing western suburbs that are home to the Silicon Forest high-tech hub and the global headquarters for athletic-wear giants Nike Inc. and Columbia Sportswear Company. It stretches across agricultural communities to the Pacific coast.
Democrats have represented the district since 1975, and its voters overwhelmingly supported President Barack Obama.
