Upset Brief · OR-02 · Chris Beck (D) vs. Cliff Bentz (R), incumbent
A long shot on the math: it takes a 28.5-point national wave.
0%
odds today
0%
odds with the plan
103,541
net votes to find
36
days left; voting starts October 14
Where
- 01+191Precinct 39 (Deschutes County)Starting line Bentz +23. 7.0% split their ticket.
- 02+168Precinct 002 (Jackson County)Starting line Beck +67. 1.9% split their ticket. About 490 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 03+155Precinct 025 (Jackson County)Starting line Beck +41. 4.4% split their ticket. About 566 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 04+148Precinct 02 (Josephine County)Starting line Bentz +36. 6.6% split their ticket.
- 05+144Precinct 016 (Jackson County)Starting line even. 6.5% split their ticket.
- 06+141Precinct 015 (Jackson County)Starting line Beck +8. 6.7% split their ticket.
The top 12 precincts carry 14% of the plan.
How
- P+10,570Persuade10,570 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Bentz today.
- M+478MobilizeAt least 2,573 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in precincts where Beck's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+1,318ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the precincts that lean Beck's way.
Plus a national shift of 28.5 points of margin (91,176 votes) that no campaign controls.
What has to be true
- Beck wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Bentz.
- In Precinct 002 (Jackson County) and Precinct 025 (Jackson County), 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- It would take a national shift of about 28.5 points toward Beck's side, larger than any midterm swing in recent memory.
- No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression364 precincts, R² 0.989, 68 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 7-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -128,227 to -53,383 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through June 30Beck $53,777 cash on hand; Bentz $1,420,775.
- 04Call program for this list18,959 households, 56,878 dials, about 2,980 live conversations: an estimated $7,047 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Oregon Secretary of State precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 27, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.