Portlanders will be just as inundated with advertisements and campaign messaging for Washington's 3rd Congressional District race as our neighbors across the Columbia.

Why it matters: Despite being in an entirely different state, WA-03 — which encompasses the southernmost portion of Western Washington, including Clark County — is located in the broader Portland metro area's media market.

• So it's common for residents "to hear campaign ads over TV or radio for districts they are not in," Ben Gaskins, a political scientist and professor at Lewis and Clark College, told Axios.

What they're saying: "In such a nationalized political environment, getting positive word out in the broader area may be helpful to generate word of mouth in case friends [and] family discuss politics across the river," he added.

The big picture: For Democrats, defending WA-03 District is crucial as they seek to flip control of the U.S. House, where Republicans hold a slim majority.

• Democrats would need a net gain of four seats to take control of the 435-member chamber.

Zoom in: First-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is defending her seat against Joe Kent, a Republican who she narrowly defeated two years ago.

• Before Gluesenkamp Perez's upset victory in 2022, the district had been in Republican hands for 12 years.

Zoom in: Immigration has become a flashpoint in the race, with Kent — who is endorsed by former President Trump — supporting mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and ending birthright citizenship.

• Gluesenkamp Perez has run local ads promising to "secure the border" and voting last month for a GOP-sponsored bill that would make it easier to deport immigrants convicted of sex crimes.

Between the lines: Gluesenkamp Perez's campaign has highlighted Kent's past comments denying the 2020 election results, as well as his opposition to abortion, as evidence he's "too extreme."

• Kent in turn has increased his focus this year on the economy, attacking Gluesenkamp Perez for supporting policies he says have contributed to inflation.

The bottom line: While Portlanders will not have a say in this particular race, it will take place across our airwaves and in our mailboxes.

Tell a neighbor

The dream of the '90s is still alive in Portland, apparently — according to the average age of our homes.

By the numbers: The bulk of Portland-area homes were built between the 1970s and the early aughts, according to the latest census data.

• The largest share of homes in the region — 15.8% — were built in the 1990s.
• That makes them millennials.

The intrigue: Between 1990 and 2000, the Portland metro area's population exploded, increasing by 27% — it's highest-ever growth.

• Those people had to live somewhere!

The big picture: Existing homes aren't getting any younger and sellers are still feeling the rate-lock effect. This opens the window for a remodeling wave, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

• Yes, but: Buyers are keen on new builds (a rarity here), given existing supply constraints and (sometimes) better deals to be found.

💭 Meira's thought bubble: Portland's oldest homes are largely confined to the southwest and southeastern parts of the city.

• The J. Duthie House on SE Belmont in the Buckman neighborhood was built around 1870, while the infamous Pittock Mansion was completed in 1914.
• My home was built in 1925 and sits just a block away from the city's first-ever rose garden. And let me tell you: It's sagging infrastructure and at-times moldy basement shows its century-old age.

👵 How old is your home? Let us know.

Hit reply

🛑 The Small Donor Elections program is halting funds to city council candidates who received donations "from candidates or family members of candidates" after Aug. 7, following the revelation that some were swapping money in order to qualify for public matching funds. (The Oregonian)

A ceasefire pledge set to the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war that is circulating among Portland's city council and mayoral candidates has led to in-fighting. (Willamette Week)

❤️ Parents are struggling to access Oregon's newest Medicaid program, which allows them to be paid for 20 hours of care per week for their children with disabilities, due to the lottery's limitations and long waitlist. (InvestigateWest)

🛣️ A new estimate suggests it will cost an additional $800 million per year to maintain and repair highways, roads and bridges across all of Oregon's 36 counties.

• The Legislature plans to work on a transportation package in next year's session, aimed at tackling the state's budget-burdened transportation agency. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

🪧 People for Portland, the controversial political advocacy organization known for targeting local politicians on billboards, is shutting down.

• The co-founders said it has "nothing to do with" a recent state investigation that found the group violated election law in 2022. (Portland Mercury)

Bingo! Joby was hanging out at the Mount Tabor Amphitheater, where performances — like this dance rehearsal pictured in 1953 — still take place.

🗻 Zoom in: Mount Tabor — an extinct volcano — was named after a similar peak in Israel, where, in the Christian tradition, its known to be the site of the transfiguration of Jesus.

The intrigue: Portland is one of six cities in the U.S. home to an extinct volcano within its limits, and its reservoirs supplied water to residents for over 100 years before they were decommissioned in 2015.

• Despite the city's plans to refill Reservoir 6 last winter — after voids were found in its concrete bottom — it only sits partially filled as of now.

🥳 Congrats to readers Audrey Z., Kathleen C. and Santi G. for knowing their Portland parks. We owe you a high five.

Until next time ...