The

, and they show a series of sleepy U.S. House races in Oregon -- with one exception.

Once again, Republican Art Robinson is proving to be a determined challenger to Rep. Peter DeFazio, at least if the campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission are any indication.

In the last quarter,

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-- $182,446 to $153,605 -- as he once again tapped into a national network of donors. Robinson, a chemist who lives in Cave Junction, markets a home-school curriculum and an energy newsletter that has subscribers around the country.

DeFazio is still in a much more solid position when it comes to campaign money. As of June 30, he had just over $645,000 in the bank while Robinson had less than $50,000.

Of course, DeFazio also has to wonder if Robinson will be the beneficiary of an independent spending campaign as he was in 2010. That year, New York hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer

. It appeared Mercer was not happy about DeFazio's support for a tax on certain types of securities transactions.

In any case, DeFazio won by about 9 percentage points in a year that favored Republicans. So he might have an easier time this year. But the latest FEC reports offer further proof he can't rest easy like the other members of the delegation.

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