Oregon U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader speaks during a visit from President Joe Biden, at an Air National Guard hangar at Portland’s airport, April 21, 2022.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Seven-term U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader has been ousted in a Democratic primary in Oregon by progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
The vote count in the state’s 5th Congressional District was significantly delayed due to ballots with blurry bar codes in Oregon’s third-largest being rejected by vote-counting machines. Workers in Clackamas County had to transfer votes by hand to fresh ballots so they could be tallied. That work is still underway and clerk Sherry Hall has come under fire for the delayed results.
Related: State Rep. Janelle Bynum wants legislative inquiry into Clackamas County ballot delays
McLeod-Skinner had the backing of the local Democratic parties in all four counties covered by the redrawn 5th Congressional District seat. She had urged stronger action to combat climate change and complained that Schrader was too conservative.
I'm honored to be elected as Oregon’s Democratic Nominee for Congress in OR-5.
— Jamie McLeod-Skinner for Oregon (@JamieforOregon) May 27, 2022
From Sellwood to Sunriver, Oregonians never stopped believing we can protect our families, our climate and our civil rights.
Oregonians — this is your victory.
Schrader’s loss marks the first time in 42 years that party-affiliated voters in Oregon have ousted a sitting member of Congress in a primary election.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner, Democratic primary candidate in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District in election 2022.
Courtesy of Jamie McLeod-Skinner
McLeod-Skinner will face Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer in November. Chavez-DeRemer is the former mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, who has said she will support businesses and police and address “the crisis on our southern border.”
Schrader, a moderate, had the support of President Joe Biden, who made the congressman his first endorsement of the year. Schrader has voted against some of Biden’s priorities, including a money-saving plan to let Medicare negotiate the price it pays for prescription drugs.
Schrader has faced mounting criticism from progressive Democrats. A year ago, he was one of only two members of his party to vote against a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill because, among several reasons, he did not support including an increase to the minimum wage.
The newly-drawn 5th District stretched from the Portland-area southeast into Central Oregon, including Bend. Democrats have held the seat since 1997. However, some in the party are concerned that a more progressive candidate would face a tougher time getting elected in the redrawn district.
