Oregon Democrat tees up rematch with GOP Rep. Chavez-DeRemer

Oregon Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner is running for Congress again, teeing up a rematch with Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), whose narrow victory in last year’s midterm election flipped the state’s 5th Congressional District for Republicans for the first time since 1997.

If elected, McLeod-Skinner, 56, who defeated former Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) — a seven-term incumbent and President Biden’s favored candidate — in last year’s Democratic primary, would make history as Oregon’s first out LGBTQ member of Congress.

In a campaign announcement Monday, McLeod-Skinner, who also ran unsuccessfully for Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District in 2018, said she plans to bring a pragmatic problem-solving approach to Congress and “rise above partisan bickering to get the job done.”

“Congress needs to focus on the basics – helping working people and small business owners make ends meet while protecting our democracy, our environment, our communities, and our fundamental rights,” she said.

“We don’t just want to live, but to thrive in safe and healthy communities,” McLeod-Skinner  added Monday in a post on Twitter. “Some days it feels like the clock is being rolled back as books are banned and people are discriminated against for who they are. Other days, it’s like we’re in a bad movie, with constant weather emergencies, a homeless crisis, and partisan shouting matches!”

“These are challenging times and we need a steady hand,” McLeod-Skinner wrote. “My work has taken me across Oregon and I know that DC’s nasty rhetoric and corporate dark money does not speak for Oregonians.”

Oregon’s 5th was radically redrawn under redistricting last year, and the once-Democratic stronghold now stretches from southern Portland to more conservative central Oregon. The race has been rated a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

Several Democrats, including state Rep. Janelle Bynum and Lynn Peterson, a local government official, have already jumped into the race for Oregon’s 5th. In support of McLeod-Skinner, Democrat Kevin Easton, who announced his candidacy in May, said Monday he would bow out of the race.

“I am suspending my campaign for Congress in OR-05 to support and endorse Jamie McLeod-Skinner,” Easton said in a statement Monday. “She came incredibly close to winning this race last year and has built a winning team. The math, money, and momentum are all on her side to achieve a Democratic victory.”

Chavez-DeRemer, 55, is seeking reelection.

McLeod-Skinner’s candidacy has been endorsed by leading LGBTQ groups and figures including the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, the Equality PAC and openly LGBTQ Reps. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).