Political Parties Pour Money Into Close Oregon Congressional Race

A Congressional race on Portland’s outskirts is becoming an expensive one that both parties deem worthy of significant investment.

Democrat-allied groups just put $3.8 million into backing civil servant Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the District 5 race extending southeast of Oregon’s largest city. And Republicans have put more than $3 million into backing her opponent, Lori Chavez-Deremer, former mayor of the Portland suburb Happy Valley.

The district, once covering most of Oregon’s coast, was radically redrawn in redistricting as Oregon gained a seat, from five to six. The district lost Oregon’s coastal areas and now extends deeper inland. It had been represented for 14 years by Kurt Schrader, a moderate, but the much more progressive McLeod-Skinner upset him in the primary.

McLeod-Skinner is an engineer, a small business owner, emergency response coordinator, and she served as interim city manager of Talent, Oregon, according to her website. Efforts to reach her campaign were unsuccessful.

“Jamie began her public service managing the repair of schools and hospitals in war-torn Bosnia and Kosovo and has led organizational change, mediated community disputes, and managed teams through crises,” according to her campaign website. “Jamie is committed to lowering the cost of health care and prescription drugs, helping families get ahead in this difficult economy, and implementing proven solutions to tackle crime.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our office opening in Oregon City. This election is about building a shared vision for our future. That’s why we’re partnering with great candidates across the ballot. Join us to get out the vote! https://t.co/sSq3eoNMV3 pic.twitter.com/YrDDOT8dzz

— Jamie McLeod-Skinner for Oregon (@JamieforOregon) August 23, 2022

Political Climate

The Democrats’ redistricting plan didn’t make the district any easier for a Republican, said Ben Roche, vice chairman of the Republican central committee for Linn County in District 5. But he

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