Jamie McLeod-Skinner and Lori Chavez-DeRemer are running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. Incumbent Kurt Schrader (D), who was first elected in 2008, ran for re-election. He lost to McLeod-Skinner in the Democratic primary on May 17, 2022.
FiveThirtyEight’s Geoffrey Skelley and Ryan Best said, “[Democratic primary voters] ousted longtime centrist Rep. Kurt Schrader and backed progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner in this D+3 seat, which has potentially boosted the chances of Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer.”
The Oregonian’s Grant Stringer called the race “one of a pair that could be the closest of their kind in Oregon in a generation.”
McLeod-Skinner is an attorney and regional emergency manager. In her responses to Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, McLeod-Skinner said she is “committed to lowering the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, helping families in this difficult economy, and implementing proven solutions to tackle crime.” McLeod-Skinner has criticized Chavez-DeRemer’s position on abortion. “My opponent would ban access to abortion before a woman know she’s pregnant. My opponent is trying to take away our reproductive rights; I will defend them,” McLeod-Skinner said.
Chavez-DeRemer, a businesswoman and the former mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, has focused on economic issues and law enforcement. Chavez-DeRemer said, “I will keep our taxes low, fully fund our police, and expand educational opportunities for our children.” On law enforcement, DeRemer said McLeod-Skinner would reduce funding for police departments. “My opponent wants to fully defund the police. She has marched in the defund the police movements three times,” Chavez-DeRemer said.
Oregon’s 5th district was redrawn after the 2020 census. The redrawn district stretches from southeast Portland to Bend and includes parts of Clackamas, Deschutes, Linn, Marion, and Multnomah counties. According to The Cook Political Report and FiveThirtyEight, the partisan composition of the district did not change significantly after redistricting.
In the 2020 presidential election, President Joe Biden (D) received 53.6% of the 5th District’s vote to former President Donald Trump’s (R) 43.9%. According to data from Daily Kos, the redrawn 5th District voted for Biden 53.2% to 44.4%.
As of June 2022, 33% of registered voters in the redrawn district were non-affiliated, 33% were Democrats, 28% were Republicans, and 7% were registered with a third party.
The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 House districts are up for election. As of September 30, 2022, Democrats held a 220-212 majority in the U.S. House with three vacancies.