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“Jamie McLeod-Skinner understands the challenges Oregon families are facing, and she will be a fierce advocate for Oregon workers, families, and the environment in Congress. Meanwhile, Lori Chavez-DeRemer has proven time and time again that she’s too extreme for Oregon – siding with dangerous election deniers and working to roll back women’s reproductive freedoms. Chavez-DeRemer’s extreme, MAGA-Republican agenda is completely out of step with Oregon voters, and it will cost her at the ballot box this November,” said DCCC Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Johanna Warshaw, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: May 27, 2022
Subject: The Case Against Lori Chavez-DeRemer
In the GOP primary race to the right, Lori Chavez-DeRemer has taken extreme, hardline stances that will prove fatal in Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District, which President Biden won with 54.6 percent of the vote. Whether it’s her refusal to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election when she didn’t agree with the results or her support for an extreme, near-total ban on abortion, Chavez-DeRemer has shown time and time again that she is completely out of step with Oregonians.
It’s a record that stands in stark contrast to Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a small-business owner and emergency response coordinator, who has been a tireless advocate for Oregon workers and families. Raised by a single mom who worked three jobs to feed her family, Jamie understands what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet. In Congress, McLeod-Skinner will be a strong advocate for addressing the climate crisis, helping our working families and economic recovery, and protecting our democracy.
Chavez-DeRemer will have her own extremism to thank when she’s rejected at the ballot box this November.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
OPB: “[Chavez-DeRemer] is also hitting national talking points popular with supporters of former president Donald Trump. When asked if President Biden won the 2020 election, she didn’t give a clear answer.” [OPB, 4/26/22]
OPB: “OPB asked Chavez-DeRemer how she sees herself compromising across the aisle if elected. ‘I don’t know about the word compromise. You can’t compromise the Oregon 5th’s voice,’ she said.” [OPB, 4/26/22]
Oregonian: Happy Valley mayor to meet with Trump [Oregonian, 1/23/18]
Bend Source: “[Jamie’s] campaign gives hope to the notion that a single candidate can represent, and perhaps even unite, a district as diverse and large as the new CD5. Jamie McLeod-Skinner deserves your vote.” [Bend Source, 4/27/2022]
New York Times: “McLeod-Skinner’s supporters argue that she can galvanize Democratic voters in a year when Republicans have been widely thought to have the edge on enthusiasm.” [New York Times, 5/11/2022]
Portland Mercury: “While many politicians hem and haw over Oregon’s rural-urban divide, Jamie McLeod-Skinner actually has the skills, relationships, and vision to fairly represent the district while pushing for decisive action to mitigate climate change and support economic recovery.” [Portland Mercury, 5/2/2022]
LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER IS TOO EXTREME FOR OREGON
In Congress, Chavez-DeRemer would be a rubber stamp for the extremist Republican Party and their dangerous MAGA agenda. She refused to “give a clear answer” on whether President Biden won the 2020 election and questioned the trustworthiness of Oregon’s vote-by-mail system – which has been in place since 1998 – when she didn’t agree with the results. Instead, Chavez-DeRemer has chosen to align herself with Republican extremists who pushed Trump’s dangerous lies about election fraud, which spurred the violent January 6 insurrection that resulted in the death of 5 people, injured 140 law enforcement officers, and sowed extreme distrust in our nation’s elections.
Chavez-DeRemer also backed Trump’s disastrous tax law that gave massive hand-outs to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the middle class, saying “it’s going to be great for some of us.” She previously received the backing of the radical Oregon Tea Party – a group that supported repealing the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, which provides quality, affordable health coverage to over 620,000 Oregonians.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans support women’s rights to abortion, Chavez-DeRemer will take us backwards and supports an extreme, near-total ban on abortion. Chavez-DeRemer said she “won’t stand” for “government-funded healthcare” such as the Affordable Care Act, and even criticized Medicaid expansion in Oregon. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Chavez-DeRemer also opposes minimum wage increases to help hardworking Oregonians keep up with the cost of living.
Meanwhile, Jamie McLeod-Skinner has focused her career on rebuilding communities and protecting our natural resources. A former union member with working-class roots, she is an outspoken advocate for tackling our climate crisis, protecting reproductive rights, helping working families, and bridging the urban-rural divide. In Congress, Jamie will always stand up for affordable healthcare, housing, and childcare, as well as for worker’s rights and living wage jobs.
PATH TO VICTORY
While Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District became more slightly competitive in redistricting, Democrats still maintain a strong advantage in party registration — 31.9 percent of voters are registered Democrats compared to 26.9 percent of Republicans. In 2020, President Biden won the new OR-05 with 54.6 percent of the vote. With strong turn out in the Portland metro, as well as in Deschutes County, Democrats are well positioned to hold this seat and keep OR-05 blue. |
