Dear A4D friends,
Some of you live in newly created Congressional District 5 and many of you may have friends and family who do.
As we get ready to mark our ballots for a Congressional Representative in the upcoming primary, please consider this: Jamie McLeod-Skinner is the only candidate with Democratic values running in District 5! And she’s poised to win if people get out and vote their values.
Jamie has enormous grassroots support. In March at least two-thirds of Democratic Party officials in Linn, Deschutes, Marion, and Clackamas Counties voted to endorse Jamie in the upcoming primary. Those four counties represent 90% of District 5 voters. Endorsing county officials said: Not only is Jamie a solid Democrat, she has the trust of Oregonians and is best positioned to win the general election in the newly drawn CD5.
Willamette Week endorsed Jamie and stated: If the President’s backing still gives you pause, consider who hasn’t endorsed Kurt Schrader [Jamie’s opponent]—any of his five Democratic colleagues in the Oregon congressional delegation. And most of the county Democratic parties, including Clackamas County where Schrader lives, endorse McLeod-Skinner.
Bend Source’s endorsement of Jamie told voters, In an age when bridging the urban-rural political divide feels like an insurmountable task, McLeod-Skinner's past campaign in the old CD2 proves she can do just that. Her 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.
When the Bend Bulletin endorsed Jamie, they wrote, We know she won’t agree with many Republicans in Congress. We’d be surprised if she couldn’t find ways to work with them.
Jamie is a true rural progressive Democrat who can find common cause with almost anyone. Take a quick look at her many endorsements, including Indivisible's here.
As you may know, Oregon democrats recently wrote to national Democratic leaders, asking them to kindly stand back and allow us Oregonians to choose our own Congressional candidate. They said: Members of our local democratic parties who are the most informed and engaged with their voting neighbors chose to endorse Jamie McLeod Skinner because she aligns with their values and the legislative objectives of the Democratic Party of Oregon. Where Kurt Schrader wavers and walks back key legislation that would improve the lives of working families, Jamie McLeod Skinner has decades of demonstrated support of issues that are top of mind of voters right now, including drug price regulation and addressing climate change and the rising costs of living. We’ve seen Kurt Schrader’s best work on these issues and believe it's time to send a new person to congress who we believe can deliver for working Oregonians.
Kurt Schrader has spent a lot of money on TV ads and glossy mailers that appeal to voters who don’t pay attention to facts, so this primary race will be close. Every vote will count.
If you have Democratic values, vote for Jamie! And be sure to share this letter with friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues in District 5.
In solidarity,
Roberta Ruimy & Mary Chaffin
Co-chairs, Act for Democracy