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Jamie McLeod-Skinner

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Jamie McLeod-Skinner
Personal details
Born (1967-05-31) May 31, 1967 (age 57)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseCass McLeod-Skinner[1][2]
EducationRensselaer Polytechnic Institute (BS)
Cornell University (MS)
University of Oregon (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website

Jamie McLeod-Skinner (born May 31, 1967) is an American attorney, engineer, and politician who has run for office in Oregon on multiple occasions. She was the Democratic nominee for Oregon's 5th congressional district in the 2022 election.[3] In an upset, McLeod-Skinner defeated seven-term incumbent Blue Dog representative Kurt Schrader in the Democratic primary for Oregon's 5th,[4] in a race in which she was considered the more progressive candidate. She narrowly lost the general election to Republican former Happy Valley Mayor Lori Chavez-DeRemer.[5] She sought a rematch with Chavez-DeRemer in 2024 but lost in the Democratic primary to Janelle Bynum.

Early life and education

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McLeod-Skinner was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she was nine, her mother, Marty Hall, moved to teach school in Tanzania. She attended elementary and high school there and in Kenya.[6] She moved in 1983 to Ashland, Oregon. She graduated from Ashland High School in 1985, where she still holds the girls' 800-meter track record.[7] She went to college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree. She received a master's degree in engineering from Cornell University in 1995.[8] She graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2016 with a Juris Doctor.[8]

Career

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Beginning at the end of 1995, she served as a reconstruction and program manager in war-torn Bosnia and Kosovo. She led a Lutheran services organization from 2000 through 2002.[9][10]

From 2016 to 2017, McLeod-Skinner was the city manager of Phoenix, Oregon, where she was fired after four months by Mayor Chris Luz, supposedly due to complaints from several department heads, though she stated that the decision was politically motivated.[11][12] Ultimately, the city councilors were split. She went on to work as the interim city manager of Talent, Oregon, in 2020, hired after the Almeda wildfire destroyed over 700 homes,[13] more than one-third of the city,[14] and where there was substantial discord between the executive, administration, and city employees.[9]

Political career

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She served on the city council of Santa Clara, California, for eight years, from 2004 to 2012.[8][15] In 2018, she ran in the Democratic primary for Oregon's 2nd congressional district, winning by 19.5% in a seven-candidate field.[16] The district had been held by Republicans since 1981 and had only twice been represented by Democrats in its 121-year history. In the general election, she faced nine-term incumbent Greg Walden, a former state senator. She decided to run due to Walden's efforts to replace the Affordable Care Act. No Democrat had come within 36 percentage points of Walden since 2000. McLeod-Skinner lost by less than 17%. A political scientist took note of her run, as she had defeated Walden in Deschutes County though no candidate had come close before, with Carol Voisin outdoing all others, yet losing by almost 17,000 votes in 2006.[17][10]

In 2020, she ran in the Secretary of State primary against two incumbent Democratic state senators, Shemia Fagan and Mark Hass. She focused her campaign on preserving and expanding voter rights and accessibility and did not accept corporate contributions.[18] In the Democratic primary, the three candidates were separated by less than nine percentage points, with Fagan winning the election.[19]

In 2022, McLeod-Skinner challenged moderate Democrat Kurt Schrader, a six-term incumbent whose district boundaries were substantially reordered by redistricting, as Oregon gained a sixth seat due to its population increase.[20] Schrader had opposed some initiatives by President Biden, who nevertheless endorsed him, but the incumbent had alienated grassroots leadership in a number of counties.[21] The new district took in Deschutes County and also included part of Multnomah County, a reliable progressive stronghold. She won both counties by double digits.[22] Democratic Party leadership organizations in four of the five counties within the district's new boundaries supported McLeod-Skinner, who was also endorsed by Senator Elizabeth Warren.[21] Schrader received 2022 endorsements from President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,[23] and his campaign outspent McLeod-Skinner's by 10–1.[24] Although he first referred to Trump's impeachment as a "lynching", he later voted for it.[24] McLeod-Skinner's win marked the first time an incumbent member of Oregon's congressional delegation had lost a primary in 42 years.[4] The primary divided the party, and Schrader refused to endorse her in the general election. McLeod-Skinner narrowly lost the general election to Lori Chavez-DeRemer.[25] In 2023, she announced she would seek a rematch with Chavez-DeRemer.[26][27]

The rematch with Chavez-DeRemer was derailed on 21 May 2024, when McLeod-Skinner lost in the primary to State Representative Janelle Bynum by a 40-percent margin.[28]

Electoral history

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2018

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2018 U.S. House Democratic primary in Oregon's 2nd district[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jamie McLeod-Skinner 25,351 42.8
Democratic Jennifer Neahring 14,020 23.7
Democratic James Crary 6,774 11.4
Democratic Tim S. White 3,469 5.9
Democratic Raz Mason 3,137 5.3
Democratic Eric Burnette 2,734 4.6
Democratic Michael Byrne 2,546 4.3
Democratic Write-ins 1,173 2.0
Total votes 59,204 100.0
2018 U.S. House Election in Oregon's 2nd district[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Greg Walden (incumbent) 207,597 56.3 −15.4
Democratic Jamie McLeod-Skinner 145,298 39.4 +11.4
Independent Party Mark Roberts 15,536 4.2 N/A
n/a Write-ins 278 0.1 −0.2
Total votes 368,709 100.0 N/A
Republican hold

2020

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2020 Oregon Secretary of State Democratic primary[31]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Shemia Fagan 209,682 36.23%
Democratic Mark Hass 205,230 35.46%
Democratic Jamie McLeod-Skinner 159,430 27.55%
Democratic Write-ins 4,395 0.76%
Total votes 578,737 100.0%

2022

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2022 U.S. House Democratic primary in Oregon's 5th district[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jamie McLeod-Skinner 47,148 54.9
Democratic Kurt Schrader (incumbent) 38,726 45.1
Total votes 85,874 100.0
2022 U.S. House Election in Oregon's 5th district[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jamie McLeod-Skinner 171,514 48.83
Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer 178,813 50.91
Write-in 906 0.26
Total votes 351,233 100.0

References

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  1. ^ Bajko, Matthew S. (April 6, 2022). "Political Notebook: Lesbian Oregon US House candidate McLeod-Skinner seeks Bay Area support". ebar.com. Bay Area Reporter. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "GOP congressman Walden attacks foe's family ties in Oregon district". Associated Press. September 25, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Weigel, David (May 27, 2022). "Rep. Kurt Schrader loses primary in Oregon's 5th District". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Lehman, Chris (May 27, 2022). "Jamie McLeod-Skinner defeats Kurt Schrader in Oregon's 5th District Democratic primary". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Flaccus, Gillian. "GOP's Chavez-DeRemer flips Oregon 5th Congressional District". Oregon Public Broadcasting. OPB. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  6. ^ McLeod-Skinner runs for 2nd Congressional District, Pamplin Media, Holly M. Gill, April 19, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  7. ^ McLeod with a Silver Lining Central/eastern Oregon Democratic candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner hopes for a win against Republican Greg Walden, Eugene Weekly, Meerah Powell, September 20, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Five Cornell Alumni Secure Spots in Congress, Cornell Sun, Alisha Gupta and Amanda H. Cronin, November 7, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Talent names McLeod-Skinner interim city manager, Mail-Tribune, Tony Boom, December 31, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2022. archived version
  10. ^ a b McLeod with a Silver Lining Central/eastern Oregon Democratic candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner hopes for a win against Republican Greg Walden, Eugene Weekly, Meerah Powell, September 20, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  11. ^ Kolliner, Kimberly (March 9, 2017). "Former Phoenix city manager says trying to enforce checks and balances got her fired". KTVL. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  12. ^ Ricarte, RaeLynn (September 11, 2018). "Firing debated in district race". Columbia Gorge News. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  13. ^ "Oregon man sentenced to 11 years in blaze near the 2020 Almeda Fire". NBC News. May 11, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Crombie, Noelle (September 9, 2020). "Wildfire cuts swath of destruction in southern Oregon; Phoenix and Talent 'pretty well devastated'". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  15. ^ Bajko, Matthew S. (May 16, 2018). "Ex-Bay Area politico wins OR primary for Congress". ebar.com. Bay Area Reporter. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  16. ^ General election for U.S. House Oregon District 2, Ballotpedia, October 20, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  17. ^ McLeod-Skinner's Feat In Deschutes County Greg Walden lost Deschutes County for the first time. A political science expert theorizes why[permanent dead link‍], Bend Source, Chris Miller, November 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  18. ^ Here is what the 3 Democrats running for Oregon secretary of state say about how they’d do the job, Oregon Live, May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  19. ^ Borrud, Hillary (November 4, 2020). "Oregon secretary of state's race: Shemia Fagan defeats Kim Thatcher". oregonlive. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  20. ^ Krieg, Gregory (May 16, 2022). "Oregon's Kurt Schrader, after backlash over breaking with House Democrats, faces primary challenge in redrawn district". CNN. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Rep. Kurt Schrader loses primary in Oregon’s 5th District, Washington Post, Eugene Scott and David Weigel, May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  22. ^ Oregon's incumbent Schrader poised to lose to McLeod-Skinner in 5th District Democratic primary, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Emily Cureton Cook, May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  23. ^ Kurt Schrader blasted Nancy Pelosi as "Truly a terrible person" while killing Biden's "Build Back Better" Pelosi has endorsed the Oregon Blue Dog, who faces a primary challenge from Jamie McLeod-Skinner, but the feeling is apparently not mutual, The Intercept, Ryan Grim, May 16, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Biden-backed Democrat defeated by progressive in Oregon primary, CNN, Gregory Krieg, June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  25. ^ Shumway, Julia (November 21, 2022). "Claims that Kurt Schrader would have won Oregon's 5th District race for Congress are overblown, local Democrats say". oregonlive.
  26. ^ sources, KTVZ news (July 10, 2023). "Jamie McLeod-Skinner announces new House bid, seeks Nov. 2024 rematch with Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer". KTVZ. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  27. ^ Newspaper, The Nugget. "McLeod-Skinner eyes another run". The Nugget Newspaper. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  28. ^ Establishment-backed Democrat defeats progressive in key Oregon House primary , The Hill, May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  29. ^ "Election results (2018 U.S. House Democratic primary in Oregon's 2nd district)". The New York Times. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  30. ^ "Election results (Oregon Election Results: Second House District". The New York Times. January 28, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  31. ^ "May 19, 2020, Primary Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. May 19, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  32. ^ "US REPRESENTATIVE, 5TH DISTRICT - DEMOCRAT". Oregon Secretary of State. June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  33. ^ "November 8, 2022, General Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. p. 3. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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