In Oregon’s Fifth District, Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner confronts Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Here are the websites for both candidates, where you can learn more about them and their positions:

                                                https://jamiefororegon.com/meet-jamie/ 

                                                https://www.lorichavezderemer.com/

Jamie McLeod-Skinner defeated Democratic incumbent Kurt Schrader in Oregon’s Fifth District, which was significantly affected by redistricting this year when Oregon gained a sixth seat in the US House. Lori Chavez-DeRemer is the former mayor of Happy Valley, a rapidly growing suburb of Portland. This is considered to be one of the closest House elections in the country, and has received considerable national attention. So Democrats need to hold this seat if they are to hold their majority in the US House. Therefore, the airwaves are flooded with commercials for both. Chavez-DeRemer’s positions mark her as a MAGA Republican with multiple extreme views, which are minority views both in this District and in Oregon. As such, Jamie McLeod-Skinner is the logical choice for this House seat.

Chavez-DeRemer has attacked McLeod-Skinner as soft on crime and as supporting defunding of police. As this is a standard attack line of the GOP against Democrats in this election, McLeod-Skinner anticipated this attack. One of her ads features the former Bend Chief of Police, who describes the GOP attacks as “ridiculous” and defends Jamie based on both his personal knowledge and her stated positions. Chavez-DeRemer has run an ad arguing McLeod-Skinner has accepted money from some more extreme groups, and therefore she is “one of them”. That is not a logically valid argument. But if it was, Chavez-DeRemer is supported by right-wing GOP groups and is subject to the same argument.

But more importantly, Chavez-DeRemer does hold those more extreme right-wing views, as another McLeod-Skinner ad points out. Chavez-DeRemer supports a ban on abortions after 6 weeks. She also is unwilling to recognize that Joe Biden won the 2020 Presidential election, almost 2 years into the Biden presidency. And as the Bend Chief of Police pointed out in the ad above, she has supported the actions of the January 6 insurrectionists who attacked the US Capitol. Tellingly, Chavez-DeRemer has not responded about these views in her advertising.

Chavez-DeRemer has attempted to deny or walk back these positions in interviews, but she has regularly been called out by interviewers on her disingenuousness. Here is a lengthy article from Willamette Week concerning her position opposing the forgiveness of student loan debt while she and her husband accepted $1.3 million in federal pandemic loan funds that were later forgiven: https://www.wweek.com/news/2022/10/08/in-tight-5th-district-congressional-endorsement-interview-chavez-deremer-explains-forgiven-ppp-loans/ .

Chavez-DeRemer is one more MAGA Republican attempting to hide or deny her extreme views in order to get elected. Facts matter. Candidates need to tell the truth and be held accountable for their views. We’re not getting that with this candidate. Vote for Jamie McLeod-Skinner.