By GARY A. WARNER Oregon Capital Bureau | Dec 14, 2021
Former Happy Valley Mayor Lori Chavez-DeRemer has been one of the most active campaigners for the newly-drawn 5th Congressional District, which straddles the Cascades with Portland and Bend as the anchors at each end. She attended Veterans' Day events in Deschutes County.
The incumbent in the race is U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby, though the district has been shifted heavily east from the current boundaries.
Chavez-DeRemer on Tuesday received the endorsement of former House Minority Leader Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte.
“Lori Chavez-DeRemer is a dedicated public servant who will be a fierce advocate for Central Oregonians and take on the radical left," McLane said. McLane, who recently stepped down as a circuit court judge for Crook and Jefferson counties, had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the newly drawn seat. He is now a private attorney based in Bend and has announced no new political plans for himself.
Chavez-DeRemer lives just outside of the newly drawn district. Under the U.S. Constitution, House members do not have to live in their district, just in the same state. Chavez-DeRemer has said she would move into the district.
Democratic candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner, the former Democratic candidate for Congress and Secretary of State, also lives just outside the district, on the Jefferson County side of Crooked River Ranch. She's challenging Schrader in the primary, saying he's bolted the party's caucus to vote with Republicans too many times on spending bills and other issues. She's backed by several progressive Democratic leaders, including state lawmakers, as well as Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang.
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