County Democrats mull new rules to endorse McLeod-Skinner in Congressional primary
County Democrats mull new rules to endorse McLeod-Skinner in Congressional primary.
Supporters described the move as a response to national Democrats putting a thumb on the scale for U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader
But the boundaries of Oregon’s 5th Congressional District shifted last year, and many Democratic voters will encounter Schrader’s name on a ballot for the first time in May.
“To us, he’s not an incumbent and the fact that we have the 800-pound gorilla from Washington coming in and weighing in in our primary spurred some of us to say, ‘You know what, we need Deschutes County Democrat voices heard, not just Washington, D.C., Democrat voices heard,’” Snyder said.
In a move that bucks party tradition, proposals are alive in at least two Oregon counties to back a candidate in the primary instead of staying neutral. Such an early endorsement, especially against a sitting Congressman, is a sign of growing frustrations with Washington politics and efforts to control local choices.