(Chris Parker, Headline USA) What should have been a high honor for a candidate seeking reelection has turned into a massive upset,.
President Joe Biden gave a rare endorsement to Oregon’s Kurt Schrader last month, and it’s not going as planned, reported the Washington Free Beacon. Schrader is running in the Oregon primaries to keep his seat during the midterms. It was Biden’s first (and, so far, only) endorsement for the 2022 election cycle.
Biden’s endorsement was glowing: “Kurt Schrader has had my back from early on and played an important part in the progress we have made as a nation. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Kurt in his reelection campaign for Congress.”
Unfortunately for Schrader, the results are not as glowing. While election calls have been delayed by technical snafus, Schrader was losing by a huge 23% with 61% of precincts reporting.
He currently lags behind challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who leans more heavily to the Left. Recent polls have shown that Americans believe the Democrat Party’s current policies are too radical and “out of touch.” However, a moderate Democrat is losing to a far-left candidate in a district that typically only leans slightly to the Left.
Schrader secured endorsements from Biden and Nancy Pelosi, despite being critical of both last year. He voted against Biden’s American Rescue Plan and called Pelosi a “terrible person.” He received an endorsement from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as well.
This led to criticisms from his base, but Biden’s endorsement brought enough campaign donations for Schrader to outspend McLeod-Skinner by a significant margin. It also attracted the attention of Super PACs based outside of Oregon, adding an additional $2 million to his campaign budget.
Schrader also faces an uphill battle after a recent redistricting in his area. Many voters are seeing his name on the ballot for the first time. His district now includes the larger city of Bend.
So far, the election’s results have been delayed by blurry barcodes. This means about 45% of the district’s Democrat votes have not been officially counted.
