Wednesday 18 May 2022 11:22 PM Jean-Pierre dismisses claims of bad result for Biden with Schrader staring down ... trends now
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner beat out Biden-backed incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader in the Oregon primary because McLeod-Skinner was so supportive of the president.
Schrader, whose opponent dubbed 'Joe Manchin of the House' for his moderation and emphasis on deal-making, was one of the only candidates whose race Biden endorsed in the midterm election cycle.
With roughly 53 percent of precincts reporting in Oregon's 5th District, McLeod-Skinner led with 61 percent of the vote.
'The race in Oregon was focused on just how much each candidate supported the president. That's what we saw in this particular race,' Jean-Pierre told reporters. She noted that both candidates had been supportive of the president.
Jean-Pierre touted that McLeod-Skinner 'ran on an agenda of President Biden's priorities, including lowering the price of prescription drugs, and tackling climate change and the fossil fuel pledge.'
Biden only endorsed two candidates running for the House, both incumbents - Schrader and Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio. He did not make any endorsements in Senate primaries.
The press secretary said the White House is 'not at all' concerned about Schrader's potential defeat and what message that might send about Biden's sway within the party.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner beat out Biden-backed incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader in the Oregon primary because McLeod-Skinner was so supportive of the president
Jean-Pierre noted that McLeod had previously praised Biden's handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and his handling of the pandemic and the economy.
While Schrader was endorsed by both Biden and the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), after he's gone against the grain by opposing Nancy Pelosi's return to the speakership (and reportedly called her a 'truly terrible person,' according to This Will Not Pass by Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin), and voting against former President Trump's second impeachment.
Schrader voted against Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and opposed a measure in the Build Back Better bill that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate prescription drug
