Biden backs Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader in first midterm endorsement

President Biden approved the re-election of Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader over the weekend, his first midterm endorsement in the primary election cycle as Democrats battle to hold onto power in both houses of Congress. .

“We don’t always agree, but when it mattered most, Kurt was there for me,” Biden said in a statement released by the Schrader campaign. “And in doing so, he’s helped push a lot of my agenda into law, which has made a huge difference in the lives of the Oregonians he represents and all of America.”

“Now we have a lot more to do, and to get there we have to keep a Democratic Congress,” Biden added.

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Schrader takes on progressive candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner for Oregon’s 5th congressional district. She expressed her disagreement with Biden’s decision.

“I respect Biden’s work to fight Covid-19 and rebuild our economy, but I have to disagree with the President here,” McLeod-Skinner tweeted on April 23. against the Oregonians. We need a leader in Congress who will finally fight for us.

Schrader has faced mounting criticism from progressive Democrats, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

A year ago, he was one of only two members of his party to vote against a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill because, among several reasons, he was not in favor of an increase in the minimum wage.

Oregon’s 5th District is in the northwestern part of the state and includes coastal communities and the state capital, Salem.

Schrader joined Biden in Portland last week where the president outlined a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that includes upgrades to Portland International Airport.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.