Jamie McLeod-Skinner’s victory in the 2022 Democratic Primary over the conservative Democratic incumbent, Kurt Schrader, was one of the most significant results of the 2022 election cycle for progressives.

Unfortunately, Oregon’s 5th District was redrawn after the 2020 Census to be slightly more GOP-leaning, and Jamie barely lost in the general election. However, her chances will be much better in a Presidential year.

When Jamie wins the primary and then the general election in 2024, she will instantly be one of the most important members in Congress from a PDA perspective. How so? Well, not only will she be one of the few Democrats outside of New England to represent a heavily rural district in Congress, she will be an even rarer breed—a progressive representing a rural district. As such, Jamie will be a transformative figure in American politics.

As we all know, the Democratic Party has been virtually wiped out across rural America, but Democrats have been consistently nominating centrist/neoliberal Democrats there. Consequently, people across rural and small-town America have not been presented with a progressive vision for their communities and the country. That’s about to change with Jamie McLeod-Skinner taking the lead!

(Indeed, Jamie was a major contributor to the development of the Rural New Deal document that PDA just published along with the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative!)

We are thrilled by Jamie’s candidacy. If you want to renew your sense of hope in progressive politics and how together we can revitalize American society through democracy, join us this Sunday. RSVP Now!

This is going to be an uplifting and motivating Town Hall!  See you there.

In solidarity,

Alan Minsky for the PDA National Team