Union members hold a rally in front of the Oregon City office of Congressman Kurt Schrader on Nov. 5. Congress was set that day to vote on an infrastructure bill and social policy bill. (KEIZERTIMES/Joey Cappelletti)
For the first time since 2009, Keizer will have a representative in the U.S. Congress whose name isn’t Kurt Schrader.
Schrader, who’s been the U.S. representative for the 5th Congressional District since 2009, announced during an interview with OPB Saturday that he will run in the upcoming 2022 election in the 5th District, which Keizer is no longer a part of.
Molly Prescott, a communications director for Schrader, confirmed the news Monday, Nov. 8.
Schrader has faced backlash in his district and across the country for joining with other moderate Democrats in holding up a $1.75 trillion social policy package. SEUI Local 503, a union representing 72,000 workers in Oregon, held a rally on Nov. 5 at Schrader’s Oregon City office to encourage him to vote yes on the package. That same day, Schrader and the other moderate Democrats once again pushed back the vote on the package until an official spending analysis could be done on it.
Schrader lives in Canby, making the 5th his home district. There was a chance, however, that he would still run in a 5th District that is anticipated to be more liberal. Keizer and other parts of the current 5th District that Schrader represents were moved into the new 6th Congressional District in the redistricting process.
The redistricting maps are still being challenged in Oregon courts, leaving room for district boundaries to still change.
Schrader’s announcement opens the door for an open race for Oregon’s sixth congressional seat, which multiple candidates have already announced that they will run for. The new 6th District includes all of Polk and Yamhill counties and parts of Washington, Clackamas and Marion counties.
On Tuesday, Nov. 9, state Rep. Andrea Salinas announced her candidacy for the 6th District. Salinas, a Democrat, has represented Lake Oswego since 2017 and also served as the Chair of the House Special Committee on Redistricting.
Also competing against Salinas for the Democratic nomination in the sixth is Loretta Smith, who served as the Multnomah County commissioner from 2011 to 2018. Other Democratic candidates include Matt West, a former Intel engineer and cryptocurrency developer, and former Portland Public Schools board member Derry Jackson.
As for the Republican nomination, state Rep. Ron Noble, a McMinnville Republican, has announced he will run in the 6th District as has former Keizer City Councilor Amy Ryan Courser. Angela Plowhead, a clinical psychologist and Air Force veteran, and Dundee Mayor David Russ have also filed to run in the 6th Congressional District.
News tip? Contact reporter Joey Cappelletti at [email protected] or 616-610-3093.