President Joe Biden gave his first endorsement for the 2022 midterm elections to Oregon Democrat Rep. Kurt Schrader.
Less than a month before the Oregon Democrat primary begins May 17, Biden announced his endorsement of Schrader, putting him at odds with a party favorite, liberal challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
According to the Washington Examiner, the White House indicated that Biden would not weigh in on many primary races. However, the president is supporting a candidate who has opposed key parts of his agenda.
"We don't always agree, but when it has mattered most, Kurt has been there for me," Biden said in a statement Saturday released on behalf of Schrader's campaign. "And in doing so, he has helped to pass much of my agenda into law — making a huge difference in the lives of the Oregonians he represents and all of America."
Schrader is an incumbent who has represented Oregon's 5th Congressional District since 2009. McLeod-Skinner is a candidate who has received support from top Democratic figures and groups, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and the Working Families Party, who are seeking to oust the centrist Schrader.
While Schrader has flown under the radar in national politics, he has in recent years provoked the ire of far-left Democrats after comparing the second round of impeachment proceedings of former President Donald Trump to a "lynching."
Schrader also was rebuked by some Democrats for breaking party lines on key votes promoting Biden's agenda. Schrader has also clashed with Democrats for opposing Oregon's $15 federal minimum wage and voting against the American Rescue Plan.
But Biden overlooked those anomalies, maintaining his praise of Schrader.
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