(Update: Adding video, comment from McLeod-Skinner, Deschutes County Dems Chair, Schrader supporter)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- To Deschutes County Democrats Chair Jason Burge, there is no incumbent in the race for Oregon’s vastly redrawn 5th Congressional District seat.

 “Many of these voters, over 50 percent have never heard of this individual” before this campaign season, Burge told NewsChannel 21 on Tuesday.

The district is newly drawn based on 2020 census data, but still included current Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader’s hometown of Canby.

Burge said the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is overly supporting Schrader as an incumbent, despite him holding the seat since 2009.

“In this particular case, we thought it was unfair and unreasonable to treat the congressman as an incumbent,” Burge said.

The issues, and some party leaders' support of the challenger, have drawn national attention to the race. Burge said the Deschutes County Dems felt the need to endorse Schrader’s opponent, Jamie McLeod-Skinner of Terrebonne, to level the playing field.

Burge, along with the leaders of the democratic parties in Clackamas and Marion counties, have sent a letter to the DCCC, asking them to cease campaigning for Schrader.

McLeod-Skinner said, “I think this is more of a discussion of who gets to decide who represents Oregonians.”

Burge added, “What we're seeing is at every moment that things escalate, we're seeing more and more national news coverage of it.”

However, that didn’t sit well with Schrader supporter Kathleen Gordon.

 “I don't believe it's up to a group of people within the Clackamas County Democrats to put their finger on the scale that say, 'We're going to make this decision by not endorsing a congressman,'” Gordon said.

Gordon resigned her position with the Clackamas County Democrats in part because of their decision to endorse Mcleod-Skinner.

 “I just felt like it was a step too far,” she said.

She also worries the divide, seemingly between national and local Democratic leadership, may hurt the eventual nominee’s chances in November.

“Right now, it’s fractured,” Gordon said of the Democratic Party.

However, Mcleod-Skinner feels the opposite.

 “It actually enhances (the November odds), because what it's done is it's helped to really clarify the expectation of Oregon Democrats,” she said.

Representative Schrader was unavailable for comment due to congressional duties, his campaign staff said.

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Here's the news release from McLeod-Skinner's campaign and letter from the county party leaders:

Terrebonne, Oregon — County Democratic Parties in Oregon’s newly drawn 5th Congressional district issued the following letter to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, urging the national Democrats to allow Oregon to choose their own Congressional candidate in the Democratic primary. In March, OR-5’s local Democratic parties representing 90% of the district’s voters — Linn, Deschutes, Marion, and Clackamas — took the unprecedented step of endorsing opponent Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the primary. Major labor in Oregon also backs McLeod-Skinner, including SEIU Oregon, ONA, UFCW Union Local 555, AFT Oregon, OEA and more.

Read the full letter here.

Oregon County Democrats Letter to the DCCC

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee 

430 S. Capitol St. SE 

Washington, DC 20003

To the DCCC:

As County Democratic Parties in Oregon’s newly drawn 5th Congressional district, we represent thousands of Democrats who are concerned about who will represent us in Washington, D.C.

After serious deliberation, our members in Deschutes, Marion, and Clackamas Counties took the unprecedented step of endorsing in a primary election – and we overwhelmingly voted to endorse Jamie McLeod-Skinner. Not only is Jamie a solid Democrat, she has the trust of Oregonians and is best positioned to win the general election in the newly drawn OR-5.

We appreciate the DCCC is gearing up to help Oregon Democrats in the general election, and we look forward to working with you. However, Oregon Democrats get to decide who will be our nominee for OR-5, which includes 53% new voters. We are dismayed that the DCCC refuses to let Oregon Democrats decide who we want to represent us. Kurt Schrader may be a dues-paying DCCC member, but he is not a true incumbent in the newly drawn OR-5.

In February, the DCCC sent a campaign operative to the Deschutes and Linn County Democrats meetings and attempted to recruit volunteers for Schrader’s campaign. Now, the DCCC is funding a campaign staffer to work on Kurt Schrader’s team. In Clackamas County they have moved in a full-time coordinator and two field people. Recently, we learned the House Majority PAC is spending tens of thousands of dollars on pro-Schrader Facebook ads in our district.

The Deschutes, Clackamas, Marion County Democratic parties, represented by their Chairs, are writing to respectfully ask that you cease your active support of Kurt Schrader during the primary election. We are working to elect a Congressmember who represents Oregon’s Democratic values. Oregonians get to decide who will represent us.

Members of our local democratic parties who are the most informed and engaged with their voting neighbors chose to endorse Jamie McLeod Skinner because she aligns with their values and the legislative objectives of the Democratic Party of Oregon. Where Kurt Schrader wavers and walks back key legislation that would improve the lives of working families Jamie McLeod Skinner has decades of demonstrated support of issues that are top of mind of voters right now: drug price regulation, addressing climate change and the rising costs of living. We’ve seen Kurt Schrader’s best work on these issues and believe it is time to send a new person to congress who we believe can deliver for working Oregonians.

We formally request that you immediately stop campaigning for Schrader in the primary election. Allow Oregon Democrats to choose who represents us in Congress.

Signed,

Jason Burge, Chair, Deschutes County Democrats

Jan Lee, Chair, Clackamas County Democrats

Carina Perez Europa, Chair, Marion County Democrats