Kurt Schrader

Walter Kurt Schrader (born October 19, 1951) is an American politician and veterinarian who served as the U.S. representative for OR's 5th congressional district from 2009 to 2023.

His district covered most of Oregon's central coast, plus Salem, and many of Portland's southern suburbs, and a sliver of Portland itself.

Schrader was born in Connecticut and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1973.

At Cornell, Schrader met Martha Northam and the two married in 1975.

Schrader earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois in 1977.

A year later, the Schraders moved to Oregon, and Kurt opened the Clackamas County Veterinary Clinic in Oregon City.

Schrader served for 16 years on the Canby Planning Commission.

Schrader served three terms in the Oregon House of Representatives.

Schrader was the first sitting member of Oregon's Congressional delegation to lose a primary challenge since 1980.

Politico characterized Schrader's loss as resulting from progressive backlash against aspects of his voting record and noted that he received support from two outside groups associated with moderates and was endorsed by Joe Biden.

Commentary from The Wall Street Journal 's editorial page, which called Schrader "Oregon's Joe Manchin", said that his loss was an example of how endangered moderate Democrats had become.

He first ran for the office in 1994, losing by 38 votes to Republican Jerry Grisham.

In 1996, Schrader ran again, defeating Paul Kraxburger.

A member of the Democratic Party, Schrader served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly from 1997 to 2008.

Schrader ran for reelection in 2022.

His district had undergone a major change after Oregon gained a seat, moving away from the coast and east of Salem, and taking in Deschutes County.

Despite his campaign's stronger funding and endorsement from President Joe Biden, Schrader lost renomination to progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who subsequently lost to Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

He was reelected in 1998 and 2000.

In 2002, Schrader ran for the Oregon State Senate seat vacated by the retiring Verne Duncan, representing the 20th district in southwestern Clackamas County, including the cities of Barlow, Canby, Gladstone, Johnson City, Oregon City and parts of Milwaukie.

He defeated Oregon House member Kathy Lowe in a contentious Democratic primary, then faced no Republican opposition in the general election.

His wife, Martha Schrader, was the Democratic nominee to succeed Schrader for his vacant House seat; she lost the general election to Wayne Scott.

In the Oregon Senate, Schrader co-chaired the Joint Ways and Means Committee in the 2003 and 2005 sessions and chaired the Interim Joint Legislative Audit Committee in the 2005 session.

To prepare for his U.S. House seat, Schrader resigned effective December 17, 2008.

In May 2008, Schrader won the Democratic nomination for OR's 5th congressional district for the seat being vacated by Darlene Hooley.

In the general election, he defeated Republican nominee Mike Erickson with 54% of the vote to Erickson's 38%.

Schrader won all seven counties in the district.

Schrader was challenged by Republican nominee and Oregon State Representative Scott Bruun and Pacific Green nominee Chris Lugo.

Despite several polls showing Bruun ahead and Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight predicting Schrader would likely lose, Schrader won with 51% of the vote to Bruun's 46%.

She then served as a Clackamas County commissioner until 2009, when she was appointed by the same commission (recusing herself from voting) to replace her husband in the State Senate.

It was the closest House race in Oregon in 2010, a year in which Republicans picked up at least 63 House seats, but only one on the West Coast.

Schrader was reelected, 54.0% to 42.4%.

Schrader was reelected, 53.7% to 39.3%

Schrader was reelected, 53.5% to 43.0%.

He was absent from the Congressional swearing-in on January 3, 2017, because he was on his honeymoon.

He was the only member of Congress not to be sworn in that day.

Schrader was reelected, 51.9% to 45.2%.

His Republican opponent was Amy Ryan Courser.

The Libertarian candidate, Matthew Rix, received 2.8%.

On May 17, 2022, Schrader lost the Democratic primary to Jamie McLeod-Skinner, 56.9% to 42.7%.

McLeod-Skinner's victory was largely due to her support in Deschutes County, an area that Schrader had not previously represented.