Biden’s first primary endorsement, Rep. Kurt Schrader, likely to lose in Oregon

Oregon Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader, who earned President Joe Biden's first endorsement this year, appears likely to lose his primary election.

With 49% of ballots counted in Oregon's 5th District Democratic Primary, Schrader is losing to Jamie McLeod-Skinner by about 61% to 39%, according to The Associated Press.

When asked about the endorsement on Wednesday, new White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded, "I mean, look, I — as it comes to — you know, I have to be careful about what I can say here. But we — you know, the race in Oregon was focused on just how much each candidate support the President — supported the President. That’s what we saw in this particular race." 

She then went on to explain that McLeod-Skinner "ran on a — an agenda of President Biden’s priorities, including lowering the price of prescription drugs and tackling climate change and the fossil fuel pledge."

When Biden endorsed the congressman, he said, "Kurt Schrader has had my back from early on and played an important part in the progress we have made as a nation."

Tens of thousands of ballots in Oregon's 5th District have blurry barcodes and were rejected by voting machines, forcing election workers to transfer the votes by hand to new ballots, AP reported.

McLeod-Skinner told supporters Wednesday, "Elections are not easy to administer and I am confident in the elections staff and volunteers who are working hard to ensure we have accurate and transparent results."