Oregon Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner is following other members of her party by trying to distance herself from the “defund the police” movement, despite her previous support for pro-defund the police groups.
In both debates against Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, McLeod-Skinner categorically denied attending or participating in anti-law enforcement rallies.
“I am opposed to defunding police, it’s a ridiculous claim that’s been made,” McLeod-Skinner said in Friday’s debate. “I mean this is more D.C. talking points that my opponent’s using.”
However, Facebook posts revealed that McLeod-Skinner attended and promoted several Black Lives Matter rallies during the George Floyd Riots of the Summer of 2020. During that time, the black lives matter movement was actively calling for the police to be defined.
McLeod-Skinner and her wife attended a Black Lives Matter protest in Princeville, Oregon, in June 2020, according to her wife’s Facebook page. In June, McLeod-Skinner also posted about two Black Lives Matter rallies that happened in rural Oregon.
In July 2020, McLeod-Skinner went to a Black Lives Matter rally in Crooked River Ranch, Oregon, her Facebook posts show.
During the Democrat primary season, McLeod-Skinner failed to give reporters a definitive answer on whether she supports defunding the police.
As the Huffington Post reported:
Occasionally, McLeod-Skinner’s efforts to leapfrog cultural third-rail issues can veer into evasiveness. Pressed repeatedly on whether she supported reductions in funding for traditional policing — the central demand of the “defund the police movement” — McLeod-Skinner refused to answer directly. Specifically, I wanted to know if she supports non-police interventions (like a mental-health emergency pilot program) to replace traditional policing, or to merely supplement it.
“I reject the premise of your question,” she said. “I more broadly define public safety than simply having officers show up in uniform, in a police car, responding to calls. It’s community engagement. It’s community relationships.”
With crime at the forefront of midterm voters’ minds, McLeod-Skinner’s pivot away from defunding the police aligns with other members of her party, as recent polling shows Americans are opposed to the idea.
As Breitbart News detailed:
The “Defund the Police” movement turned out to be wildly unpopular with voters of all stripes apart from far-left, self-described “progressives.” Democrat politicians and corporate media have begun denouncing the movement as fallout from defunding, anti-police rhetoric, and subsequent staffing shortages become more apparent to voters. A December poll found that a majority (61 percent) of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of crime nationwide, with only 36 percent approving of his ability to manage crime.
An October Politico poll found that Americans think increasing police department funding is one of the top ways to combat rising crime, which could explain Republican Chavez-DeRemer’s advantage in the polls.
Chavez-DeRemer has a double-digit lead over McLeod-Skinner, a September poll found. Forty-four percent of Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District voters support Chavez-DeRemer, compared to just 34 percent for McLeod-Skinner.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
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