Democratic congressional candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who is vying for Oregon's fifth congressional district in the 2024 elections, has been accused of physical violence against her campaign driver, as reported by Willamette Week.
The allegations come from three former campaign staffers who claim that the driver, a man in his 20s, expressed fear of being around McLeod-Skinner due to multiple instances of physical assault during her unsuccessful 2022 campaign.
The campaign, which began to unravel in October 2022, saw McLeod-Skinner becoming increasingly irate with her staff, to the point of refusing to communicate with her campaign manager, according to the former staffers. In November of the same year, one of the staffers received a distressing phone call from the driver, who relayed his fears and experiences.
"[The driver] called me to say'She told me she despises me,' said 'Im worried Jamie is going to hit me' and that on several occasions in the past (he did not previously report) she had struck him while driving," the staffer noted down from the conversation, as reported by Willamette Week.
In a separate text message to a senior staffer in November 2022, the driver expressed his fear, stating, "Im scared shes gonna hit me. Shes punched me a few times like while I was driving and it wasnt in malice just to like alert me to a car or something but now its different."
In response to these allegations, senior campaign staffers removed the driver from the shared housing arrangement with McLeod-Skinner, a common practice during campaign travels, according to anonymous sources.
Chris Pair, a former staffer for McLeod-Skinner's campaign, told Willamette Week, "It doesnt matter what precipitated a physical threat. The mere fact that someone would ever be made to feel that way by a candidate disqualifies them to represent anyone as an elected official." Pair has since resigned from McLeod-Skinners 2024 campaign and is now advising one of her opponents in a non-staff capacity.
McLeod-Skinner has dismissed these accusations as "outrageous and categorically false," suggesting that they are politically motivated attacks from her opponent. Her campaign issued a statement from her wife, Cass, stating that the driver was dismissed from his role due to the candidate feeling threatened by him.
This is not the first time McLeod-Skinner has faced such allegations. The Oregon Chronicle reported that five campaign staffers previously accused her of verbal abuse and retaliation. She was also reportedly dismissed from her position as an Oregon city manager due to aggressive behavior.
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