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Candidates for Oregon's 5th Congressional District, state Rep. Janelle Bynum (left) and U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (right).
Courtesy of the campaigns
Janelle Bynum, an Oregon legislator from Happy Valley, is leading in early returns for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, one of the most closely watched U.S. House races in the country.
If elected, Bynum would be Oregon’s first Black member of Congress. But final results in the contest are potentially days away.
As of Wednesday morning, Bynum was leading incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer with 48% of the vote to 45% with many votes outstanding.
The contest is Oregon’s most high-profile congressional race and could influence which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives, though all those results remain in flux. The race drew in millions of dollars, an onslaught of advertisements and support from some of the nation’s most powerful politicians.
For seven terms, the district was held by Democrat Kurt Schrader, and President Joe Biden won here in 2020. Two years ago, Chavez-DeRemer flipped the seat for Republicans, winning by just two percentage points.
Bynum was scheduled to speak at an Oregon Democrat event in downtown Portland Tuesday night. She didn’t. Instead, she issued a statement, saying: “We are confident in our path to victory.”
“I am grateful for the outpouring of support for my campaign and the vision that we built together, of Oregon over the last 16 months,” Bynum said. “Thank you to everyone who trusted me with their vote, volunteered for the campaign, and spoke to their friends, family, and neighbors about the importance of this election. We’ll provide updates as Oregonians’ voices continue to be counted.”
Bynum spent much of her campaign attacking Chavez-DeRemer for her endorsement of former President Donald Trump and portraying the incumbent as an imminent threat to democracy and abortion rights.
With the backing of top Oregon Democrats, including Gov. Tina Kotek, Bynum spent her campaign touting her bipartisanship in an effort to garner support from centrist voters who could tip the scales by voting for either candidate.
She also received a boost from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat who personally asked her to run, and from powerful national groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the House Democrats’ national campaign arm.
Bynum was leading Tuesday in Clackamas, Deschutes and Multnomah counties. Chavez-DeRemer was leading in Marion and Linn counties.
Chavez-DeRemer issued a statement late Tuesday saying the close race was expected and she urged people to wait for all ballots to be counted. “As we wait, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported my campaign. Oregonians want a strong, independent representative who will get things done to improve our communities,” she said.
Oregon’s top Democrats voiced confidence in Bynum’s campaign at an event in downtown Portland Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, who spoke about the Democratic party’s wins across the state, said: “We will be bringing Janelle Bynum with us.”
A mother of four, Bynum balanced her work in the Legislature while working as an engineer and the owner of four McDonald’s fast-food restaurants. She served as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, helping pass a police reform package in the aftermath of the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd.
Should Bynum be elected, her supporters said it would be a historic but overdue moment for Oregon.
“It feels a little bit like it’s way past time,” said Elizabeth Casson-Taylor, a retired principal in Portland. “There’s been Black Oregonians here for 200 years.”
Chavez-DeRemer is the mother of twin girls who, along with her husband, founded an anesthesia management company and opened clinics across the Pacific Northwest. Before Congress, she served as mayor of Happy Valley. She focused her campaign on local issues and sought to blame Bynum for the state’s struggles with addiction and crime.
Bynum outraised Chavez-DeRemer, with more than $5.8 million in total contributions, much of which came during the final months of the race. Her campaign was also buoyed by more than $4.4 million in supportive advertisements, largely from groups dedicated to electing House Democrats. Both campaigns faced mountains of cash toward attack ads from groups dedicated to electing congressional candidates.
Attendees at the downtown Portland event, including Bynum supporters, said they had grown tired in recent weeks with the relentless attack ads flooding their televisions.
“It’s been a vicious one. I know it’s been targeted by both parties as a swing district,” said Moses Ross, who is running for Portland city council. “I feel that Janelle Bynum is going to prevail, but it’s going to be a close one.”