Bynum, Chavez-DeRemer compete for Oregon congressional seat
What you need to know about the Nov. 5 election.
Oregon voters have until midnight Oct. 15 to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election
U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who made history in 2022 when she became the first Latina and female Republican elected to Congress in Oregon, is being challenged by state Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley, for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, which covers Linn, Clackamas and Deschutes counties, and parts of Multnomah and Marion counties.
The Statesman Journal reached out to the candidates with emailed questions. The candidates are listed alphabetically.
Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley
Janelle Bynum is 47 years old and lives in Happy Valley. She and her husband own four McDonald’s franchises in Portland and have four children. She’s been a member of the Oregon House of Representatives since 2017. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and chairs the House Committee on Small Business/Economic Development.
Bynum has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Florida A&M University and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
She previously defeated DeRemer twice to represent Oregon House District 51 in the Oregon Legislature.
On her campaign website, Bynum said her top three priorities include voting rights, abortion rights and lowering the price of prescription drugs.
She told the Statesman Journal she was motivated to run for Congress to be “a fighter” for working families in Oregon who are struggling with rising costs.
“My work is a love letter to my own children and I want to make sure that there’s a future for them — for their education, for their health care and for their job opportunities,” she said.
Bynum said she would stand up for jobs, affordable and quality health care, and public safety.
She said her time as a state representative has given her a track record of bipartisan success including affordable housing development, protecting reproductive rights and supporting the local economy. The mission is personal to her, she said.
“I’ll go to Congress to get the work done and find solutions to issues facing our country — to fight for the middle class, to protect our communities, to protect our reproductive rights and to build an economy that works for everyone,” Bynum said.
She said she would focus on lowering costs for Oregonians by supporting efforts to bring manufacturing to the state, incentivizing companies to come to Oregon and fighting against big companies outsourcing jobs out of the state and country.
Bynum said Chavez-DeRemer says one thing in Oregon and does another in Washington, D.C.
“She told voters here in Oregon that she’s pro-choice, but then went to Washington and voted with MAGA Republicans to restrict access to abortion,” Bynum said. “We need leaders who aren’t afraid to stand up to their own party when it’s right for Oregon.”
She said she “stood up to my own party to recriminalize fentanyl and keep our communities safe and I have a strong record of bipartisan legislation in the state Legislature.”
“I’m well equipped to defeat Lori Chavez-DeRemer because I’ve done it twice before in the state Legislature,” she added.
Bynum’s endorsements include all three of Oregon’s female governors, the Oregon AFL-CIO labor union, Oregon Service Employees International Union, farmworker union PCUN, Oregon Nurses Association, Oregon American Federation of Teachers and several other state leaders.
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon
Lori Chavez-DeRemer is 56 years old, married and has twin daughters. She lives in Happy Valley.
She was elected to Congress in 2022, defeating Jamie McLeod-Skinner with 50.91 percent of the vote.
Before she was elected to Congress, she served on the Happy Valley Park Committee and as the Happy Valley City Council president. She was elected mayor of Happy Valley in 2010 and 2014.
In Congress, she serves on the U.S. House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Education and the Workforce, and Agriculture. She’s introduced 24 pieces of legislation as of October, according to Congress.gov. The Senate companion to one of those bills, authorizing several projects to expand healthcare services to veterans, was signed into law last year.
A second bill, supporting poison control and overdose prevention programs, was signed into law in September.
Chavez-DeRemer said she used feedback from Oregonians to take action during her first term and said her approach would be the same if reelected.
“I’ll work with anyone interested in passing pragmatic legislation to make our communities even better places to work, live, and raise our children,” Chavez-DeRemer told the Statesman Journal.
She also celebrated securing millions of dollars in infrastructure and public safety projects in Oregon.
“I’m running for reelection to build on my record of success and continue serving my community,” she wrote.
Among her priorities are providing tax relief for Oregon families, improving public safety and supporting veterans. Chavez-DeRemer said she would continue working to make life more affordable for families in Oregon, pointing to her vote in favor of the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. The bill passed in the House.
Chavez-DeRemer referred to herself as the “second-most bipartisan member of Congress” and said she had gained unique hands-on experience and developed critical relationships with members of both parties.
“This puts me in a better position to keep getting things done and affecting positive change for Oregon” she said. “I promise to continue being a fighter for the 5th District by staying laser-focused on the issues impacting our communities.”
Chavez-DeRemer said Bynum supported policies that created problems in Oregon, specifically pointing to her support of Measure 110, which decriminalized drugs in the state, and what Chavez-DeRemer characterized as “repeatedly” undermining law enforcement.
She has been endorsed by 20 labor unions, the Oregon Farm Bureau, the Oregon Coalition of Police and Sheriffs, and the Oregon State Firefighters Council.
How much money have Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Janelle Bynum raised in their campaigns for Congress?
Chavez DeRemer has raised $4 million this year, receiving $1.7 million in individual contributions and $1.5 million from other committee contributions, according to the last data reported to the Federal Election Commission.
She had $2.4 million cash on hand as of June 30’s report.
The top contributor was the National Association of Realtors, with $158,083 in total contributions. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee contributed $104,000 and Nike contributed $19,000. Leadership political action committees also contributed at least $432,300, according to campaign finance data.
Bynum had raised $2.4 million and had $1,087,862 on hand, as of June’s quarterly reporting data to the FEC.
Her top donations included a $12,000 contribution from the Democracy Summer Majority Fund and a combined $33,000 from the PAC EMILY’s List.
Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at[email protected] or on Twitter @DianneLugo
