Janelle Bynum speaks to supporters at her election night party at Portland Cider Co. in Clackamas, Ore., May 21, 2024. Early returns showed Bynum with a sizable lead in the Democratic race for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District.
Bryce Dole / OPB
Janelle Bynum, a Happy Valley Democrat who has served four terms in the Oregon House of Representatives, has won the Democratic race for the state’s 5th Congressional District, according to unofficial results.
As of Wednesday morning, Bynum held a sizable lead over Jamie McLeod-Skinner, an attorney from Terrebonne.
At the Portland Cider Company in Clackamas, Bynum walked out to a room full of supporters who cheered and chanted her name. She clapped her hands while standing behind a podium, beaming, and declared herself the Democratic nominee.
“There’s so much at stake this November and the path to flipping the House,” she said. “The majority runs right through our district. I’m ready to be your champion.”
Bynum will face Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in what should be one of the nation’s most closely watched races.
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Bynum, who would be Oregon’s first Black member of Congress if she can oust the incumbent in November, received backing from much of Oregon’s Democratic political establishment, including the state’s governor, attorney general, treasurer, three members of Congress and more than 30 state lawmakers.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner, left, checks in with campaign manager Kelie McWilliams at the Deschutes County Democrats watch party in Bend, Ore., on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. McLeod-Skinner trailed Janelle Bynum in the Democratic primary race for Oregon's 5th Congressional District.
Kathryn Styer Martínez / OPB
She also outraised McLeod-Skinner, with more than $1.1 million in total contributions compared to McLeod-Skinner’s more than $700,000.
Bynum spent much of her campaign touting the fact that she beat Chavez-DeRemer twice in elections for the Oregon House of Representatives, and she said she’ll do it again.
In her speech, Bynum sought to portray Chavez-DeRemer as a far-right Republican, noting she endorsed President Donald Trump.
“She’s basked in the limelight of her MAGA friends in [Washington, D.C.], and has barely even visited the district,” she said. “But I believe that our families deserve better and that our communities deserve better and that our country deserves better.”
In Congress, Bynum said, she would rally behind the Democratic Party’s efforts to curb gun violence, improve housing affordability, codify abortion rights and act on climate change.
“She has a proven track record of working and getting things done in a bipartisan manner,” said Steph Newton Azorr, a city councilor in Albany.
(Left to right) Democratic Party primary candidates for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, Janelle Bynum and Jamie McLeod-Skinner, in undated photos provided by the campaigns.
Photos courtesy of the campaigns / OPB
McLeod-Skinner held an election party in downtown Bend where she congratulated Bynum while saying she was proud of her campaign: “It’s now time for Democrats to unite behind our shared goal of defeating the MAGA extremist agenda and winning this seat in November so we can take back the House of Representatives.”
McLeod-Skinner has won Democratic nominations for U.S. House seats twice but lost in the general election.
“Public service is a tremendous privilege,” she said Tuesday night. “I have been honored to serve the people of Oregon in several capacities. I look forward to continuing my life of public service.”
Bynum’s supporters spoke with confidence about her skills as a legislator and said they believed they could trust her to deliver on her promises if she’s elected to Congress.
“Representation matters,” said former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith, who serves as the chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon Black Caucus. “... She represents women. She represents people of color. She represents mothers. She represents different communities who see her as every woman, not just a Black woman.”
Bynum will face a well-funded opponent: Chavez-DeRemer had nearly $2.7 million in total contributions as of May 1, FEC records show.
And she’ll challenge Chavez-DeRemer in a district much larger than in their earlier legislative campaigns against each other, one with many smaller rural communities that often lean conservative. Chavez-DeRemer, who is in her first term, is one of 16 House Republicans who represent districts that President Joe Biden won in 2020.
The race is seen by political experts as a true tossup. The last election was decided by a slim margin of 7,300 votes, just two percentage points.
“I’ve built a solid foundation. I know who I am. I know the people who I love. I know the state that I represent and I know I can do it better than anyone else on the ballot,” Bynum said.
OPB Kathryn Styer Martinez contributed reporting from Bend.