Candidates for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, Patti Adair, left, and U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum.
Courtesy of the campaigns / OPB
U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum is leading in her Congressional re-election bid, according to early returns from the Oregon Secretary of State.
The Happy Valley Democrat had received nearly 60% percent of the vote in Tuesday’s midterm election, putting her on pace for another term in the House of Representatives, the returns showed.
Bynum is ahead of Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair, who earned 38% in a midterm election that was predicted to bring headwinds for Republicans, the results showed.
Bynum, a former state legislator and business owner, is poised for another term representing Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. The district, which stretches from Portland to Albany to Bend, was once considered one of the nation’s most politically competitive.
But Bynum’s bid was buoyed by a voter base disenchanted with the Republican-led Congress and the Trump administration. She campaigned on rooting out political corruption, curbing high health care costs and bolstering educational opportunities. She vastly outraised Adair in campaign contributions.
In a second term, Bynum says she plans to build new rules that address the proliferation of cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, among other things.
