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“From voting to restrict access to reproductive care and then lying about her record back home, to proudly re-endorsing Donald Trump and gutting funding for critical services that Oregonians rely on most, Lori Chavez-DeRemer has quickly proven herself to be a part of the foundational problem in Congress – not the solution. Meanwhile, Janelle Bynum has spent years standing up and fighting for her constituents. As a working mom of four, a businesswoman, and a long-time champion for Oregon families in the State House, she’s the right leader for this moment, and the right candidate to replace Chavez-DeRemer and her extreme track record in DC,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Dan Gottlieb
Date: May 21, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Lori Chavez-DeRemer
In less than two years in Congress, Lori Chavez-DeRemer has been engulfed by the extremism that has taken hold of the Republican Party. From enabling the most dangerous impulses of her far-right caucus and attempting to restrict reproductive rights at every turn, to voting for cuts to nearly every major federal resource that Oregonians value, she has already proven herself to be more focused on clinging to power than delivering for Oregonians – and has struggled to paper over that terrible record.
Luckily, Oregon’s 5th Congressional District has a better option in Janelle Bynum – an Oregon state legislator with a proven track record of delivering results. A small business owner, engineer, and mom of four, Janelle has been a consistent champion for Oregon families. During her four terms in the state legislature, Janelle has worked with her colleagues to protect reproductive rights, address housing affordability, and strengthen Oregon’s local economy. In the 2023 legislative session, she led the push in the Oregon House to pass the Oregon CHIPS Act, helping bring thousands of good jobs in the semiconductor industry to the state and giving Oregon a competitive edge. In Congress, she’d continue fighting to bring home the federal resources that her constituents deserve.
Beyond her history-making candidacy – running to become the first Black person to ever represent Oregon on the federal level – Democrats have many reasons to be excited about Janelle’s record of achievement, extensive coalition, and clear path to flipping this Biden +10 district. Janelle has already defeated Lori Chavez-DeRemer twice before – and she’ll do it again in 2024.
AN ANTI-ABORTION EXTREMIST WHO CAN’T GET HER STORY STRAIGHT
Lori Chavez-DeRemer is an extremist in moderate’s clothing who has attempted over and over to mislead Oregonians about her out-of-touch beliefs – especially on her votes against reproductive freedom.
In the 2022 Republican primary, Chavez-DeRemer made clear that she supported a nationwide abortion ban after six weeks, before most women even know they’re pregnant. A few months later, she then pledged she wouldn’t oppose funding for reproductive care. But in Congress, she revealed her true intentions – siding with anti-choice groups to block the federal government from reimbursing service members for their reproductive care, and endangering IVF services. After breaking her promise and putting her far-right beliefs ahead of Oregon’s best interests, Chavez-DeRemer has repeatedly flip-flopped in interviews in order to mislead voters on her anti-choice agenda.
By contrast, Janelle has been a champion for women’s reproductive rights in Salem – helping pass the Reproductive Health Equity Act to ensure women’s access to safe abortions and expand the reproductive services that insurers must provide if they sell health plans in Oregon. She’ll fight to codify these rights in Congress.
DANGEROUS FOR OREGON’S WORKING FAMILIES, SENIORS, & VETERANS
Chavez-DeRemer sides with her party even when the consequences are disastrous for her constituents’ livelihoods – voting to severely gut some of Oregon’s most critical resources and protections from the federal budget.
In one vote, Chavez-DeRemer decided to support a topline cut of 30% from nearly every federal resource Oregonians rely on – including Social Security services for seniors, SBA programs that support Oregon small business owners, education funding for thousands of Oregon teachers and students, and funding for treating opioid addiction that has ravaged families across the district.
In another vote, Chavez-DeRemer even supported gutting funding for veterans’ health care by 22% – which would have included resource cuts for 43,000 veterans in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, that same Chavez-DeRemer-backed legislation would have defunded critical portions of our law enforcement agencies and crippled attempts to fight fentanyl trafficking at the border – including billions of dollars in cuts and a loss of tens of thousands of officers from Customs and Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Agency – compromising the safety and well-being of every Oregon family.
Meanwhile, Janelle Bynum has spent her years in the State House putting disagreements aside and working to get things done for Oregon. She has put bipartisan job creation first, fought to raise the minimum wage and protected workers from unfair labor practices, and never shied away from crossing party lines if it meant doing what’s right for Oregon and keeping her community safe.
A TRUMP ENABLER WHO CAN’T BE TRUSTED
Oregonians can see right through Chavez-DeRemer’s moderate act when they get to know the far-right company she has kept while wasting taxpayers’ time in one of the most ineffective Congresses in U.S. history.
Last year, Chavez-DeRemer elevated Mike Johnson, “the most important architect of the Electoral College objections,” to be her party’s speaker. She accepted Marjorie Taylor Greene’s campaign cash, and sided with the same Republican leadership that refused to commit to certifying the 2024 election.
And to begin the year, Chavez-DeRemer re-endorsed Donald Trump – the indicted former president who has made clear he’ll gut the Affordable Care Act, putting more than 145,500 Oregonians at risk of losing critical coverage.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
The Oregonian: “Janelle Bynum is Democrats’ best pick in primary for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District.” [The Oregonian, 4/17/24]
“Democrats looking for their best chance to beat Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer should cast their ballots for the person who has done it twice before in state races – Janelle Bynum.”
Essence: “Why This Black Woman Running For Congress In Oregon Could Be A Gamechanger.” [Essence, 9/19/23]
Source Weekly: “Vote Janelle Bynum For Congressional District 5, Democratic Primary.” [Source Weekly, 5/8/24]
“Bynum possesses a warm, grounding energy that runs counter to the hard-charging style of some other politicians, and that’s one thing we liked about her on a personal level. On a professional level, she’s strong on societal issues such as access to abortion, and has enough of a track record to lean on to prove to voters that she’ll be productive in these areas. During her time in the Oregon House, she and her colleagues helped to preserve and expand Oregonians’ access to abortion. On behavioral health, she was the chief sponsor on a 2021 bill that increased recruitment and retention of the state’s mental health workforce — the start of addressing one of the big hurdles Oregon has faced in truly fixing our mental health and drug-treatment woes. This is evidence of her priorities — a stark difference from Chavez-DeRemer’s drumbeat about the border crisis and other MAGA-adjacent issues.”
Oregon Capital Chronicle: “Chavez-DeRemer pledged to oppose abortion funding bans, then voted to block military reimbursement.” [Oregon Capital Chronicle, 7/20/23]
“After pledging in June not to support any legislation that would restrict using taxpayer funding for abortion, U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer voted last week to block the federal government from reimbursing military members for traveling for abortions. Chavez-DeRemer, a first-term Republican representing Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, joined other Republicans last Friday in voting for an amendment to an annual defense authorization bill that will block the Department of Defense from reimbursing travel expenses for service members and their dependents who travel to obtain abortions or other reproductive health care if such care isn’t available where they’re stationed.”
Capitol Press: “Chavez-DeRemer: A Tale of Two Hypocrisies.” [Capitol Press, 4/18/24]
The Oregonian: “Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer endorses Donald Trump.” [The Oregonian, 3/7/24]
PATH TO VICTORY
Vulnerable Republican freshman Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be on defense in a district President Biden won by 10 points in 2020 and where Democratic registrants currently outnumber Republican registrants by 24,000+ (4.5% points). With an unpopular voting history to restrict reproductive freedom, an abysmal legislative track record as part of the least productive Congress in modern history, and a formidable Democratic opponent with a proven record of delivering real, bipartisan results for Oregon, Chavez-DeRemer is one of the most endangered MAGA enablers in the country this year.
Janelle Bynum has proven time and again that she’ll always put in the work to help Oregon families get ahead and that, when it comes to protecting our families, political games don’t serve anyone. She has the legislative experience, broad base of support, and electoral know-how to flip this district.
Moreover, Bynum defeated Chavez-DeRemer not once but twice in races for the Oregon State House, increasing her share of the vote by 3% points between 2016 and 2018. She’ll beat the incumbent a third time this November.
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