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Today, Willamette Week endorsed Janelle Bynum for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District over vulnerable anti-abortion Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer for a second time.
While House Republicans like Chavez-DeRemer present an active “threat to reproductive rights,” WW writes, “it is important that Oregon’s 5th be represented by a candidate who shares the views of the vast majority of Oregonians. That candidate is Janelle Bynum.”
Willamette Week also highlighted Bynum’s “independent-minded, effective” legislating in the State House.
The endorsement follows three debates in OR-05, where Bynum called out Chavez-DeRemer’s support for a nationwide abortion ban and lengthy record voting against Social Security and Medicare.
Read more below.
Willamette Week: WW’s Fall 2024 Endorsements: Federal
Editorial Board | October 16, 2024
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When Oregon gained a sixth congressional seat in 2020 and redrew boundaries for the other districts, this one—which covers the fir-lined hills south of Oregon City all the way to Bend—remains the most balanced in Oregon in terms of voter registration. (Democrats outnumber Republicans by just over 25,000 voters, or about 4.6% of the electorate.) This contest features a rematch between two candidates who’ve run against each other before: incumbent U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), and state Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Happy Valley).
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In those earlier contests for state legislative seats, Bynum, 49, who with her husband owns four McDonald’s franchises, defeated Chavez-DeRemer, the former mayor of Happy Valley. Chavez-DeRemer returned to politics in 2022 with a run for this seat, defeating Democratic nominee Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who had ousted incumbent U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader in the primary.
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Meanwhile, Bynum built a strong track record in Salem. In 2021, for example, she sponsored a large package of police reform bills after George Floyd’s murder that she and her co-sponsor, state Rep. Ron Noble (R-McMinnville), a retired police chief, got through both chambers. The package strengthened background checks for police; tightened rules on traffic stops; clarified what officers can wear on their uniforms; and required officers to report misconduct within 72 hours.
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More recently, Bynum was chief sponsor of the Oregon CHIPS Act, which will provide funding incentives for tech businesses. As a small business owner, she’s been willing to push back on labor on multiple bills and openly challenged then-House Speaker Tina Kotek to make space for her and other lawmakers of color in leadership.
- We’re picking Bynum for two reasons: First, she’s been an independent-minded, effective legislator in Salem for four sessions, able to pass challenging legislation and willing to say no to her friends. Second, she is pro-choice. Chavez-DeRemer, who declined to attend our endorsement interview, is not a bad person or a lousy candidate, but given the current threat to reproductive rights, it is important that Oregon’s 5th be represented by a candidate who shares the views of the vast majority of Oregonians. That candidate is Janelle Bynum.
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