Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum declared victory in the 5th Congressional District on Friday. (Campaign photo)
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Democratic State Rep. Janelle Bynum declared victory in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District on Friday, though the race remains close and has not been called by the Associated Press.
On Thursday morning, Bynum had 47.7% of the vote, a lead of nearly 8,600 votes, compared with 45.2% for Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer. The turnout in the district is 63% so far, with votes still being counted.
But the Bynum camp believes she’s ousted Chavez-DeRemer, who’s been in power for two years. If Bynum wins, she would flip the district back to Democratic control after 14-year former Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader lost in the 2022 primary to Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who subsequently lost the general election by 2.1 points to Chavez-DeRemer.
On Tuesday, Chavez-DeRemer encouraged her supporters to be patient as the vote counting continues. The race took several days to call in 2022.
In 2020, Democratic President Joe Biden won the district by 9 points. It has more Democratic voters than Republicans – nearly 32% to 27% – and is one of Oregon’s most geographically diverse, stretching across Linn County, most of Clackamas and Deschutes counties and parts of Multnomah and Marion counties.
If Bynum wins, it would mark her third victory over the incumbent, after winning two legislative races against Chavez-DeRemer. Bynum has served in the Oregon Legislature since 2017.
She said in a statement she was honored to have voters’ support.
“My work has always been a love letter to Oregon’s children,” Bynum said. “I ran for office to make their futures brighter, and I’ll do just that in Washington – for their education, for their reproductive freedoms, for their job opportunities, and so much more.” If she is declared the winner by the Associated Press, her election to Congress would mark a first for Oregon.
“I am proud to be the first – but not the last – Black Member of Congress from Oregon, and I’m grateful for what this moment means not just for my children, but for all young people across our state to see that change is possible,” Bynum said.
She added: “In Congress, I will always stand up for Oregonians – no matter who you voted for in this election – and fight tirelessly every day to deliver for families all across our district. Today, we chart a new path forward for Oregon – one of hope, opportunity, and change for the better.”
The AP has still not called control of the U.S. House, but analysts expect a Republican win. They’ve also won the U.S. Senate and Republican President-elect Donald Trump won the White House with 297 electoral votes compared with 226 for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. A total of 270 votes are needed to secure the White House.
Oregon, as expected, endorsed Harris by a wide margin, giving her a 13-point lead, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. Oregonians also gave Democratic incumbent Val Hoyle another term in the 4th Congressional District, and her Democratic colleague, U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, has declared victory in the 6th Congressional District. If Bynum secures the seat, U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, who again won the 2nd Congressional District in a landslide, would be Oregon’s only Republican in Congress.
In Tuesday vote, Democrat Maxine Dexter, a state House representative, skated to a landslide victory in the 3rd Republican District, with a 43-point margin over Republican Joanna Harbor. Dexter will replace longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who’s retiring after nearly 30 years representing the 3rd District. Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici also won the 1st Congressional District in a landslide in the election.
Among Oregon’s U.S. races, the 5th District has been the most closely watched, with the candidates raising a total of more than $12 million, according to the latest data published in October, and millions more has been spent from interest groups to get them elected. National Democrats and Republicans both consider the race among a few nationwide that would determine control of the House. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named Bynum to its competitive “Red to Blue” program, throwing its support behind her for the primary.
During the campaign, Bynum centered her campaign around abortion rights. While Oregon and Vermont do more to protect abortion access than all other states, Democrats including Bynum have warned that Republicans might try to pass a national abortion ban through Congress. Bynum spoke frequently about her 22-year-old daughter, who is deciding where to attend graduate school based in part on where her reproductive rights will be protected, and pledged to support legislation restoring a national right to abortion. She also sought to tie Chavez-DeRemer to Trump, referring to the Republican congresswoman as “standing by her man.”
Chavez-DeRemer, on the other hand, touted her bipartisan record and unusually long list of labor endorsements. While Oregon’s large public sector unions, including Service Employees International Union Local 503, the Oregon Education Association and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations back Bynum, the state’s largest private sector union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, gave both Bynum and Chavez-DeRemer its “greenlight” stamp, indicating that both candidates’ values align with the union’s. Chavez-DeRemer was endorsed by about 20 unions, mostly smaller local unions representing public safety and tradespeople.
Deputy editor Julia Shumway contributed to this story.