Janelle Bynum, an Oregon legislator from Happy Valley, is leading in early returns for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, one of the most closely watched U.S. House races in the country.
If elected, Bynum would be Oregon’s first Black member of Congress. But final results in the contest are potentially days away.
As of Tuesday evening, Bynum was leading incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer with 48% of the vote to 46% with many votes outstanding.
The contest is Oregon’s most high-profile congressional race and could influence which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives, though all those results remain in flux. The race drew in millions of dollars, an onslaught of advertisements and support from some of the nation’s most powerful politicians.
For seven terms, the district was held by Democrat Kurt Schrader, and President Joe Biden won here in 2020. Two years ago, Chavez-DeRemer flipped the seat for Republicans, winning by just two percentage points.
Bynum spent much of her campaign attacking Chavez-DeRemer for her endorsement of former President Donald Trump and portraying the incumbent as an imminent threat to democracy and abortion rights.
With the backing of top Oregon Democrats, including Gov. Tina Kotek, Bynum spent her campaign touting her bipartisanship in an effort to garner support from centrist voters who could tip the scales by voting for either candidate.
She also received a boost from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat who personally asked her to run, and from powerful national groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the House Democrats’ national campaign arm.
She outraised Chavez-DeRemer, with more than $5.8 million in total contributions, much of which came during the final months of the race. Her campaign was also buoyed by more than $4.4 million in supportive advertisements, largely from groups dedicated to electing House Democrats. And her campaign faced a mountain of cash being spent against her by Republican groups.
A mother of four, Bynum balanced her work in the Legislature while working as an engineer and the owner of four McDonald’s fast-food restaurants. She served as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, helping pass a police reform package in the aftermath of the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd.
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