State Representative Janelle Bynum has announced that she is running for Congress in the newly-drawn 5th Congressional District. If successful in the primary, she will likely face incumbent Freshman Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Representative Bynum has defeated Chavez-DeRemer twice by very small margins in state house races in 2016 and 2018.

Representative Bynum touts her record as an incumbent State Representative. In an email to supporters, she says, "I am proud to have earned a reputation as a tireless champion for real progress. In the state legislature, I’ve fought to safeguard reproductive freedom and our civil rights, create affordable housing, lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, and create pathways to success for the next generation so everyone has a fair shot."

At the same time, Representative Bynum places blame for local problems on national leaders, saying, "Here in Happy Valley, where my husband and I chose to make a home and raise our children, too many families are struggling. The skyrocketing costs of education, healthcare, and housing are making it impossible for anyone to get ahead, and our elected officials in D.C. are too distracted with partisan bickering to deal with the problem.

Since being redrawn in 2021, Oregon's 5th Congressional District has had it's share of drama. Insiders say that the district was drawn at the direction of former public employee union lobbyist and now Oregon 6th District Congressional Representative Andrea Salinas for the purpose of weakening incumbent Democrat Kurt Schrader. Experts say that Schrader failed to be radical enough for the far-left unions. Schrader lost in the primary to Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who in turn lost to Chavez-DeRemer.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-06-22 11:02:15

Last Update: 2023-06-22 11:44:27