PORTLAND, Ore. — Two years ago, Oregon's congressional districts were redrawn, and former Happy Valley Mayor Lori Chavez-Deremer flipped the 5th district seat, which had been held by Democrats since 1997, for Republicans. Now she's trying to hold onto that seat, while Democrats are hoping Oregon state representative Janelle Bynum can flip it back.
The new fifth district covers Linn County, most of Clackamas, Deschutes, and parts of Multnomah and Marion counties. Republicans are trying to hold onto their narrow majority in the House, and putting a lot of effort into the race, including an appearance Thursday by House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson.
But Chavez-Deremer said that despite being a Republican and endorsing former president Donald Trump, she has a record of bipartisanship.
"Over the 300 bills that I am on, over 84% of those are bipartisan and I think that's a testament to my record," she said. "I want people to know that they can rise above the political infighting. That's what people are tired of. That's what I'm certainly tired of. And that's why I work with other congressmen from Oregon and across the nation to make sure that we're focused on what matters most. And that's the cost of living — it's can they afford their houses, their gas prices, their food prices? And can we make sure that our public is safe? That's what I spend my time on. And that's what I'll continue to spend my time on."
When it comes to protecting abortion rights, Rep. Chavez-Deremer's stance was unclear in 2022, when she said she supported a heartbeat bill, which would ban abortion at about six weeks. Now, she said that she wouldn't take action to restrict abortion rights for Oregonians, such as a national ban.
"Oregonians have spoken up and said they want access to abortion and now it's out of the federal hands," she said. "I have not taken one vote that is fundamentally going to change what Oregonians have access to. And I will continue down that road. I don't support a national ban."
Janelle Bynum, on the other hand, said she wants Congress to pass federal legislation that codifies abortion access for all states.
Bynum also refuted claims that she wants to defund police departments, saying that instead, she'd like to see police accountability and high standards for officers.
"I think as a mom, and a wife, and an African American, we experience law enforcement a little bit differently," she said. "My goal is to make sure that every Oregonian, every citizen in this state, every person that crosses our boundaries has a fair and legitimate experience with the best and the brightest people who wear our badge. I believe that what's important is that when you call the police — as a business owner, when I call the police, I need them to show up — so this idea of 'defund the police' was nothing something I never supported."
Bynum also addressed claims that she neglected to report an assault of a minor volunteer by a field organizer who was working on her 2022 campaign. Bynum said she reported the claim to FuturePAC, the alleged perpetrator's employer, but not to the police. "That was not the information that I had. I did not have information that should have been reported to the police."
KGW's The Story fact-checked the claims, and found that the complaint was made to the Oregon Legislative Equity Office, and that Bynum is not under investigation for the alleged incident.