PORTLAND, Ore. — Editor's note: Democratic state lawmaker Janelle Bynum is projected to win the race for Oregon's 5th Congressional District, according to The Oregonian, ousting incumbent Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer and flipping a key U.S. House seat in the still-unresolved fight for control of the chamber. Read the latest here.
In initial results Tuesday night, Democratic state lawmaker Janelle Bynum held a slim lead against Republican Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. The race is one of a handful across the U.S. that could determine control of the House of Representatives.
Vote totals are not final and will continue to be updated both tonight and in the coming days, potentially changing which candidate is ahead.
Bynum got off to an early lead as votes began to roll in from Multnomah and Clackamas counties, though it narrowed significantly throughout the night. Neither Bynum nor Chavez-DeRemer made an appearance on election night, though Bynum did release a brief statement.
"We are still waiting for final results for Oregon's 5th Congressional District, but it's imperative that every lawful vote is counted, and our team will continue to monitor the returns," she said. "We are confident in our path to victory.
“I am grateful for the outpouring of support for my campaign and the vision that we built together, of Oregon over the last 16 months. Thank you to everyone who trusted me with their vote, volunteered for the campaign, and spoke to their friends, family, and neighbors about the importance of this election. We’ll provide updates as Oregonians’ voices continue to be counted.”
Chavez-DeRemer put out a statement late Tuesday night with a similarly measured message.
“The initial results have shown this is a close race, which we all expected. With over 100,000 left to be counted, I encourage everyone to have patience as counties continue to count their ballots," Chavez-DeRemer said. "As we wait, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported my campaign. Oregonians want a strong, independent representative who will get things done to improve our communities. I’m confident that voters appreciate my track record as the second-most bipartisan member of Congress and that will bring us across the finish line."
Chavez-DeRemer, formerly mayor of Happy Valley, won election to the 5th District seat in 2022, becoming the first Republican to win the district since 1996. Her victory was something of an upset in a district where registered Democrats comfortably outnumber Republicans, though unaffiliated voters make up the largest voting bloc.
The road to her win came about due to a number of changes in the years immediately prior. Oregon’s population growth on the 2020 Census gave the state a new congressional district, setting up state lawmakers to re-draw district maps.
In adding the new 6th District, Democrats in the legislature changed the location of the 5th District substantially. Where once the 5th District included areas southeast of Portland, all of Salem and out west to a stretch of the coast, the new map lost the coast, lost Salem proper and instead extended east, picking up Bend.
Then, in the 2022 Democratic primary, progressive candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner beat longtime incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader, a centrist. When McLeod-Skinner went up against Chavez-DeRemer in the general election, the Democrat lost to the Republican in the newly reshaped district.
McLeod-Skinner attempted to set up a rematch against Chavez-DeRemer in 2024, but she lost to Bynum in the primary.
While the 2024 race has been a tight one, the state lawmaker Bynum had at least one advantage over the incumbent Congresswoman Chavez-DeRemer — she’d beaten her before. The two faced off three times in races for the Oregon Legislature, and Bynum won each time.
Chavez-DeRemer has been one of the more bipartisan members of Congress (she ranked 29th out of 436, according to rankings by The Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy). However, Bynum has been able to hammer her 2024 endorsement of former President Donald Trump and support for House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Between mid-July and the end of September, Bynum raised a record-breaking $3.4 million compared to Chavez-DeRemer’s $1.39 million, giving the Democrat a slight edge in total fundraising in the race. However, Chavez-DeRemer maintained a lead in cash on hand.