NEW: The Oregonian Endorses Janelle Bynum for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District

The Oregonian : "Democrats looking for their best chance to beat Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer should cast their ballots for the person who has done it twice before in state races - Janelle Bynum."

"Bynum's focus on encouraging economic opportunity and her understanding of the 'kitchen table' fiscal pressures households feel help make her a trusted champion in her district."

Today, The Oregonian endorsed Janelle Bynum for Oregon's 5th Congressional District, marking the latest in a string of high-profile endorsements for Bynum.

As "Democrats' best option," the Editorial Board praised Bynum's hard-fought laundry list of "legislative wins, key alliances, party independence and track record of pragmatism."

During her four terms in the state legislature, Bynum has worked across the aisle to protect reproductive rights, address housing affordability, and strengthen Oregon's local economy. Oregonians have seen the thousands of jobs her focus on tangible legislation like the Oregon CHIPS Act has brought to the region, and they have repeatedly trusted Bynum with their votes.

The Oregonian: Editorial endorsement May 2024: Janelle Bynum is Democrats' best pick in primary for Oregon's 5th Congressional District
The Oregonian Editorial Board | April 17, 2024

• The battle for the 5th Congressional District promises to be one of the most competitive in the country this November, after Republicans flipped the seat in 2022 for the first time in a quarter century.

• Both women seeking the Democratic nomination are strong candidates. But Democrats looking for their best chance to beat Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer should cast their ballots for the person who has done it twice before in state races - Janelle Bynum.

• Bynum, 49, was first elected in 2016 to represent Happy Valley and the surrounding area in the Oregon House, beating out former Happy Valley Mayor Chavez-DeRemer for the seat. (She beat her again in a 2018 rematch.) Educated as an engineer, Bynum and her husband own four McDonalds' restaurants, giving the Democratic caucus a much-needed perspective of a small business owner who lives daily with the questions of how to cover costs and comply with mandates.

• Bynum has also been one of the only Black legislators in the House during her tenure, but as she noted in our endorsement interview, being in the minority - politically, racially or otherwise - has not stopped her from being effective. In the year following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, she led the House Committee on Equitable Policing, working with Republicans and law enforcement as well as Democrats to pass a package of bipartisan police accountability bills. Last year, as co-chair of the Legislature's joint semiconductor committee, she helped steer passage of a bill that provided funding and eased access to industrial land to help Oregon companies land federal dollars through the CHIPS Act. The legislation was not popular with environmentalists but is already paying off with Intel's recent announcement of an $8.5 billion grant from the federal government. Bynum's focus on encouraging economic opportunity and her understanding of the "kitchen table" fiscal pressures households feel help make her a trusted champion in her district.

• And she's been willing to challenge her own party's leadership, most clearly when she considered a bid to unseat then House Speaker Tina Kotek from that position prior to the 2021 session. While she ultimately dropped the plan, she secured greater support for legislators of color. The effort was also notable not only because Oregon Democrats rarely show such breaks publicly, but because she was willing to go up against the most powerful Democrat in Oregon politics. Kotek, now governor, has endorsed Bynum for this race.

• Her competition […] does not have the legislative wins, key alliances, party independence and track record of pragmatism that Bynum has built.

• Whoever secures the Democratic nomination to face Chavez-DeRemer, will need to appeal far beyond the Democratic party to win over the district's non-affiliated voters - who outnumber both Democrats and Republicans. Democrats' best option is to bet on Bynum succeeding a third time.