Janelle Bynum
Oregon 05
Challenger
“There’s so much at stake this November and the path to flipping the House. The majority runs through our district. I’m ready to be your champion.” Relative to your Republican opponent in November: “She’s basked in the limelight of her MAGA friends in Washington and has barely even visited the district. But I believe our families deserve better and that our communities deserve better, and our country deserves better.” (from Oregon Primary Victory Speech, 5/22/24, Oregon Public Broadcasting website)
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“I’m honored to be your Democratic nominee in OR05. As a mother of four, I’m running to make the future brighter for them and every child across Oregon.” (Twitter, 5/22/24)
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“In the state legislature, I worked on efforts to lower the cost of housing, protect tenants, and ensure low-income earners could pay their utility bills. I’ll continue to fight for housing affordability and remove red tape for housing construction in Congress.” (Campaign Website)
BACKGROUND + EXPERIENCE
Jenelle Bynum grew up in Washington D.C. She currently lives in Happy Valley Oregon with her husband + four children.
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Her education includes a BS in Electrical Engineering from Florida A&M + a MBA from the University of Michigan. Prior to entering politics, she worked for General Motors as a steering systems engineer. Her business experience includes franchise owner of four McDonald’s restaurants.
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Currently in her fourth term as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, Janelle Bynum entered politics in 2016 where she defeated Lori-Chavez-DeRemer for the House District 51 seat. (Congress woman DeRemer is her opponent in the current race for OR 05.) In 2018, she again faced DeRemer whom she defeated with 53% of the vote. She subsequently won elections in 2020 + 2022- including winning by a10 point margin in a 2022 in a newly re-districted seat. In May 2024, she was victorious by a margin of 70-30% in the Oregon Democratic primary for the OR 05 seat.
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Rep. Bynum has a track record as a bipartisan, problem-solving legislator. She has been a strong voice for police reform + as Chair of the House Committee on Economic Development + Small Business, a champion of Oregon’s semiconductor industry + economic development in general. She has fought for lowering the cost of prescription drugs, protecting women’s reproductive rights, protecting LGBTQ+ rights, building more affordable housing, taking on the climate crisis + finding pathways in the economy + through education for young people to get ahead. She will carry these commitments into Congress.
ISSUES
Janelle Bynum highlights several issues on her campaign website which speak to her priorities. These include:
• Addressing housing affordability
• Ending homelessness
• Taking climate action
• Supporting our econonmy
• Lowering the cost of health care
• Protecting our rights and freedoms
• Improving access to education
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POLITICS IN OREGON
OR 05 includes Linn County, most of Clackamas + Deschutes counties + parts of Multnomah + Marion Counties. It stretches from the southeast suburbs of Portland through the eastern half of Willamette County across the Cascade Mountains.
Oregon 05 includes the eastern suburbs of Portland extending east into the Cascade Mountains + the high desert region. The district is a mix of suburban + very rural interests + constituencies.
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While the incumbent in this race is a Republican, this is democrat leaning district as seen in the fact that OR 05 is a Biden+8.9 district.
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In the Democratic primary, Janelle Bynum had strong support from Oregon’s Democratic leadership including the Governor, Attorney General, State treasurer, several Congressman + over 30 Oregon House members. Jamie McLeod-Skinner, her opponent in the Oregon Democratic primary, had this response relative to the outcome of the primary: “It’s now time for Democrats to unite behind our shared goal of defeating the MAGA extremist agenda + winning this seat in November so we can take back the House of Representatives.” (5/22/24, Oregon Public Broadcasting Website)