FORUM RECAP: Janelle Bynum Proves She's the Best Democratic Candidate to Flip OR-05

Apr

2024

PRESS RELEASE

FORUM RECAP: Janelle Bynum Proves She's the Best Democratic Candidate to Flip OR-05

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2024
CONTACT: Blakely Wall, press@janellebynum.com

Bend, OR—Last night at the League of Women Voters Forum, State Representative Janelle Bynum – Democratic candidate for Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District – made the case directly to Oregon voters about why her accomplishments, priorities, and strong base of support make her the best-positioned candidate to defeat incumbent Republican Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer this November.

During the forum, Bynum spoke to her track record as a proven leader who can defeat Lori Chavez-DeRemer and deliver for the people of Oregon’s fifth district as their next Congresswoman. In her opening statement, Bynum, a working mom of four, described how she develops her ideas through the lens and experiences of her children, and touted her accomplishments as a state legislator.

“I’m running to represent the best of Oregon values in the halls of Congress. [...] I first ran for office because I wanted to deliver for Oregon's children an education system that would allow them to achieve their dreams. [...] And as State representative, I delivered the Student Success Act with over $2B for Oregon’s students. In Congress, I’ll deliver on full funding for special education, funding for housing and healthcare. [...]

My daughter, Christine, who is just finishing college, was recently looking at schools to pursue her dream of being a dentist. She wanted to spend her next four years in a place that will protect her access to the ballot, her reproductive rights, and can offer her safe and affordable housing. She knows she can always come back home to Oregon because I’ve delivered on those too.”

During the forum, Bynum pointed to strong statewide support for her campaign, including unprecedented primary endorsements, her tangible record of delivering for the 5th Congressional District and the unique perspective she will bring to congress as a working mom, daughter of teachers, local business owner and 4-term state legislator.

In her closing statement, Bynum highlighted the stakes of the election and again emphasized why she is the best candidate to defeat Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

“We’ve all gathered here today for the very same reason — elections have consequences, and Oregon cannot afford another Lori Chavez-DeRemer term. With her representing us in Congress, our most basic values and freedoms are at risk. Instead, we have a representative who is more interested in pleasing the most extreme members of her party than fighting for us. Numbers don’t lie — it’s not about where you beat Lori, it’s about IF you beat her.”

In previous races for the Oregon State House, Janelle Bynum has twice beaten the incumbent, Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Bynum outperformed the previous nominee by almost 4 points in the precincts where her house district and the 5th Congressional District overlap.

Janelle Bynum is an Oregon state legislator with a proven track record of delivering results. A small business owner, engineer, and mom of four, Janelle has been a consistent champion for Oregon families and is ready to represent the communities of the 5th District in Congress. During her four terms in the state legislature, Janelle has worked with her colleagues across the aisle to protect reproductive rights, address housing affordability, and strengthen Oregon's local economy. This past legislative session, Janelle led the push in the Oregon House to pass the Oregon CHIPS Act, which will give Oregon a competitive edge and help bring thousands of good jobs in the semiconductor industry to the state.

A full list of Bynum’s endorsements can be found here.

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