Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon's 5th District, will be state's first Black member of Congress

Source: AP

Updated 2:09 PM EST, November 14, 2024


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Democrat Janelle Bynum has flipped Oregon’s 5th Congressional District and will become the state’s first Black member of Congress. Bynum, a state representative who was backed and funded by national Democrats, ousted freshman GOP U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Republicans lost a seat that they flipped red for the first time in roughly 25 years during the 2022 midterms.

“It’s not lost on me that I am one generation removed from segregation. It’s not lost on me that we’re making history. And I am proud to be the first, but not the last, Black member of Congress in Oregon,” Bynum said at a press conference last Friday. “But it took all of us working together to flip this seat, and we delivered a win for Oregon. We believed in a vision and we didn’t take our feet off the gas until we accomplished our goals.”

Chavez-DeRemer conceded the race Thursday, the day that The Associated Press declared Bynum the winner.

“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity I had to serve as Oregonians’ voice in Congress,” Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement posted on her social media. “Although this isn’t the outcome we had hoped for, I’m proud of what we accomplished together.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/oregon-house-congress-5th-district-5e9e1ded3b27209d48e835c873bca179