Current:Home > ScamsDemocrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress -Secure Growth Academy
Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
View
Date:2025-04-15 14:29:26
Follow AP’s coverage of the election and what happens next.
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.”
The contest was seen as a GOP toss up by the Cook Political Report, meaning either party had a good chance of winning.
Bynum had previously defeated Chavez-DeRemer when they faced off in state legislative elections.
Chavez-DeRemer narrowly won the seat in 2022, which was the first election held in the district after its boundaries were significantly redrawn following the 2020 census.
The district now encompasses disparate regions spanning metro Portland and its wealthy and working-class suburbs, as well as rural agricultural and mountain communities and the fast-growing central Oregon city of Bend on the other side of the Cascade Range. Registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by about 25,000 in the district, but unaffiliated voters represent the largest constituency.
A small part of the district is in Multnomah County, where a ballot box just outside the county elections office in Portland was set on fire by an incendiary device about a week before the election, damaging three ballots. Authorities said that enough material from the incendiary device was recovered to show that the Portland fire was also connected to two other ballot drop box fires in neighboring Vancouver, Washington, one of which occurred on the same day as the Portland fire and damaged hundreds of ballots.
veryGood! (19)
Related
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- 10 homes have collapsed into the Carolina surf. Their destruction was decades in the making
- A Black student punished for his hairstyle wants to return to the Texas school he left
- US lawmakers’ concerns about mail ballots are fueled by other issues with mail service
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Climate solution: In the swelter of hurricane blackouts, some churches stay cool on clean power
- College football Week 5 predictions for every Top 25 game start with Georgia-Alabama picks
- Oklahoma set to execute Emmanuel Littlejohn in beloved store owner's murder. What to know
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Eric Roberts slams Julia Roberts in 'Steel Magnolias,' says he's not 'jealous': Reports
Ranking
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- En busca de soluciones para los parques infantiles donde el calor quema
- Biden wants to make active shooter drills in schools less traumatic for students
- Unprecedented Numbers of Florida Manatees Have Died in Recent Years. New Habitat Protections Could Help Them
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Best Gifts for Studio Ghibli Fans in 2024: Inspired Picks from Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away & More
- Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh says Justin Herbert's ankle is 'progressing'
- Israeli offensive in Lebanon rekindles Democratic tension in Michigan
Recommendation
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
Suspect arrested after Tucson junior college student killed on the University of Arizona campus
Rooting out Risk: A Town’s Challenge to Build a Safe Inclusive Park
Police in small Mississippi city discriminate against Black residents, Justice Department finds
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
1 teen dead, 4 injured after man runs red light in New York
Presidents Cup TV, streaming, rosters for US vs. International tournament
Nevada high court orders lower court to dismiss Chasing Horse sex abuse case