Chavez-DeRemer, Bynum in close race being watched nationally

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV)- It’s a local race with national implications. Republican congresswoman, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is vying to keep her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives against Democrat challenger and current state representative, Janelle Bynum.

Both campaigns alone have raised over $5 million each in this campaign cycle, according to federal campaign data.

Oregon’s 5th congressional district spans from the Portland metro area, across the Cascades and out to Bend and Redmond. In the race for this seat, latest polling shows Democrat Janelle Bynum and Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer within the margin of error of one another heading into Election Day. FOX 12 Investigates sat down with both candidates to get a better idea on where they stand on the key issues.

Each candidate has significant political experience

Janelle Bynum currently serves as a state representative for House District 39, which includes Happy Valley and North Clackamas. Her candidacy for Congress has gained national attention, with Democratic House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appearing at a recent campaign event. Bynum feels her experience representing her politically mixed community would serve her well if elected to Congress.

“One of the things that I do is just meet voters where they are: it means challenging the status quo, pushing forward with really practical solutions, being a bipartisan legislature working across the aisle,” said Bynum. “So whether it was on the CHIPS Act, which was about $300 million in investment for Oregon, which generated $43 billion in economic investments for the state, or whether it was 23 public safety bills or whether it was leading on reproductive health bills.”

On the Republican side, incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer is fresh off her first term in Congress, defeating Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the 2022 midterms. Other significant political experience for the congresswoman includes serving two terms as mayor of Happy Valley from 2010-2018, and on city council prior to that. Chavez-DeRemer and Bynum also have an election history with one other, with Bynum defeating Chavez-DeRemer twice in close races for state representative in 2016 and 2018. But, Chavez-DeRemer seems poised for success this election.

“As a former mayor, it’s important to talk about what people care about most, and what I know from my 20 years on the ground and my experience, being mayor, people care about public safety,” said Chavez-DeRemer. “People care about good education, people care about affordability. Can they buy their first homes?”

The Economy

Both candidates shared their top concerns for confronting the economy in the next Congress.

“I think it’s important to make sure we pass the Farm Bill, stop tinkering around with that and pass it so that kids are eating,” said Bynum, emphasizing the importance of federal SNAP food benefits the Farm Bill supports. “That also takes pressure off of families. It’s important that we continue with negotiated prescription drug prices, that’s important. And it’s also important that we continue growing our economy with good family wage jobs.”

Bynum’s campaign website also says she’ll fight for housing affordability, and remove red tape for housing construction in Congress. For Chavez-DeRemer, she points to her work in Congress pushing for policies to make the U.S. more energy independent. She also prioritizes housing affordability and everyday costs for families as a major economic issues.

“We have a shortage of housing here in Oregon, people are concerned with can they even pay their rent? So some of the things that I have been working on, I’ll continue to work on, is expanding the child tax credit. That’s important for young families,” said Chavez-DeRemer. “Also the tax credit for, if they have dependent children, just to pay for the basics of rent, food, housing, working with, HUD (Dept. of Housing and Urban Development). For landlords, when we’re talking about rent, what does that look like for an expanded voucher program?”

Taking aim at each other’s records

Chavez-DeRemer and Bynum have taken aim at one another’s records throughout the campaign, with Chavez-DeRemer calling out Bynum for her time in the Oregon legislature for not adequately handing issues like the drug crisis on Oregon’s streets and crime. Bynum, on the other hand, claiming Chavez-DeRemer is aligned too closely with former president, Donald Trump. Bynum has brushed off the criticism.

“I’m a mom first and foremost, and I have four kids, and I worry every day when they leave the house,” said Bynum. “And so I share all of the concerns that other moms and dads have in our state about safety. And the other thing is, just from a political standpoint, it’s silly, There’s no way I could be all of the crazy things they’re purporting to me. And it really just kind of crosses a line.”

Abortion access

Bynum says Chavez-DeRemer is too closely aligned with former President Trump on major issues like abortion access, and would move to support a nationwide ban federally if Republicans proposed this. Chavez-DeRemer told FOX 12 this is not true.

“I’ve been very clear over and over again that I will not support a national ban. And even the former president [Trump] has said the exact same thing,” said Chavez-DeRemer. “This is not the route that we’re going, this is a states’ rights issues. Now, post Dobbs, the Supreme Court ruled that it’s to be handled by the states.”

Chavez-DeRemer also emphasized that because abortion access is protected in Oregon, she would not do anything to change that. In contrast, Bynum supports Congress passing a federal law to codify the abortion protections of Roe v. Wade.

Stay tuned to KPTV.com for extended interviews with Chavez-DeRemer and Bynum and hear more of their thoughts on issues like the economy, foreign policy, and bipartisanship.