2 Democrats look to unseat Lori Chavez-DeRemer in Oregon's 5th District primary
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Two Democratic candidates in Oregon’s District 5 primary election are looking to unseat Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
The District 5 seat includes Linn County, most of Clackamas and Deschutes counties, and parts of Multnomah, and Marion counties.
The two Democratic challengers are Janelle Bynum and Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
Incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly won the seat by two points in 2022 against McLeod-Skinner.
Chavez-DeRemer, formerly the mayor of Happy Valley, favors tougher border policies and calls Oregon a “border state” because of the fentanyl crisis. She supports full funding of law enforcement and, as a member of the House Transportation Committee, emphasizes more infrastructure and lower taxes. She also supports continued aid to Israel and in her public statements emphasizes bipartisanship.
“This district is a split district. The Democrats did have this seat for over 28 years. I believe I won this seat because people were frustrated with what was happening,” she previously told KOIN 6 News. “We can’t be one-sided in this divided country and this divided Congress. The only way to get good policy done is to work across the aisle.”
On the Democratic side, McLeod-Skinner has run for statewide office several times, including Secretary of State. An attorney, engineer and natural resource consultant from Central Oregon, McLeod-Skinner is back with her progressive agenda: “A woman’s right to reproductive care, contraception, the right to vote, the right to organize, there’s also our environment. We’re facing wildfire destruction in the Santiam Pass.”
McLeod-Skinner's Democratic challenger, State Rep. Janelle Bynum, owns several area McDonald’s with her husband and has already beaten Chavez-DeRemer twice in state legislative races in 2016 and 2018. She touts her accomplishments in Salem as qualifications for earning the right to represent Oregon’s 5th District in Washington, DC.
“We all know that Washington is broken. Republican extremists have taken over, stoking culture wars and stalling our government processes,” Bynum said. “I’ve just recently worked to pass one of Oregon’s largest economic investments with the Oregon Chips Act. I helped pass police accountability bills. I made sure that we protect reproductive rights. I’ve done all of those things better than anyone else on the ballot and especially better than Lori Chavez-DeRemer could ever dream of doing.”
Mailed ballots for Oregon’s primary election must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, followed by the general election Nov. 5.
This is a developing story. Stay with KOIN 6 News for updates on primary election results.