Janelle Bynum declares victory in Oregon 5th District race; votes still being counted
Democratic State Rep. Janelle Bynum declared victory on Friday in the race for Oregon's 5th Congressional District seat over incumbent Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. It came shortly after the Oregonian projected her as the winner.
Ballots were still being counted and Chavez-DeRemer had not yet conceded as of Friday afternoon.
As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, Bynum was leading by 2.8% with nearly 350,000 votes counted -- a difference of about 9,800 votes.
“I am beyond honored that my neighbors have chosen me to be the next congresswoman for Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District. My work has always been a love letter to Oregon’s children. I ran for office to make their futures brighter, and I’ll do just that in Washington – for their education, for their reproductive freedoms, for their job opportunities, and so much more," Bynum wrote in a statement.
“I am proud to be the first – but not the last – Black Member of Congress from Oregon, and I’m grateful for what this moment means not just f…