Janelle Bynum, a Democratic state representative for Oregon and restaurant owner, has defeated Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a first-term Republican, according to The Associated Press.
Ms. Bynum, 49, a mother of four and owner of four McDonald’s franchises, will be the first Black woman to represent her state in Congress. She highlighted her identity during her campaign as she worked to portray herself as a levelheaded leader who could work across party lines.
Ms. Chavez-DeRemer, one of a small but critical group of Republicans representing swing districts won by President Biden in 2020, billed herself as a bipartisan pragmatist who could bring a conservative voice of reason to a state largely controlled by Democrats. She endorsed former President Donald J. Trump but rarely praised him during her campaign, toiling to distance herself from the G.O.P. brand even as Ms. Bynum portrayed her as a rubber stamp for the hard-right party agenda.
The incumbent representative’s campaign largely focused on attacking Ms. Bynum’s voting record on public safety, highlighting her past support for a failed state initiative to decriminalize hard drugs like fentanyl, as well as legislation she carried that banned police from making minor traffic stops. Ms. Bynum largely parried those attacks by pointing out her role in leading the push to reintroduce criminal penalties for fentanyl possession and use.
A former electrical engineer for General Motors, Ms. Bynum highlighted her role in helping to spearhead a bipartisan bill to bolster Oregon’s semiconductor industry, arguing that she was better equipped than Ms. Chavez-DeRemer to deliver results for the district in Washington.
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