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January 31st, 2024 Political Note #618 Janelle Bynum Oregon 05
2024 General Election
I am not convinced that Janelle Sojourner Bynum will be the Democratic nominee for Oregon’s 5th District. I think it is a probability. The Democratic Party thinks she is a near certainty and has named her one of their 17 Red to Blue candidates. Even so, she has two formidable opponents in the Democratic primary.
Jamie McLeod Skinner was the Democratic nominee in 2022. Raised in Kenya, she returned to the US and went to high school in Oregon where she was an excellent runner. She went to college in New York, got her law degree back in Oregon. She worked as a city manager, ran unsuccessfully for public office, and married a woman. In 2022, she took on seven term incumbent Kurt Schrader, a conservative Democrat, and defeated him decisively. He was too conservative for what his Democratic constituency had become. Was Jamie McLeod Skinner too far left for the total constituency? By a hair. She lost a close race to the now incumbent Republican – Loren Chavez-DeRemer.
Lynn Peterson is the President of the Metro (Portland) Council. She grew up in Wisconsin, got her college degree from the University of Wisconsin, and became an engineer for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. After moving to Oregon, she was a consultant on transportation issues, was elected a city councilor for Lake Oswego, and then appointed as a transportation adviser to the governor. Jay Inslee appointed her head of the Transportation Department, but in 2016, the Republican state senate rejected her appointment. Subsequently, she was elected President of the Metro Council – a 24 city, 3 county entity. Running for Congress, she has a constituency that has voted for her.
Janelle Bynum confounds stereotypes. She grew up in Washington, DC, the quiet, studious kid in a family where both mom and dad were teachers and conscious enough of Black history to have named their daughter Janelle Sojourner Bynum. They encouraged weekend and summer activities and Washington had a lot of them. Janelle found herself happiest with engineering prep program targeting minority kids. In an interview, she remembers an internship at the Naval Research Lab where she had an opportunity to understand their research into semiconductor processing.
High school was disappointing, not challenging. Private school was a solution for that. Her dad took her to a private school fair run by the Black Student Fund. Private schools offering scholarships recruited minority students and Janelle Bynum found the all-girls Madeira School in Virginia. There was a little whimsy to her experience in a boarding school – cheering teams with the chant “Go, go, escargot.” A school with a snail as its mascot cannot take itself too seriously.
She persisted in her commitment to engineering. She won a Boeing Scholarship that paid her to go to school and offered summer internships. At the time Florida A & M, an Historically Black University, was recruiting top students around the country and had, according to Janelle Bynum’s recollection, the most African American merit scholars of any college in the country.
Out of college, she went to work for General Motors and, through General Motors, got an MBA from the University of Michigan. She was in Taiwan on 9/11. Her work had taken her there. Her pregnancy had made her contemplate the future in any case. She decided against a job that would require international travel. Her mother in law came to her rescue.
Her husband’s mom, who lived and worked in Oregon, announced she was contemplating retirement from the four McDonald’s franchises she owned. Would they be interested in buying the franchises from her? They did just that. Janelle Bynum and her husband developed an easy sharing of responsibility. He focused on keeping the mechanics of the business working efficiently. Janelle Bynum focused on the business itself.
Janelle Bynum became part of the Happy Valley community. It was the schools that did it. She was appointed to the school board’s equity committee and, as she recalled it, took the role more seriously that the school board expected her to do. She would call them on inequitable treatment of Black kids. She had an appreciation for politics from her earliest days – remembering Washington DC Mayor Marion Berry more fondly that most. “Any kid could get a job when he was mayor. I worked at the National Zoo with flying squirrels and iguanas.”
She followed up her school experience by running for state office, for an open Democratic state rep seat. That was a challenge because the Republican candidate was the Happy Valley mayor – Loren Chavez-DeRemer. In 2016, the year that Trump was elected president, Janelle Bynum won the state rep race by 2 points. She had to do it again. Loren Chavez-DeRemer ran against now incumbent Janelle Bynum. Janelle Bynum won again. This time by 8 points.
As the Democratic nominee for Congress, Janelle Bynum would run against the first term incumbent Member of Congress Loren Chavez-DeRemer. Janelle Bynum promises to address the lack of affordability of housing, the problem of homelessness, and the climate crisis. As a member of the Oregon House or Representatives, she refers to successes in public safety and police accountability, increased funding for mental health, and protection against discrimination based on hair style.
In 2022, Loren Chavez-DeRemer won election by 7,299 votes. She is #12 in Len’s list of vulnerable Republicans, #6 in Daily Kos’s list. If there is a Democratic wavelet, Chavez-DeRemer is in trouble. If there are no particular national tendencies, the candidate most likely to defeat DeRemer is Janelle Bynum who has defeated her twice already. A mom, an educational leader, an engineer, a businesswoman, and an advocate for equal rights, she is worthy of your support and mine. DONATE TO JANELLE BYNUM
Support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
As we look toward November, 2024, Help sustain the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris campaign. Put things in perspective. In the period between January 15 and January 20, Trump led in 3 head to head polls by 1, 2, and 4 points; Biden led in two head to head polls by 1 and 7 points.
Every donation, large or small, does make a difference. Larger donations mean more money for the campaign. But many in the media count the number of small donations as a measure of enthusiasm for the candidate. Make a small donation if you cannot afford a large one. DONATE TO JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/web-bfp-december-2023 ‘
#3 in the Stephenson County, IL list of Biden accomplishments: “Stopped a 30-year streak of federal inaction on gun violence by signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that created enhanced background checks, closed the “boyfriend” loophole, and provided funds for youth mental health.”
Two Big Money California races where you should donate now
Will Rollins in CA 41 is running against Incumbent Republican Ken Calvert who is #17 on Len’s List of vulnerable Republican incumbents and tied at #19 on Daily Kos’s List. This promises to be a high spending race. The incumbent had $2 Million on October 1, Will Rollins had $1.5 Million. DONATE TO WILL ROLLINS. See Len’s Political Note #588
George Whitesides CA 27 will be the Democratic nominee against Incumbent Republican Mike Garcia, who is #19 on Len’s List of Vulnerable Republicans, tied for #7 on Daily Kos’s List. Garcia’s good fortune may have run out. In this race he must run against former CEO George Whitesides. On October 1, George Whitesides had a slight lead in the money race — $1.7 Million to $1.6 Million. Help him win this. DONATE TO GEORGE WHITESIDES. See Len’s Political Note #608
Eleven West Coast and Northwest races where your donations could make a difference
Adam Gray in CA 13 is running against Republican incumbent John Duarte, who is #2 on Len’s List of vulnerable Republican incumbents and #1 on Daily Kos’s List. With $200,000 in the bank on October 1, Adam Gray has to catch up with the incumbent who had $1.2 Million. DONATE TO ADAM GRAY. See Len’s Political Note #586
Incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez WA 03 is #4 among vulnerable Democratic incumbents on Len’s List and #2 on Daily Kos’s list of vulnerable Democratic incumbents. On October 1, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez had $1.6 Million available for her campaign. Her previous opponent, right wing extremist Joe Kent had $400,000. Help her stay well ahead of him. DONATE TO MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ. See Len’s Political Note #543
Incumbent Andrea Salinas OR 06 is #6 among vulnerable Democratic incumbents on Len’s List and tied for #22 on Daily Kos’s list. As of October 1, Andrea Salinas has $750,000 available for her campaign. Her probable opponent had less than $50,000. Help Andrea Salinas dominate this race. DONATE TO ANDREA SALINAS. See Len’s Political Note #548
Rudy Salas CA 22 is running against Incumbent Republican David Valadao who is #7 on Len’s List of vulnerable Republican incumbents and #3 on Daily Kos’s List. The incumbent had $1.2 Million on October 1 to Rudy Salas’s $150,000. Rudy Salas has some catching up to do. DONATE TO RUDY SALAS. See Len’s Political Note #602
Oregon State Representative Janelle Bynum is one of three Democrats seeking to run against Loren Chavez-DeRemer who is #12 on Len’s list of vulnerable Republicans and #6 on Daily Kos’s list. The incumbent had $1.3 million on October 1. Janelle Bynum had $200,000, which was more than any of the other Democrats and has defeated Chavaz-DeRemer twice in elections for state representative. DONATE TO JANELLE BYNUM.
Help Monica Tranel. The Republican incumbent Ryan Zinke is #13 on Len’s List of Vulnerable Republicans in the House. He is #29 on Daily Kos’s List. The incumbent had $1.6 Million on October 1; Monica Tranel had a respectable $600,000. Help her catch up. Help the people of Montana remain conscious of the fact that Ryan Zinke was fired by Trump for corruption and won with only 49.7% of the vote in 2022. She can win this election DONATE TO MONICA TRANEL. See Len’s Political Note #603
National Security Figure Jessica Morse will be the Democratic nominee for CA 03 against Republican first term incumbent Kevin Kiley who is #24 on Len’s List of vulnerable Republicans and tied for #7 on Daily Kos’s List. On October 1 Kiley had $1.5 Million available; Jessica Morse had a respectable $500,000. If she can ramp up her fund raising, she can flip this seat. Help Jessica Morse. DONATE TO JESSICA MORSE. See Len’s Political Note #612
Incumbent Mike Levin CA 49 is #25 among vulnerable Democratic incumbents on both Len’s List and Daily Kos’s List. Mike Levin has some opponents raising money. He had $1 Million on October 1. One opponent had $900,000. Another had $800,000. DONATE TO MIKE LEVIN. See Len’s Political Note #591
Incumbent Mary Peltola AK AL is #35 among vulnerable Democratic incumbents on Len’s List and is #18 on Daily Kos’s List. On October 1, Mary Peltola had a substantial lead in the financial race with $1 Million. Her previous opponent had only $200,000. The Lt. Governor, Nancy Dahlstrom, however, had not yet entered the race for that reporting period. The addition of Dahlstrom and the complexities of Alaska’s system of ranked voting for the preliminary four leading candidates makes the whole process unpredictable. Help Mary Peltola dominate the race. DONATE TO MARY PELTOLA. See Len’s Political Note #600
Incumbent Val Hoyle OR 04 is #36 among vulnerable Democratic incumbents on Len’s List. Val Hoyle’s$400,000 on October 1 would seem anemic for an incumbent. However, her potential opponents’ fund raising was negligible. Help Val Hoyle dominate this race. DONATE TO VAL HOYLE.
Incumbent Josh Harder CA 09 could be vulnerable to Republican Kevin Lincoln, Mayor of Stockbridge, the big city in the district, a religious leader, and a former Marine. Josh Harder has a big financial lead $2.3 Million vs $200,000. Keep Josh Harder well ahead. Make certain this is not a vulnerable seat. DONATE TO JOSH HARDER
Two races where the Democrat is looking good
Incumbent Jim Costa CA 21 is #14 among vulnerable Democratic incumbents on Len’s List. On October 1, Jim Costa had a modest $650,000, while his Republican opponent had $150,000. DONATE TO JIM COSTA. See Len’s Political Note #566
Incumbent Kim Schrier WA 08 is #32 among vulnerable Democratic incumbents on Len’s List and tied for #22 on Daily Kos’s List. She had $1.8 Million available on October 1. Her opponents had very little in the way of funds. Help her dominate this race. DONATE TO KIM SCHRIER. See Len’s Political Note #606
The Big Senate race in the Northwest
Incumbent Jon Tester of Montana. With Joe Manchin no longer running for reelection, many see Jon Tester as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent and the place that Republican money will go. Jon Tester is prepared financially. On October 1, he had $13 Million available, ten times as much as Tim Sheehy his probable opponent who has enough money to make up the difference from his personal checkbook. Help Jon Tester stay ahead in this high dollar race. DONATE TO JON TESTER. See Len’s Political Note #550
