Chavez-DeRemer Said to Be in the Running for Trump Labor Secretary Spot

The 5th District congresswoman drew unusually strong labor support in her loss to Janelle Bynum.

Lori Chavez DeRemer (Mick Hangland-Skill)
By Nigel Jaquiss

The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump will be light on Northwestern flavor, given the region’s politics.

But one Oregonian whose name is circulating in Trumpworld, according to four sources within Oregon GOP circles, is U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), who lost a close reelection bid in the 5th Congressional District to state Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Happy Valley).

Chavez-DeRemer is vying for the secretary of labor position. For a Republican, Chavez-DeRemer drew strong labor support, including endorsements by the largest federal employees union and numerous public safety unions, as well as the United Food and Commercial Workers and Teamsters Local 37. (Some unions issued dual endorsements.) Perhaps most importantly to a president who prizes loyalty, Chavez-DeRemer imperiled her own reelection chances by endorsing Trump—a bold move in the 5th Congressional District, where Democrats hold a 5-point voter registration advantage.

On Tuesday afternoon, Politico reported that the national president of the Teamsters union, Sean O’Brien, is among those pushing for Trump to hire Chavez-DeRemer.

The congresswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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