A Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives has been caught in what some are referring to as a "willful coverup."

The coverup, according to Fox News, is of an alleged sexual assault of a minor.

Before going any further, it is important to note that the candidate - Democrat Janelle Bynum - is running in one of the most closely watched House races of the 2024 general election, namely, that of Oregon's Fifth Congressional District. There will be more on this in a moment.

The big question now, though, is what effect this will have on Bynum's campaign.

The allegations:

The allegations were made in an ethics complaint that has been filed with Oregon's Legislative Equality Office.

In the complaint, Bynum stands accused of failing to properly respond to sexual abuse allegations that were made against a man who was working with her campaign.

Fox reports:

Fox News Digital obtained [the] complaint . . . alleging that Bynum had failed to be a mandatory reporter of allegations against a man working for the PAC that staffed her State Representative campaign in 2022. The complaint also alleged that when confronted about the alleged actions, Bynum was dismissive and even threatened the individual who had reached out to her.

Bynum, for her part, has denied any wrongdoing.

She put out a statement, claiming:

This attempt to smear Rep. Bynum is not based in reality. As a mom of two young women and a legislator who has spent her career advocating for others, Rep. Bynum takes this subject personally — which is why she flagged these accusations directly to the accuser's employer, Future PAC, as soon as she was made aware of them after the 2022 election. t's also why she's openly aided the Legislative Equity Office’s investigation into the matter. Rep. Bynum expected Future PAC to deal with these accusations fairly and swiftly and to ensure their employees’ well-being and safety. If Future PAC did anything less, that is unacceptable.

Background

As stated earlier, Bynum is running for Oregon's Fifth Congressional District. This, according to the Washington Examiner, includes the southern Portland suburbs and central Oregon.

Since 2017, Bynum has been a state representative, but now she is attempting to move up to the U.S. House of Representatives. In the 2024 elections, she is challenging freshman U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR).

The Examiner reports:

Bynum twice beat Chavez-DeRemer for a seat in the state House of Representatives, first in a 2016 open-seat contest for a district entirely within Clackamas County, south of Portland, and in a 2018 rematch toward the end of Chavez-DeRemer's 2011-2019 tenure as mayor of Happy Valley, a Portland suburb where about 24,000 people live.

Chavez-DeRemer ended up having success - against Jamie McLeod-Skinner - in the 2022 House elections. Bynum, no doubt, is hoping that the success that she had against Chavez-DeRemer will continue at the federal level.

This is one of the key seats that will decide whether or not the Republicans will keep or lose their House majority.