Janelle Bynum

Janelle Sojourner Bynum (née Irick; born January 31, 1975) is an American Democratic politician, and former engineer serving as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives. She currently represents the 39th district, which covers northern Clackamas County, including most of Happy Valley and parts of Oregon City, Milwaukie and the surrounding area.

First elected to the legislature in 2016, Bynum previously represented the 51st district, which covered southern Multnomah County and northern Clackamas County, including the southeasternmost part of Portland, most of Happy Valley and Damascus, and the surrounding area.

Early life and education
Bynum grew up in Washington, D.C. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Florida A&M University in 1996 and with a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan in 2000.

As a student at Florida A&M University, Bynum received a scholarship from Boeing, and later served as a summer associate for the company. After graduating from college, Bynum worked at General Motors as a steering systems engineer while pursuing her MBA.

Early career
While at General Motors, she was in Taiwan for a week following the 9/11 terrorist attacks' impact on air travel. Following this experience, in 2002, Bynum relocated to Clackamas County to help her mother-in-law run a McDonald's franchise.

Oregon House of Representatives
In 2016, after incumbent Shemia Fagan opted not to seek re-election to her seat in Oregon House District 51, Bynum filed to run as a Democrat in the May 2016 primary election. Bynum won the Democratic primary over Randy Shannon, a former member of the Damascus City Council, receiving 66% of the vote. In the general election, she defeated Republican candidate Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the mayor of Happy Valley, with 51% of the vote in what was considered one of the most competitive House races for the 2016 cycle.

Bynum, who is Black, was reported to the police as a "suspicious person" while canvassing a neighborhood in her district in 2018.

In 2018, Bynum again faced Chavez-DeRemer, whom she defeated with 53% of the vote. In 2020, Bynum won re-election against Republican Jane Hays, a school administrator, and Libertarian candidate Donald Crawford.

In January 2022, after Tina Kotek resigned her position to focus on her run for Governor, Bynum ran for the position of Oregon Speaker of the House against Representative Dan Rayfield of Corvallis. In a closed-door meeting, Rayfield defeated Bynum for the Democratic caucus nomination for Speaker. Despite losing her party's nomination for Speaker, in February 2022, Bynum was the first Black person in Oregon's history to receive votes for Speaker of the House when she received four votes for Speaker.

In 2022, following redistricting, Bynum was drawn into the 39th District which no longer included East Portland and parts of Gresham and instead covered parts of unincorporated Clackamas County. Though the race was considered competitive by The Oregonian in early November 2022, she ultimately defeated Republican candidate Kori Haynes by a 10-point margin.

As of 2023 Bynum served as chair of the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business.

2024 congressional campaign
On June 21, 2023, Bynum announced she would seek the Democratic nomination for Oregon's 5th congressional district, a seat currently held by her 2016 and 2018 Republican opponent Lori Chavez-DeRemer. In January 2024, the DCCC named Bynum to its "Red to Blue" program, giving her access to increased fundraising, training, and guidance from the national Democratic Party. On May 21, 2024, Bynum defeated Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the Democratic primary.

Personal life
Bynum and her husband, Mark, have four children. They own several McDonald's franchises in the Portland area. She is a Christian.