Janelle Bynum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Janelle Bynum
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Lori Chavez-DeRemer
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
In office January 9, 2017 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Shemia Fagan
Succeeded by	April Dobson
Constituency	51st district (2017–2023) 39th district (2023–2025)
Personal details
Born	Janelle Sojourner Irick (1975-01-31) January 31, 1975 (age 49) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mark Bynum
Children	4
Education	Florida A&M University (BA) University of Michigan (MBA)

Janelle Sojourner Bynum (née Irick; born January 31, 1975) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Oregon's 5th district since 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Party and previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives.

First elected to Oregon's legislature in 2016, Bynum previously represented the state's 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. She later represented the 39th district, which covers northern Clackamas County, including most of Happy Valley and parts of Oregon City, Milwaukie and the surrounding area.

On November 5, 2024, Bynum was elected to the United States House of Representatives representing Oregon's 5th district after defeating incumbent Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer. She is the first Black member of Congress from Oregon.

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.

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, by a 51% to 49% margin 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. 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 2020, Bynum and other state legislators pressed Governor Kate Brown to release nearly 2,000 state prison inmates, about 14 percent of Oregon’s inmate population, commuting their sentences.

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. In April 2023, as Chief Sponsor, Bynum supported the passage of Senate Bill 4, the Oregon CHIPS Act, a $210 million initiative to strengthen the state's semiconductor industry. The act provides funding for grants, loans, research, and land development to attract semiconductor companies and promote advanced manufacturing in Oregon. Bynum retired from the Oregon House of Representatives to run for congress, and will be succeeded by April Dobson in January 2025.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2024

On June 21, 2023, Bynum announced she would seek the Democratic nomination for Oregon's 5th congressional district, a seat then 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 easily defeated Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the Democratic primary.

On November 5, 2024, Bynum won the general election after defeating incumbent Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who she had previously defeated twice in state-level races. The race was the 11th most expensive in the 2024 cycle, drawing over $26 million in outside spending. Bynum is the first black member of Congress elected in Oregon.

Personal life

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

Electoral history

2024

2022

2020

2018

2016