Janelle Bynum

Snapshot

Janelle Sojourner Bynum (born January 31, 1975) is a Democratic U.S. Representative serving Oregon's 5th Congressional District since January 3, 2025. She is the first Black member of Congress from Oregon. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Bynum earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Florida A&M University (1996) and an MBA from the University of Michigan (2000). After working as a steering systems engineer at General Motors, she moved to Clackamas County, Oregon in 2002 to help run her mother-in-law's McDonald's franchise and eventually grew the business to four restaurants. Bynum served eight years in the Oregon House of Representatives (2017-2025), chairing the Committee on Small Business and Economic Development. In November 2024, she defeated incumbent Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer by approximately 2.5 percentage points to win the congressional seat. She serves on the House Financial Services Committee.