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.
As a student at Florida A&M University, Bynum received a scholarship from Boeing, and later served as a summer associate for the company.[5] After graduating from college, Bynum worked at General Motors as a steering systems engineer while pursuing her MBA.[6]
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.[8] 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.[9][10][11][12]
Bynum, who is Black, was reported to the police as a "suspicious person" while canvassing a neighborhood in her district in 2018.[13] Bynum again faced Chavez-DeRemer, whom she defeated with 53% of the vote.[14] In 2020, Bynum won re-election against Republican Jane Hays, a school administrator, and Libertarian candidate Donald Crawford.[15][16]
In 2019, Bynum cast the sole vote in Oregon's House of Representatives against bill that would give more time for rape survivors to file civil suits extending the statute of limitations.[17] 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.[18]
In January 2022, after Tina Kotek resigned her position to focus on her run for Governor,[19] Bynum ran for the position of Oregon Speaker of the House against Representative Dan Rayfield of Corvallis.[20] In a closed-door meeting, Rayfield defeated Bynum for the Democratic caucus nomination for Speaker.[21] 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.[22][23][24]
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.[25] Though the race was considered competitive by The Oregonian in early November 2022,[26] she ultimately defeated Republican candidate Kori Haynes by a 10-point margin.[25]
As of 2023, Bynum served as chair of the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business.[27] 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.[28] Bynum retired from the Oregon House of Representatives to run for congress, and will be succeeded by April Dobson in January 2025.[29]
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.[27] 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.[30] On May 21, 2024, Bynum easily defeated Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the Democratic primary.[31]
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.[32] The race was the 11th most expensive in the 2024 cycle, drawing over $26 million in outside spending.[32] Bynum is the first black member of Congress elected in Oregon.[32]
Personal life
Bynum and her husband, Mark, have four children.[1] They own several McDonald's franchises in the Portland area.[33][34] She is a Christian.[4]
Electoral history
2024
2024 Oregon House of Representatives 39th district election[35]
