Democrat defeats Republican for House seat in Oregon
Janelle Bynum becomes the first Black person elected to the House from the state Democrat Janelle Sojourner Bynum defeated Republican Lori Chavez DeRemer for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District in a state where Blacks were for a time forbidden to live because of exclusion laws. Depending on other contests, Bynum’s election could ensure that Democrats win the House of Representatives and that Hakeen Sekou Jefferies becomes the first Black speaker of the House. Jefferies is the House Minority Leader and Leader of the Democratic Caucus. So far, Republicans have picked 214 House seats and Democrats 205. Sixteen House seats have not been declared. Bynum, a former state senator was serving her fourth term as the Oregon State Representative for House District 39 (Happy Valley and North Clackamas). She is the first Black person elected to Congress from Oregon, defeating her opponent 48 percent to 45 percent. 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 a Master’s in Business Administrationfrom the University of Michigan in 2000. Blacks were forbidden from living in Oregon because of an exclusionary law enacted in 1849. If Blacks lived there they were subject to being whipped and were ordered to leave the state. Whites, who lived there, didn’t necessarily support slavery but they did not want to live near Blacks. In 1926, Black exclusion was eliminated and in 2002 all racist language was deleted from the state constitution. |