Rep.-elect Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.-3)
Date of Birth / Dec. 5, 1972
Residence / Portland, Ore.
Occupation / Physician and former state representative
Education / B.A., University of Washington; M.D., University of Washington School of Medicine
Family / Married to Robert with two children
Democrat Maxine Dexter is set to replace retiring Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D) in Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District as the incumbent closes out his nearly three decades in Congress.
Dexter, a physician and former state representative, sailed to victory in the blue seat representing parts of Multnomah, Clackamas and Hood River counties around Portland — the most Democratic district in the state, according to Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voting Index.
Dexter left the state House after four years representing northwest and downtown Portland to focus on her run for the lower chamber, and she won a competitive Democratic primary, defeating Susheela Jayapal, the sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).
Dexter continued working part-time at Kaiser Permanente during her campaign, according to her team, where she specializes in pulmonology.
She began her political career during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was a graduate of Emerge Oregon, a group aimed at recruiting and training female candidates in the state.
— Julia Mueller
Rep.-elect Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.-5)
Date of Birth / Jan. 31, 1975
Residence: / Happy Valley, Ore.
Occupation / Oregon state representative, local business owner
Education / B.S., Florida A&M University; MBA, University of Michigan
Family / Married to Mark with four children
Janelle Bynum is poised to make history as the first Black lawmaker to represent Oregon in the U.S. House.
Bynum, an Oregon state representative, ousted incumbent Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in a closely watched contest seen as key to deciding control of the House.
Her win flips Oregon’s 5th Congressional District back to blue just two years after it turned red for the first time in decades during the midterms. Bynum had beaten out Jamie McLeod-Skinner, last year’s Democratic nominee, in the primaries.
Bynum was first elected to the state House in 2016, and Democrats touted that she had already bested Chavez-DeRemer twice — in races for seats in the Oregon Legislature — as a reason for optimism.
Hailing from Happy Valley, Ore., outside of Portland, Bynum also runs a handful of restaurants in her community. She’s cited building more affordable housing and addressing homelessness among her top issues.
— Julia Mueller