Susheela Jayapal, sister of ‘Squad’ Democrat, launches bid for Oregon House

Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal is stepping down to launch a bid for Oregon‘s 3rd Congressional District.

Jayapal, 61, is the sister of the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, “Squad” member Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). She’s the first Democrat to enter the race after Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) announced on Monday he will not seek reelection in 2024 following a 22-year congressional career.

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“We’re at a pivotal point in our country and in our district. With the Republican majority beholden to extremist ideologues attacking our democracy and our rights in ways we’ve never seen before, it’s more important than ever that we have an unwavering progressive voice in Congress to stand up for our values and bring us together to create the thriving, equitable community we need,” Jayapal said on Wednesday.

Jayapal is entering what is expected to be a highly watched race with her sister’s endorsement along with the support of Democratic state Reps. Tawna Sanchez and Hoa Nguyen, state Sen. Kayse Jama, several other current and former elected officials, and dozens of community leaders.

“Susheela Jayapal always shows up,” Sanchez said. “She understood the violence that youth in our community were suffering from, so she worked alongside advocates and community members to secure federal funding for an innovative youth violence prevention program in the Cully neighborhood.”

Jayapal has served as District 2 Multnomah County Commissioner, the state’s most populous county, since 2019.

Jesse Beason, the president and chief executive officer of the Northwest Health Foundation, will serve as interim commissioner for District 2, as Jayapal has to resign as a county commissioner in order to run for Congress. According to the Multnomah County charter, elected officials of Multnomah County cannot “run for another elective office in midterm without resigning first” unless a sitting commissioner seeks county chair.

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Oregon’s 3rd District, which covers Multnomah County, Gresham, Troutdale, and a majority of Portland East, has been held by a Democrat, Blumenauer, since 1996. Blumenauer secured more than 70% of the vote in every general election since 2004.

“I’m ready to continue that work, as someone with a proven record of accomplishments, passion for service, and the ability to get things done,” Jayapal added. “And I’ll do it in partnership with our community. I’ll bring my experience as an immigrant, a person of color, a woman, a mom — experience of what it’s like to navigate systems that weren’t created for everyone, and in fact often were created to exclude so many.”