Oregon state Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley, pictured in House chambers Tuesday morning immediately following the installment of Rep. Dan Rayfield as speaker. Bynum sought House Democrats' nomination this year to be speaker but more than half of her caucus instead picked Rep. Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis. February 1, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff
Oregon House lawmakers voted in a new speaker Tuesday, the first time the leadership position was completely open in nearly a decade.
The gavel did not go to Rep. Janelle Bynum, a Black small business owner from Happy Valley whose bid for the chamber’s top spot offered Democrats the opportunity to make history by helping to pick the first speaker of color.
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