FAMILY FUN

Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Sister Announces Run for Congress

She vowed to stand up to “the Republican majority beholden to extremist ideologues attacking our democracy and our rights.”

Susheela Jayapal, the sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), resigned as Multnomah County Commissioner Wednesday morning and launched a campaign to succeed Rep. Earl Blumenauer for Oregon’s 3rd congressional district, which contains part of Portland. Blumenauer announced on Monday that he would not run for re-election after serving for nearly three decades in Congress. Jayapal said in a statement that she would be a “strong progressive voice” that champions abortion rights and climate policies. She also vowed to stand up to “the Republican majority beholden to extremist ideologues attacking our democracy and our rights.” KOIN 6 reported that Jayapal touted her success in Multnomah County raising wages for frontline workers, pushing for health care equality during the COVID pandemic, and winning a $2 million federal grant to develop a non-law enforcement group to deal with low-level criminal activity.