Susheela Jayapal

Susheela Jayapal (born November 2, 1962) is an American politician. From January 2019 to November 2023, she served as a county commissioner for Multnomah County, Oregon, the state's most populous county. She was the first Indian American to hold an elected office at the county level in Oregon.

She is the older sister of U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal and the daughter of Indian writer Maya Jayapal. Susheela Jayapal was a candidate for Oregon's 3rd congressional district in the 2024 election, where she lost the Democratic primary to Maxine Dexter.

Early life and education Susheela Jayapal was born in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India to Malayali parents. Growing up, her family frequently moved due to her father's job, and she lived in Bangalore as well as Jakarta and Singapore as a child. She graduated high school in Jakarta and came to the United States to attend Swarthmore College at the age of 16. After graduating from Swarthmore with a degree in economics at age 20, Jayapal got a job working for Goldman Sachs. She quickly became disillusioned with the job and decided to get a Juris Doctor, graduating from the University of Chicago Law School in 1988. She then moved to Adidas, leading its legal department. She worked for several Portland-area nonprofits after quitting Adidas.

In October 2023, Susheela Jayapal supported efforts to ban the use of leaded gasoline at Portland International Raceway due to its proximity to residential neighborhoods. She also suggested that Portland Parks & Recreation, which owns the property, should consider alternative uses other than auto racing. She officially launched her campaign the next day with endorsements from Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Oregon State Representative Tawna Sanchez.

If elected, Susheela Jayapal planned to focus on federal investments in public housing, gun control, abortion access, LGBTQ rights, and climate change. She has spoken in favor of environmentally-friendly public housing proposals akin to those proposed in the Green New Deal. Amid the Gaza war, Jayapal has stated she is the "only candidate in this race who has called for a sustainable, humanitarian cease-fire", and supports ending "unconditional military, financial or diplomatic aid" to the Israeli government.

In March 2024, Susheela Jayapal was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, after previously receiving endorsements from Representatives Ro Khanna, Mark Pocan, and David Scott. She lost the primary to Maxine Dexter. 314 Action acted as a proxy for the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC.

Personal life Susheela Jayapal married Bradley Stuart Miller in 1988 and divorced in 2014. She has two children and lives in the Sabin neighborhood of Portland.

Electoral history