Dan Rayfield represents Oregon House District 16, encompassing Oregon State University and Corvallis, where he lives with his wife Amanda and son Adam. 

Growing up, Dan's parents and their different philosophies had a big influence on him. His mother was an activist and a small business owner that often dragged her young and unwilling son along to various progressive events and protests. His father, on the other hand, was a colonel in the Air Force Reserve and an insurance executive that had more conservative views. Their contrasting viewpoints on the world helped develop a leadership style that Dan has become known for: focusing on the goals people hold in common, while navigating the different approaches to how to get there.

Dan attended Tigard High School, Western Oregon University, and Willamette University School of Law. During law school, he clerked for the Benton County District Attorney's office. During this time, he gained his first trial experience prosecuting DUIs and other misdemeanor charges. Dan is now a partner in the law firm of Nelson MacNeil Rayfield working on behalf of consumers against insurance companies.

Before serving as Speaker of the House for 2 years, Dan served as Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, the legislature's budget-writing committee for 4 years. Throughout his time as Speaker and as Co-Chair, he led the way to historic economic reserves and unprecedented investments in housing, public schools and education, community safety, and access to health and behavioral health care. Dan has also championed legislation to strengthen Oregon's democracy every session since he first took office—most recently, passing first-in-the-nation legislation referring ranked choice voting to the ballot and presiding over the session the legislature passed the first update to campaign finance laws in 49 years.​