Tina Kotek
| Tina Kotek | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 44th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Gary D. Hansen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 30, 1966 York, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Aimee Wilson |
| Residence | Portland, Oregon |
Tina Kotek (born September 30, 1966) is an American politician from the state of Oregon. A Democrat, she serves as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives. She serves as the Democratic Leader and co-speaker pro tempore, a position she shares with Republican Andy Olson in light of the chamber's 30–30 split.
[edit] Biography
Born and raised in York, Pennsylvania, Kotek moved to Oregon in 1987, taking her undergraduate degree in religious studies at the University of Oregon. She then went on to graduate study at the University of Washington, gaining a master’s degree in international studies.
Before being elected to office, Kotek worked as the Policy Director of Children First for Oregon, prior to which she was a Public Policy Advocate for Oregon Food Bank. She co-chaired the Human Services Coalition of Oregon during the 2002 budget crisis and currently serves as the co-chair of the Governor’s Medicaid Advisory Committee.
Kotek, a lesbian,[1] is the only (but not the first) openly gay member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Her election campaigns have won the support of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which provides financial and strategic assistance.
In 2006, she was elected to the House from the 44th District in North and Northeast Portland. She won a competitive three-way Democratic primary election with over half the vote. In the general election, she faced only nominal Republican opposition, defeating her opponent by a margin of almost four-to-one. In 2004, she had been an unsuccessful candidate for the neighboring 43rd House District. She ran unopposed for re-election in 2008 and, as well as winning the Democratic primary in the 44th district, she also won the Republican primary through write-in votes.[2] She therefore did not face a Republican challenger and was assured of re-election. In 2010, she faced a primary challenge but prevailed with over 85% of the vote.[3] A Republican candidate filed for the post but Kotek won the general election with almost 81% of the vote.[4]
In June of 2011 Kotek was chosen by the House Democratic Caucus as their leader over the incumbent, Dave Hunt.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Beck, Byron; Stern, Henry (April 18, 2007). "Basic Rights Oregon and Rep. Tina Kotek". Willamette Week. http://www.wweek.com/portland/print-article-6888-print.html. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ "Kroger wins (another) attorney general nomination". The Oregonian. 2008-06-19. http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/06/kroger_wins_another_attorney_g.html. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Multnomah County Elections: 2010 primary results". http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dbcs/elections/2010-05/results.shtml.
- ^ "Oregon Secretary of State: 2010 general election results". http://www.oregonvotes.org/doc/history/nov22010/results/sr.pdf.
- ^ "Tina Kotek replaces Dave Hunt as Oregon House Democratic leader". The Oregonian. 2011-06-30. http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/06/tina_kotek_replaces_dave_hunt.html. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
[edit] External links
- Oregon State House - Tina Kotek official government website
- Project Vote Smart - Representative Tina Kotek (OR) profile
- Follow the Money - Tina Kotek
- Official campaign website
