Kathleen Taylor (politician)

For other uses, see Kathleen Taylor.

Kathleen Taylor (born 1966/1967)^[1] is an American politician currently serving as Majority Leader of the Oregon State Senate. A Democrat, she was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2014 and to the Oregon State Senate in 2016. She represents Senate district 21, which covers part of southeast Portland and its suburbs, including Milwaukie. She lives in Portland.^[2]

Kathleen Taylor
Majority Leader of the Oregon Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office July 15, 2024
Preceded by	Kate Lieber
Member of the Oregon Senate from the 21st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2017
Preceded by	Diane Rosenbaum
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 41st district
In office January 2015 – January 9, 2017
Preceded by	Carolyn Tomei
Succeeded by	Karin Power
Personal details
Born	1966 or 1967 (age 57–58)
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Wisconsin, Madison (BA) Rutgers University, New Brunswick (MPP)
Signature

Professional experience

Taylor is an auditor by trade. She has worked as an auditor for the city of Portland, Multnomah County, and the state of Oregon. She holds a master's degree in public policy from Rutgers University in New Jersey.^[3]

Political career

Taylor was first elected after defeating former Milwaukie city councilor Deborah Barnes in the Democratic primary election on May 20, 2014. She was endorsed by outgoing Representative Carolyn Tomei and Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber in her race against Barnes.^[4]

Taylor was elected Senate Majority Leader in a Democratic caucus meeting on June 17, 2024.^[5] She assumed office on July 15.^[5]

Electoral history

2014 Oregon State Representative, 41st district ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kathleen Taylor	18,845	70.5
	Republican	Timothy E McMenamin	7,774	29.1
	Write-in		117	0.4
Total votes			26,736	100%

2016 Oregon State Senator, 21st district ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kathleen Taylor	54,520	76.7
	Progressive	James Ofsink	10,390	14.6
	Libertarian	Josh Howard	5,852	8.2
	Write-in		322	0.5
Total votes			71,084	100%

2020 Oregon State Senator, 21st district ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kathleen Taylor	71,543	97.6
	Write-in		1,769	2.4
Total votes			73,312	100%

References

1. Jaquiss, Nigel (June 28, 2017). "The Good, the Bad and the Awful: Our 2017 Ranking of Portland-Area Lawmakers". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
2. Taylor, Kathleen (May 2, 2014). "Kathleen Taylor: Why I'm Running". BlueOregon. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
3. "Meet Kathleen". Kathleen Taylor for Oregon. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
4. Driessen, Katherine (May 20, 2014). "Kathleen Taylor defeats Deborah Barnes in Oregon House District 41 Democratic primary (election results)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
5. VanderHart, Dirk (June 18, 2024). "Oregon Senate Democrats pick Kathleen Taylor as next leader". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
6. "November 4, 2014, General Election, Official Abstract of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
7. "November 8, 2016, General Election Abstract of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
8. "November 3, 2020, General Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

Oregon Senate
Preceded by Kate Lieber	Majority Leader of the Oregon Senate 2024–present	Incumbent