TK
Tina Kotek
DemocratGovernor of Oregon| Age | 59 (b. 1966-09-30) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2023-01-01 (~3 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White; Czech and Slovene ancestry (father of Czech descent; maternal grandparents Slovene) |
| Religion | Raised Catholic; attends Episcopal church |
| Education | Attended Georgetown University (no degree); B.S. in Religious Studies, University of Oregon, 1990; M.A. in International Studies and Comparative Religion, University of Washington |
| Prior occupation | Public policy advocate, Oregon Food Bank; Policy Director, Children First for Oregon; co-chair, Human Services Coalition of Oregon; co-chair, Governor's Medicaid Advisory Committee |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | York, Pennsylvania |
| Marital status | married — Aimee Kotek Wilson (née Wilson) |
| Children | 0 |
| Residence | Portland, Oregon |
| Openly LGBTQ | yes |
Pending research: languages · notable relatives.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2006 |
| Previous offices | Oregon House of Representatives, District 44 (2007–2022) · Speaker pro tempore, Oregon House of Representatives (January–June 2011) · Majority Leader, Oregon House of Representatives (2011–2013) · Speaker, Oregon House of Representatives (2013–2022) |
| Leadership | Speaker, Oregon House of Representatives (2013–2022) — longest-serving in Oregon history · 39th Governor of Oregon (2023–present) |
| Ideology | Progressive Democrat; championed statewide rent control, housing zoning reform, gun regulations, reproductive rights, carbon emissions curbs, and LGBTQ+ rights as House Speaker; moved toward pragmatic center as Governor |
| Signature legislation | Oregon House Bill 2001 (2019) — eliminated single-family-exclusive zoning statewide, requiring cities over 25,000 to allow duplexes/triplexes/quads and cities over 10,000 to allow duplexes · Oregon House Bill 2001 (2023) — implemented Oregon Housing Needs Analysis (OHNA) system requiring cities to regularly assess and act on housing production needs · Senate Bills 1530 and 1537 (2024) — directed $376 million to housing sectors and initiatives · Declared homelessness state of emergency (January 2023) |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).
Top donors: Democratic Governors Association (~$6,000,000 (2022 governor race)) · Service Employees International Union (SEIU) (~$2,000,000 (2022 governor race)) · Citizen Action for Political Education PAC ($565,000 (2022 governor race)) · Stand for Children Oregon ($340,000 (2022 governor race)) · Oregon League of Conservation Voters ($250,000 (2022 governor race)) · Oregon Nurses PAC ($125,000 (2022 governor race))
Top industries: Labor unions · Democratic party committees · Environmental advocacy groups · Healthcare/nursing organizations · Education advocacy
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — Oregon BOLI Civil Rights Complaint — Failure to Address Capitol Sexual Harassment
Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian filed a formal civil rights commissioner's complaint in August 2018 naming the Oregon Legislative Assembly as respondent and specifically calling out House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney for repeatedly ignoring complaints of sexual misconduct by then-Sen. Jeff Kruse and allowing a sexually hostile environment at the Capitol. After initial resistance to BOLI subpoenas — a Multnomah County court ordered compliance — the matter settled in March 2019. BOLI concluded that leadership knew or should have known of pervasive harassment since at least 2013–2015 and failed to act. The Legislature paid $1.3 million (including $200,000 in attorney fees) to nine aggrieved parties; Kotek was not personally liable for damages.