Tina Kotek

Kotek was born on September 30, 1966, in Pennsylvania. Her grandparents immigrated from Eastern Europe in the early 1900s, and her parents were first-generation Americans. She moved to Oregon from the East Coast in 1987.⁠[1][2]

She earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of Oregon, graduating without student debt with the help of a Pell grant, work-study and affordable tuition, and then a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Washington, where as a graduate student she won domestic partnership rights for faculty and students.⁠[3][2]

Kotek worked as a public policy advocate at the Oregon Food Bank and later became policy director of the children’s advocacy group Children First for Oregon.⁠[2][3]

Kotek was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives from District 44 in 2006 and served from 2007 to 2022. In her first term she rewrote the state’s poverty program for low-income families, and she helped pass statewide LGBTQ+ protections and access to benefits.⁠[3][2]

She was co-speaker pro tempore in 2011 and House Democratic leader in 2012. In 2013 she was elected speaker of the House, becoming the first openly lesbian House speaker in the United States, and she held the post until 2022, the longest tenure of any speaker in Oregon.⁠[3][2][4]

In the November 8, 2022, gubernatorial election Kotek won with 47.0 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Christine DrazanChristine DrazanChristine Drazan is an American Republican politician who served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 2019 to 2022, including as House Republican leader, returned to the House in 2025 and was appointed to the Oregon State Senate in October 2025. She was the Republican nominee for governor of Oregon in 2022 and 2026.Open the full entry (43.5 percent) and independent Betsy Johnson (8.6 percent). Drazan conceded on November 11, almost a full day after the Associated Press called the race for Kotek.⁠[1][3][5]

Together with Maura HealeyMaura HealeyMaura Healey is an American Democratic politician and lawyer who has served as governor of Massachusetts since January 2023, after two terms as Massachusetts attorney general. She was re-elected governor in November 2026.Open the full entry of Massachusetts, she became one of the first two openly lesbian governors in U.S. history. She took office on January 9, 2023.⁠[2][1]

On her first day as governor, Kotek signed three executive orders: one declared a state of emergency over homelessness and set up an incident command structure similar to local responses to natural disasters; one set a goal of building 36,000 new homes a year and tasked the Housing Advisory Council with drafting a plan; and one directed state agencies not headed by elected officials to prioritize keeping people off the streets.⁠[6]

“These actions are important first steps,” she said.⁠[6]

In 2025 a $4.3 billion transportation funding package stalled in the Legislature; Democrats later passed emergency funding through increases in the gas tax, vehicle fees and the transit payroll tax during a special session, and Republicans pushed a referendum to repeal the increases.⁠[4]

On December 4, 2025, Kotek formally launched her re-election campaign under the name “Tina for Oregon.” “We stopped an unnecessary military deployment, restored SNAP benefits and got help to families fast,” she said.⁠[4]

In the May 19, 2026, Democratic primary for governor Kotek won the nomination with 83.6 percent of the vote against nine challengers; Christine Drazan won the Republican primary the same day, setting up a rematch.⁠[3][7]

In the November 3, 2026, gubernatorial election Kotek faced Republican Christine Drazan and Pacific Green candidate Brett Smith. The Associated Press declared Kotek the winner early on November 4.⁠[8][3]

Office of the Governor of Oregon: Official website: https://www.oregon.gov/gov/ (opens in a new window).⁠[2]

X: Public account: https://x.com/GovTinaKotek (opens in a new window).⁠[2]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GovTinaKotek (opens in a new window).⁠[2]